culled from:linkedin.com
We all know someone who has risen faster than most through their careers. What might have been roadblocks for many of us seem to fall away at this person’s feet, the planets aligning just right to sky rocket him or her directly to the top in almost all they do. How does this happen? What magical feat occurs that opens doors, influences others and helps this particular person’s consistent meteoric rise to the top?
Have you ever considered that maybe they have slept their way to the top?
Think for a moment on what it takes to be successful in most careers. Focus. Determination. Intelligent decision making. Positive attitude. The list could go on and on. What you will notice is a consistent, central theme. You need to be at your absolute best to be continuously successful. To be certain, a full night’s sleep is an important aspect of you being able to perform at your fullest potential throughout the day.
To highlight this point, I’d like to quote the CDC’s website that says,
Insufficient sleep is a public health epidemic
That is taken directly from a headline on the CDC’s own website. That alone should scare the hell out of you.
A 2014 survey by the Better Sleep Council showed that only 48% of Americans get 7 hours or more of sleep on weekdays. The CDC recommends that adults, including the elderly, should get 7-8 hours of sleep daily. This means that 52% of Americans are getting less than the ideal amount of sleep to be their most efficient.
So what are the negative effects of not getting enough sleep? See the list below provided by WebMD and consider how these effects come into play throughout your work day:
Sleepiness Causes Accidents – Sleep deprivation was a factor in some of the biggest disasters in recent history: The 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill, the 1986 nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl and others.
Sleep Loss Dumbs You Down – Sleep plays a critical role in thinking and learning. Lack of sleep hurts these cognitive processes in may ways. First, it, impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning and problem solving. This makes it more difficult to learn efficiently.
Sleep Deprivations Can Lead to Serious Health Problems – Sleep disorders and chronic sleep loss can put you at risk for: heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes.
Do any of these sound like they would help you at work in any way? Absolutely not. So how can you determine if you aren’t getting enough sleep to be your best? Here are some well documented early signs reported by those who are consistently getting less sleep than they need:
Poor Critical Thinking
Poor Memory
Depression (more moody than usual)
Struggle with Stress
Increase in Appetite
Tired Eyes
Poor Memory (Did I mention this already?)
These are just a few of the most noticeable signs. The list goes on and on. If you believe you are exhibiting some of these signs or maybe you simply realize you average less than 7 hours of sleep a night, don’t fret. There are steps you can take to help increase the amount of, and improve the quality of, sleep you are getting. The Mayo Clinic provides the steps below to improved sleeping:
1. Stick to a sleep schedule – Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends, holidays and days off. Being consistent reinforces your body’s sleep-wake cycle and helps promote better sleep at night. There’s a caveat, though. If you don’t fall asleep within about 15 minutes, get up and do something relaxing. Go back to bed when you’re tired. If you agonize over falling asleep, you might find it even tougher to nod off.
2. Pay attention to what you eat and drink – Don’t go to bed either hungry or stuffed. Your discomfort might keep you up. Also limit how much you drink before bed, to prevent disruptive middle-of-the-night trips to the toilet.
Nicotine, caffeine and alcohol deserve caution, too. The stimulating effects of nicotine and caffeine take hours to wear off and can wreak havoc on quality sleep. And even though alcohol might make you feel sleepy at first, it can disrupt sleep later in the night.
3. Create a bedtime ritual – Do the same things each night to tell your body it’s time to wind down. This might include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music — preferably with the lights dimmed. Relaxing activities can promote better sleep by easing the transition between wakefulness and drowsiness.
Be wary of using the TV or other electronic devices as part of your bedtime ritual. Some research suggests that screen time or other media use before bedtime interferes with sleep.
4. Get comfortable – Create a room that’s ideal for sleeping. Often, this means cool, dark and quiet. Consider using room-darkening shades, earplugs, a fan or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.
Your mattress and pillow can contribute to better sleep, too. Since the features of good bedding are subjective, choose what feels most comfortable to you. If you share your bed, make sure there’s enough room for two. If you have children or pets, try to set limits on how often they sleep with you — or insist on separate sleeping quarters.
5. Limit daytime naps – Long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep — especially if you’re struggling with insomnia or poor sleep quality at night. If you choose to nap during the day, limit yourself to about 10 to 30 minutes and make it during the mid afternoon.
If you work nights, you’ll need to make an exception to the rules about daytime sleeping. In this case, keep your window coverings closed so that sunlight — which adjusts your internal clock — doesn’t interrupt your daytime sleep.
6. Include physical activity in your daily routine – Regular physical activity can promote better sleep, helping you to fall asleep faster and to enjoy deeper sleep. Timing is important, though. If you exercise too close to bedtime, you might be too energized to fall asleep. If this seems to be an issue for you, exercise earlier in the day.
7. Manage stress – When you have too much to do (and too much to think about) your sleep is likely to suffer. To help restore peace, consider healthy ways to manage stress. Start with the basics, such as getting organized, setting priorities and delegating tasks. Give yourself permission to take a break when you need one. Share a good laugh with an old friend. Before bed, jot down what’s on your mind and then set it aside for tomorrow.
Done separately at first, these are simple and easy steps to take to increase the amount of nightly sleep you are getting and thus improving cognitive thinking, decreasing stress, improving memory and boosting your overall sense of well being. In short, making you a better employee.
If you are struggling at work and looking for a quick way to improve your current situation, consider sleeping your way to the top and find success between the sheets.The side effects of better sleep could be the key to your own rise to the top.
