How Getting A Good Nights

Sleep Can Improve Productivity

The Importance of Sleep

Sleep is not only essential for our health in general, but it also plays a key role in how productive we are during the day. Getting a good nights sleep can sometimes mean the difference between finally landing that next big, important client, and failing to meet a project deadline. Unfortunately, according to the National Sleep Foundation,

More than 40 percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each month - with 20 percent reporting problem sleepiness a few days a week or more.5
Sleep deprivation tends to be a common problem for working professionals. Some factors that affect a persons ability to sleep include: stress, obesity, alcohol and drug abuse, family problems, and following an irregular sleep schedule.

How Lack of Sleep Affects Productivity

A persons lack of sleep can seriously affect their ability to perform simple tasks during the day. According to WebMD, Decreased alertness and excessive daytime sleepiness impair your memory and your cognitive ability -- your ability to think and process information. Below is a chart that illustrates other tasks that are more difficult with less sleep.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

How Sleep Deprivation Kills Productivity

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (3/4/11)

As illustrated in Figure 2 above, lack of sleep can wreak havoc on a persons ability to perform certain tasks that are essential for daily productivity. Some studies have also shown that lack of sleep can also contribute to a greater risk of sustaining an occupational injury, and may also lead to things like irritability, impatience, and moodiness.

Sleep deprivation induces significant reductions in performance and alertness. Reducing your nighttime sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as 32%. 1

How (and Why] To Get A Good Nights Sleep

In order to increase day-to-day productivity, its important that a person gets a healthy, consistent amount of sleep. The American Psychological Association outlines a few ways individuals can get more sleep:

Keep a regular sleep/wake schedule Get regular exercise Avoid alcohol and heavy meals before sleep Dont drink or eat caffeine four to six hours before bed and minimize daytime use

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

The simple answer is an adult individual should generally be getting an average of eight hours of sleep a night, however, every person is different. The best thing an individual can do to find out how much sleep they need in order to be productive is to get on regular sleep schedule, follow some of the tips listed above, and adjust accordingly.

The first thing experts will tell you about sleep is that there is no "magic number." Not only do different age groups need different amounts of sleep, but sleep needs are also individual. Just like any other characteristics you are born with, the amount of sleep you need to function best may be different for you than for someone who is of the same age and gender. While you may be at your absolute best sleeping seven hours a night, someone else may clearly need nine hours to have a happy, productive life. 3
Getting a good nights sleep is essential to experiencing productivity at work. Getting more sleep will help make daily tasks easier, can prevent unnecessary occupational mistakes, and can also lead to a healthier lifestyle.

Sources
1 2 3 Breus, Michael J. "Chronic Sleep Deprivation and Health Effects." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. WebMD, LLC, 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/important-sleep-habits>. "CDC Data & Statistics | Feature: Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://www.cdc.gov/features/dsSleep/>. "How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?" National Sleep Foundation - Information on Sleep Health and Safety | Information on Sleep Health and Safety. National Sleep Foundation, 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/how-sleepworks/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need>. "Importance of Sleep : Six Reasons Not to Scrimp on Sleep - Harvard Health Publications." Health Information and Medical Information - Harvard Health Publications. Harvard Health Publications, Jan. 2006. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://www.health.harvard.edu/ press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health>. "Why Sleep Is Important and What Happens When You Don't Get Enough." American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association, 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://www.apa.org/topics/sleep/why.aspx>.

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