In today’s fast-paced and connected working culture, people are spending more hours in the office and even still working during holidays, after office hours and weekends, this working habit is creating a toll in people’s sleeping habits. This can be the reason why you suddenly feel panicky or always on edge.
Current research done at Hult International Business School spearheaded by Professor Calpin studies the harmful effect of sleep deprivation on professions. The team examined the sleeping behaviors of 1,000 professionals and its impact on workplace performance. The research findings suggest that the lack of sleep can significantly hinder the ability to perform at its optimal capacity and can lead to damaging physical and emotional effects as well. The findings specified that:
“These findings help us realize that those people who are anxious by nature are the same people who will suffer the greatest harm from sleep deprivation,” said Matthew Walker, Ph.D.
Lack of sleep leads to poor performance and productivity
The study showed that professional respondents’ average sleeping hours is only six hours and 28 minutes in comparison to the recommendation of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine of seven hours of sleep each night for healthy adults. The deficit between the actual and recommended might be too minute to matter; however, the survey says otherwise. The respondents reported more reduced performance because of tiredness. Almost 60% admits to having trouble maintaining focus in meetings, longer time to accomplish tasks and harder to brainstorm new ideas. Together with a lack of attention and dwindling creative capability, participants indicated less motivation to learn and less able to handle demands. According to National Sleep Foundation, the workforce allocated an average of 4.5 hours a week on finishing office works at home which might be indicative of a cycle that workers are tired and unproductive at work then they will have no choice but to conclude everything at home.
Candice Alfano, a clinical psychologist, believes that children who often lack sleep have a higher likelihood of developing anxiety and depression when they grow up. “We focus on childhood,” Alfano says, “because similar to problems with anxiety and depression, sleep habits and patterns develop early in life and can be enduring.”
Sleep deprivation affects physical health
Reports of fatigue and tiredness are not a healthy condition and are considered as the typical symptoms of inadequate sleep. The respondents also shared other physical symptoms like palpitations and heartburn. The results are incongruent with many other establish research showing the association between the quality of sleep quality of physical health. In fact, lack of sleep can dampen the immune system thus making one more susceptible to disease. Take, for example; one study stated that people who average less than seven hours of sleep have almost three times more likely to get a standard cold. More important, it is backed by studies and research that long effects of sleep deprivation include obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
Also, Psychologist Annika Norell-Clarke says, “Worrying over lack of sleep can lead to prolonged insomnia.”
Chronic tiredness harms social, emotional and psychological well-being
Some of the identified psychological effects of sleeplessness are memory loss, manic behaviors, hallucinations, and paranoia. A good number of respondents reported that interpersonal aspects are difficult to handle when tired. In addition, frayed nerves, inattention, and moodiness related to sleep deficit can place a strain on the social element in the workplace. Significantly, 84 percent of survey participants feel irritable due to poor sleep, and half of the respondents experience a higher level of stress, anxiety, and feelings of frustration.