Save Time and Submit Your InsuranceA recent poll of 180 business leaders and executives found that 4 out of 10 had sleep issues. Maybe that’s not so surprising, but did you know that sleep deprivation can affect your performance like drinking alcohol on the job?
When your sleep suffers, your performance at work suffers. According to the American Sleep Association if you are up for more than 17 hours straight, your ability to function is like having a 0.05% blood alcohol level. For someone who weighs about 200 pounds, that’s like having 4 beers at work. After 20 hours of being awake, it’s like having a 0.1% blood alcohol level, or drinking 6 or 7 beers. Yikes!
So, what do you do? It’s hard to sleep if you’re constantly busy with work. If you don’t make sleep a priority, you could end up losing your job due to performance issues. Taking a nap can boost brain power during the day, but it might be helpful to talk to your doctor about sleep deprivation.
Beyond the job, the negative health effects of sleep deprivation are well documented. Your body needs sleep to function normally. If you don’t get enough sleep, you have a higher risk of developing serious health issues that can lead to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and more.
Being successful in business requires a lot of brain power. You are solving problems and interacting with a wide variety of people while multitasking non-stop and staying organized. If your job requires any level of creativity, you need full brain power at work. A well-rested brain is more alert during the day. This goes back to our recent post about later start times for schools; well-rested students are ready to learn, and actually perform better in school (in addition to being healthier overall).
People with sleep apnea are especially prone to sleep deprivation, and napping may not help. If left untreated, sleep apnea interrupts your sleep without you even knowing, and you find yourself never feeling completed rested during the day. CPAP therapy is the gold standard for treating mild to severe sleep apnea, and it will give you the best sleep you’ve ever had.
If you have a prescription for CPAP therapy, we’d love to match you with the right device. Contact us to learn more about your options.
