When the pressure is really on at work, there’s loads to get done at home and the kids all have different schedules to adhere to, that’s the time you really need to be on your “A game”. Ironically, it also tends to be the time our sleep can really begin to suffer. 

Poor sleep has long been a common symptom of being overstressed and overworked, as unfortunately, during these times where we need our productivity to be at its peak, it’s common to find sleep patterns change or are disturbed. 

According to a Harvard Report, a lack of adequate sleep can affect our ability to learn and retain information, impacting our judgement and mood too. What’s more, it can also negatively impact our productivity and efficiency, causing errors and accidents, something that’s a real danger if the industry we work in involves machinery or care of others. 

So, why is sleep so important to productivity and doing well at work?

Cementing new knowledge

Many studies have shown that new learnings are consolidated while we sleep, with the quality and quantity of our sleep shown to impact on this process. So, in an era where we’re constantly required to learn new skills and adapt to new technologies and ways of working, good sleep is key!

Working well with others

Whether working from home or in the office, being able to work well with teammates is key. With poor sleep understandably increasing irritability and impacting empathy, as well as affecting our focus, when we aren’t sleeping well, we aren’t working well with others either. 

In fact, a survey by Hult International Business School indicated that interpersonal relationships deteriorate in line with our sleep quality. So, if you’re struggling to work well with your colleagues, ask yourself, is my sleep to blame?

The key to productivity 

Whilst many of us secretly love to moan about the extra hours we’re putting in at work, it’s actually the quality, not the quantity of our work that’s important. Much the same as sleep! It’s no secret that as our tiredness increases, our productivity decreases. Pair this with the impact of overworking on sleep, and you quickly find yourself in a vicious cycle. In short, poor sleep means poor quality of work, and that benefits nobody!

Keeping creative

Creativity doesn’t always mean poetry and painting; creative thinking is key when it comes to tackling an array of workplace challenges. When we need to come up with a new approach to something, or solve a problem, our brain needs to be well rested in order to deliver. In fact, research shows a direct link between our sleep quality and ability to think creatively. 

So, how can you improve your sleep and boost your productivity in turn?

My top tips for improving your sleep:

1.     Step out of stress – If you find yourself constantly feeling stressed, this is an exhausting state to be in, and is bound to impact your work. Take some time each day to focus on calming your mind. Learn to view your negative thoughts as exactly that, thoughts, rather than facts. For example, you may think that your poor sleep is causing your colleagues to see you as a failure, but that’s simply not true. If you’re thinking negative thoughts, write them down. Allocate a small amount of time each day to write out your negative thoughts, putting pen to paper and taking them out of your head and onto the page. Then let them go.

2.     Don’t go to bed too early – If you’re tired after a bad night’s sleep and a long day in the office, it can be very tempting to go to bed really early. However, this will eventually diminish your appetite for sleep, causing you to sleep more poorly down the line. So, instead try to stay up a little later, doing something you enjoy like watching TV or reading so that you wind down before bed as this can help increase sleep quality. 

3.     Get up if you can’t sleep – It may sound counterintuitive, but if you really can’t sleep during the night, get up! Enjoy some time in the peace and quiet and by leaving your bedroom when you are feeling anxious/stressed you will be able to keep a more positive connection to your bed. 

4.     Set an alarm – This one may be a little tricky if you’re feeling tired, but if you can set an alarm and get up even if you’ve slept badly, you’ll have a better chance at sleeping well the following night as the earlier we get up the more our body clock will respond by setting a new pattern. Also, the earlier you get up the more of a sleep appetite you will have by bedtime.