Blog #6: Sleep Deprivation and Work

Sleep by Sithzam

We have now seen the benefits of sleep, how the body demands for sleep and how the body stays awake. Now let's see how this affects people in their day to day lives. It was already shown that sleep is essential for a person to function well, so how about the consequences of missing out on sleep? We will tackle on sleep deprivation's effects to a person at work.

Vicki Bell wrote an article about and entitled "How sleep deprivation affects work performance." Here Bell shared facts that in a poll that most Americans are not getting the right amount of sleep. She also lists down facts about the short and long term consequences of sleep. She also wrote a short summary of problems an employee could face if he or she does not get enough sleep.

Bell writes "Work and relationship problems increase stress levels, which in turn exacerbate sleep problems. Combine sleep problems, added stress, and the anxiety sleep deprivation sufferers feel as they approach bedtime—will I have trouble falling asleep; will I sleep through the night; will I get enough sleep—and the situation can appear hopeless."

Bell writes that stress and sleep deprivation can be a vicious cycle. The person will be sleep deprived and stresses out at work then in stresses out in their bed which leads to more sleep deprivation and continues on and on. But this cycle can be cured avoiding more sleep disorders.

In an article written by Carolyn Gregoire entitled "5 Things You Should Know About Sleep Health in the Workplace", Gregoire enlists five problems brought up by sleep deprivation for employees and gives a small explanation on each problem. She writes that insufficient sleep is linked with decreased productivity, less innovation, lower job satisfaction and unethical behavior in the workplace. To list it down here it is:

1. Sleep Affects Not Just Productivity, But Innovation.
2. Sleep Deprivation And Stress Are A Vicious Cycle.
3. 24/7 Jobs Are Taking A Big Toll On Sleep Health.
4. Not All Naps Are Created Equal.
5. Corporate Wellness Programs Need To Address Sleep And Stress. 

She writes that "Lack of sleep affects the prefrontal cortex of the brain, the area that controls innovation, self-control and creativity. A 1999 study found that just 24 hours of sleep loss impairs innovative thinking and flexible decision-making."

So if the brain is greatly affected who's to say that how you tackle the day? As obvious as these effects are what we avoid to be sleep deprived, a lot of people constantly choose to be sleep deprived, by sleeping late and waking up early. One problem is that like in Gregoire's article she showed that businesses indirectly support sleep deprivation like praising their employees for responding to an e-mail at 3.A.M.

Corporations should stop supporting these values and support values that matter to the customer and employee to be at their best performance for the company and their private lives.