How does sleep affect ambition?

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”—Benjamin Franklin

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Throughout the years, there have been many studies on sleep and how it affects learning, leadership, and success. In the Western world, we still see a lot of value placed on giving up sleep for the sake of “productivity” but researchers and some sleep advocates among business leaders are urging us to prioritize getting proper rest if we want sustainable growth and success.

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In fact, recent studies showed that lack of sleep affects ambition to “lean in” and “do better” at work, particularly among women. Although sleep and ambition show no correlation among men, probably due to the prevalent difference in societal pressures and gender roles between men and women, it is without a doubt that sleep is important for our health, wealth, learning, and wisdom.

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Let’s take a quick look at other research on sleep and why it always comes up in leadership topics:

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• Lack of sleep negatively impacts physical health. The time we spend asleep is our body’s opportunity to repair the wear and tear from our day’s activities such as extraneous activities—including exercise! If you work out to keep in shape but fail to get proper sleep, you are missing part of the equation. Your body also needs to recover from that social drinking at work, process the nutrients (or lack thereof) from the diet you have, and recover from fatigue from all that commute, travel, and movement.
• Lack of sleep impedes focus, learning, and retention. Your brain also works when you are asleep. It is when it sorts out all information throughout the day, recognizes patterns and connections between those data, retains new information, and removes connections that are irrelevant and unused. This helps optimize your ability to focus, learn new things, improve your memory and retain relevant knowledge.
• Lack of sleep affects decision-making. When you lack sleep, you are slow to react and recognize trends, impeding your ability to make good decisions fast.
• Lack of sleep results in poor people skills. Empathy is a crucial skill in effective leadership, but when you lack sleep, you tend to lack empathy and be more hostile. This results in low morale and disengagement among the people you lead. It also affects your charisma, and your ability to motivate and inspire others, more factors essential in leadership.
• Lack of sleep is detrimental to mental health and overall well-being. Sleep is important in managing your mood and stress. When you lack sleep, life- and work-related stress can accumulate faster, leading to burnout, anxiety, and other mental health issues. It also affects your overall well-being, as studies show lack of sleep increases risk-taking behaviors such as driving and money-related risk-taking.
• Lack of sleep restricts creativity. If you can’t focus because you are too tired, your ability to think of new ideas is also affected. Creativity and complex thinking are necessary at work, in problem-solving, and in other aspects of life. When creativity is restricted, performance suffers.

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These are mostly work-related issues tied to lack of sleep, but they also bleed to your personal and family life. Getting a good quantity and quality of shut-eye at the end of the day is crucial to a thriving and fulfilling life.

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How can we improve our sleep?

There are many research-backed “hacks” in improving both the length and quality of our sleep, like limiting the intake of some substances before bedtime such as:

• Caffeine (7 hours before bed)
• Alcohol (3 hours before bed)
• Nicotine (3-4 hours before bed).

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Making sure you don’t expose yourself to blue light at night or before bedtime is also a prominent suggestion based on research. If you work the night shift, investing in blackout curtains in your bedroom and sleep masks are practical ways to achieve a good quality of sleep despite the flipped sleeping schedule.

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If you live in a noisy neighborhood, some earplugs or noise-canceling earphones might also benefit your sleep.

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For people who have sleep disorders such as insomnia or sleep apnea, seeking professional treatment is recommended.

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But at the core of it is addressing our mindset regarding sleep and productivity. Some people wear their work-related sleep deprivation and working long hours as a badge of honor.

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Bosses who promote a culture that shuns sleep and proper boundaries while rewarding overwork can lead to many issues in the workplace that will eventually affect performance and overall productivity. The organization might notice an increase in sick leaves and absenteeism, more disengaged workers, and low morale at work that affects collaboration and team and individual performance.

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If you want a culture of healthy and sustainable productivity in your business, it has to start with you. You need to model the behavior you want your people to follow.

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Sleep well, prioritize your health, and lead better. Thanks for reading “A Brilliant Tribe.”