With an overworked and sleep-deprived workforce, it seems like the answer is clear: get more hours of work done in less time. But what if you could actually improve your productivity by sleeping?
Sleep is a highly underrated way to increase productivity. Sleep improves your ability to focus, and it also helps you learn and retain information.
Recently, I’ve been quite weary. It’s that exhausted feeling that lasts for days until you eventually give in and take a true break from work (I’m taking a week off in October). Trying to work on tasks that demand a lot of thinking, mental clarity, and—I can’t think of the right phrase because I’m sleepy, which supports my point: it’s difficult to perform excellent work when you’re exhausted.
However, how sleep impacts our work is complicated. Sleep deprivation impacts our health and capacity to concentrate in addition to making us sleepy, and sleeping properly (or taking naps) may help us learn quicker and increase our memory recall.
Knowing how sleep impacts my productivity and capacity to do my best work has prompted me to make getting enough sleep a priority every night. I’ve been experimenting with what works best for me, and I’m now sleeping for approximately seven hours on average, down from eight and a half hours in bed.
I wanted to share some of the ways sleep may effect your job, as well as some of the greatest sleep strategies I’ve discovered in my study to help you get a better night’s sleep.
Your Productivity Will Suffer If You Are Tired
It’s a drag to be fatigued. When you’re battling to get through a workday without adequate sleep, it’s difficult to even make it to lunchtime. Sleep deprivation makes it difficult to focus and increases our chances of being distracted, which is a bad combination.
When we’re fatigued, we also tend to revert to our old routines. This is excellent if we’ve established good habits, but if we haven’t, we won’t have the discipline to make healthy choices if we’re exhausted. Instead, we’ll revert to our old habits of consuming low-quality foods, failing to exercise, and binge-watching television. The good news is that you can develop any habits you choose, and once they’re established, you’ll be able to fall back on them when you’re exhausted.
So, if you have a routine of going for a run every morning, you’ll wake up and go for a run when you’re sleepy and lacking willpower—because it’s a habit, and it’s the simplest thing to do. You don’t have to think about it or make any decisions; you just do what you usually do. Other behaviors that help in the same manner include having a nutritious breakfast, drinking plenty of water, walking to work, and reading over lunch.
Naps Can Assist You in Regaining Control
On a workday, not everyone can snooze, but I hope that will change soon. You may take use of the advantages throughout your workdays if you work from home or have a resting space in your office. If not, maybe the napping studies can help you persuade your supervisor to build up a sleeping area. On the weekends, you may, of course, take advantage of a nice snooze.
Napping has several advantages, the most apparent of which being that it helps you feel less weary. In fact, when you’re feeling tired, it’s one of the most effective strategies to raise your energy levels. A brief snooze is more beneficial than a cup of coffee, so if you have the opportunity in the afternoon, take advantage of it. You may also consume a cup of coffee before your nap to help you wake up feeling more alert. Caffeine and sleep when combined are considerably more effective than each treatment alone.
Naps are also beneficial for learning new abilities and memorizing information. When you sleep after learning something new, your brain might transfer the information from temporary storage to a more permanent spot. When you wake up, your brain is free to absorb additional information. Learning something new and revisiting it after you’ve slept is a terrific approach to reinforce new abilities or knowledge since your memories are partly cemented during sleep.
Is There a Limit to How Much Is Enough?
Don’t get into the trap of believing that you need to sleep for eight hours every night. Although it’s easy to remember since we hear it so frequently, this is too basic a rule for everyone to follow. The fact is that our sleeping habits alter as we get older (teenagers, in particular, need to sleep later, so don’t judge them for sleeping in!) It varies from day to day, depending on how much energy we burn and how much sleep we need to make up on from prior nights.
You’ll have to experiment to figure out what works best for you, but on average, most people need seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Oversleeping may also be harmful to your health (have you ever woken up exhausted after a long nap?) As a result, don’t go excessive.
National Sleep Foundation is the source of this information.
Five Ways to Improve Your Sleep Quality:
Here are some more strategies to increase the quality of your sleep after you’ve figured out the amount of hours:
1. Make it a habit to go to bed at the same time every night.
At the same moment, get up. Your body will acclimate to a regular sleeping and waking pattern, making it easier for you to fall asleep and wake up.
2. Make use of as much natural light as possible.
Allowing your internal body clock to adjust itself is aided by exposure to natural light. Even on a gloomy day, going outdoors will provide you with plenty natural light, assisting you in waking up quicker in the morning and falling asleep more easily at night.
3. At night, put your screens away.
Blue light from computer, tablet, and phone displays lowers melatonin levels, which helps your body recognize when it’s time to sleep. To assist your body in preparing for sleep, put away electronic gadgets at least an hour before bedtime. If you’re having trouble with this, consider using an app like f.lux to reduce the impacts of late-night screen use.
4. Relax before going to bed
A winding down regimen will prepare your body for sleep. Before going to bed, avoid large meals or vigorous activity. To help you relax and fall asleep quicker, take a warm shower or drink something warm and read a book.
5. Take note of your sleeping posture.
We all have our favorite sleeping positions, but for the best sleep, you may need to alter things up. Neck discomfort may be caused by lying on your stomach, for example. Find the optimal sleeping position for you with our guide to sleeping postures.
Even if you are unable to nap on the job, obtaining enough excellent quality sleep each night may have a significant impact on your productivity. You don’t want to be concerned about keeping awake when you have so much to accomplish each day!
Have you discovered anything else that helps you sleep better? I’m always looking for excellent sleeping advice, so if you have any, please share them in the comments.
Watch This Video-
“How does good sleep improve concentration and productivity?” is a question that many people ask. Research suggests that sleep can help to increase the ability of individuals to concentrate, as well as improving their mood and social skills. Reference: how does good sleep improve concentration and productivity.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can sleep increase productivity?
A: Studies show that sleep helps the brain to rest and provides a great opportunity for your brains neurons to reorganize themselves which increases the efficiency of memory. If youre too tired from lack of sleep, studies also show that it can increase anxiety levels as well leading to increased stress.
How does sleep affect work productivity?
A: Sleep is important for your brain to recover and remember. It also allows you to focus on what needs attention without distraction, so lack of sleep can have a negative effect on productivity.
Can you be productive with 5 hours of sleep?
A: Yes, you can be productive with 5 hours of sleep.
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