Workplace Wellness: How Sleep Can Enhance Your Job Performance
It’s been a long year and let’s face it, we’re all exhausted. Especially during the holiday season and wrapping up Q4 deadlines, there isn’t enough time to get enough sleep. When life gets busy, one of the first sacrifices we make is in our sleep schedule. When there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done, we tap into our resting hours at night.
While we may think that spending more hours awake helps us accomplish more, it actually can negatively affect job performance. The end of the year is when we want to be performing our best, by finishing projects strong and hopefully making that end of the year bonus. It’s important to prioritize wellness, so that we physically and mentally can put our best foot forward.
When we sleep, our bodies are given the time to recharge. Our mind gets a break, our bodies slow down, and our physical state is given a chance to refresh itself. This time of rejuvenation is what makes us function best during the hours when we are awake. Taking the time to rest at night, means less resting that is needed during the day.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults (ranging from young to old) need on average 7-9 hours of sleep per night. It comes as no surprise that most adults do not achieve that many hours of rest on a regular basis. Additionally, it comes as no surprise that the average American drinks 3 cups of coffee per day. If we aren’t getting enough rest at night, we need something extra to energize us throughout the day.
Attempting to work while experiencing fatigue can have a negative impact on job performance. You aren’t able to focus, process things quickly, make decisions easily, intact new information, or even feel things objectively. On a all encompassing level, fatigue takes over your body and impacts everything you do during the workday.
Day to day tasks will likely take longer since you aren’t able to work efficiently and you are more likely to make mistakes. Poor time management and constantly making errors are not desirable qualities in an employee. Additionally, a lack of sleep can make you more irritable which could cause a negative or even angry mood in the workplace. Again, not a desirable trait for an employee.
All that being said, imagine how much sleep could enhance your worklife if you were getting enough of it. You would be able to work fast and work well, take control of your time management, feel cheerful, come up with creative ideas, problem solve with accurate solutions – all qualities that employers seek in their employees. These traits could even result in a promotion or advancement in your career.
It’s important to recognize the impact sleep has on your job performance and take the necessary steps to improve your sleep health. Step one is to solely recognize and accept this fact. Step two is do something about it.
Prioritize your health and don’t cut corners by constantly letting activities or projects bleed into your resting hours. If you’re having trouble keeping to this, try making your nighttime routine something you look forward to. Consider purchasing some comfortable sleepwear, treating yourself to a face mask, or play soothing music as you wind down for the evening.
Don’t let sleep be your downfall in the workplace, let it be a tool that helps you enhance and advance your worklife.
