Our society places a lot of value on hard work and long hours, especially in the business world. While it certainly seems admirable to forego sleep in order to keep a business afloat, that lack of sleep might be hurting your bottom line. People need to get enough sleep in order to function, yet far too many entrepreneurs think of eight hours of sleep as eight hours of missed work. If this describes your way of thinking, here are just a few reasons why a good night’s sleep is a better ROI than anything you can do at the office.
Sleep Keeps You Healthy
When we say that people need sleep to function, we mean it. One study by the Sleep Foundation has shown that people who get only six hours of sleep for two weeks straight perform as poorly on cognitive and motor tasks as those who have gone two days without any sleep. On top of that, the cumulative effects of not getting enough sleep can impact the heart, lungs, kidneys, and even a person’s weight. In extreme cases, a lack of sleep can actually be fatal. In other words, those all-nighters that you’ve been putting in that have been impressing your bosses and colleagues might actually be killing you.
Sleep Improves Your Performance at Work
If not getting enough sleep can negatively impact your health, then it stands to reason that being well-rested increases your performance at work. When you get enough sleep every night, your cognitive abilities improve, you have more energy, and you can get high-quality work done. You might be logging in fewer hours at work than someone who always works overtime on four hours of sleep, but you will almost certainly be doing a better job than that person.
We know that in our fast-paced, 24/7 business world, there is pressure to work hard into the night, and that might make it harder to actually go home and get some sleep. There will always be people who see sleeping as time spent not working, but you need that good night’s sleep. Not only will you be doing better work overall when you are on the job, but you will be able to stay alive and healthy long enough to enjoy the fruits of your labor.