Are you sleeping enough to be productive?
The concept of sleep and productivity has been greatly misunderstood in Africa. It is funny how growing up our African mothers made it seem like sleep was for lazy people. Here’s a little story for you;
Alex, a fresh graduate from one of the most prestigious universities in Nigeria just got a job in one of the biggest tech companies. As a newbie, he was always ready to take on daring jobs just to expand his knowledge. Despite being as good as he was, Alex was doing things the wrong way. His company ran a 9 -4 schedule but Alex, on the other hand, ran a 6 -12 schedule.
The few hours left in between had little bits of work too. Alex never slept but worked round the clock. One day, his body reached its climax and he broke down terribly. He was also put on 2-week bed rest at a time when he was to pioneer a major project that could have put him at the peak of his career. What a waste of effort!
Well, Alex had to remain in the position he was in until further notice. So will you, if you choose to tread the same path Alex did. Stop fighting against your body and sleep. Sleep and productivity are two entities that cannot be separated from each other.
Dear tech bro in Africa, sometimes the most productive thing you can do is sleep.
The Science Of Sleep And Productivity
Sleep and productivity in the workplace have been discussed over time but it’s saddening that appropriate measures are not being taken towards it. Although there are limited data available on sleep patterns, African descent has been found to have a high prevalence of sleep disturbances such as reduced sleep duration. This is due to the poor quality of life in Africa.
Recent research conducted at Hult International Business School shows that lack of sleep can hinder a professional’s ability to perform at his peak and lead to physical and emotional side effects. This lack of sleep also weakens the immune system and poses a threat to the productivity of the employee. Such employees might end up falling sick often which will, in turn, lead to less output at work. This affects the overall functioning of the company. This, among others, shows how sleep affects productivity at work.
How Much Sleep Do You Need To Be Productive At Work
Doctors have always recommended 8 hours as the adequate number of hours required to sleep but the irony of this is, that the African work system hardly allows for that. However, everyone needs to find a baseline for this according to their body clock. I can sleep for 6 hours and wake up refreshed while you could sleep for the same 6 hours and still be sleepy. This is not to give room for laziness or excessive sleeping. Too much of everything is a problem.
The ideal thing to do is to ensure you sleep healthily. Documenting your sleep patterns for two weeks gives you an idea of how well you sleep. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine,
- Cutting down sleep to five or six hours a night drops productivity level by 19% at work the next day.
- Cutting down sleep to below five hours a night drops productivity level by 29% at work the next day.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends 6- 8 hours of sleep for adults.
Causes of Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation is a term that refers to getting less than the required amount or quality of sleep. This can include voluntary or involuntary sleeplessness and other sleep disorders. Sleep deprivation can be due to a lot of factors which include the following.
Poor Sleep Hygiene
A lot of Africans are known to possess disruptive and unhealthy habits that affect the quality of their sleep. Such habits include late binge-watch, drinking coffee close to bedtime, excess digital screen time, etc. To learn more about the ideal digital screen time, read up “How Much Digital Screen Time Is Too Much During Work”.
Nature of work
People who work for long hours or do multiple jobs hardly have time to sleep. The African believes that the more you work, the more you earn and the more your quality of living improves. What they have failed to realize is that one’s health needs to be considered as well. The ordinary African man, if given the opportunity will skip sleep to work extra hours and continue the cycle till it becomes difficult for him to sleep.
Worry and anxiety
Going to bed with worry and feelings of anxiety significantly impacts sleep behaviors and patterns leading to sleep deprivation. A consistent attitude of worrying before bed leads to a prolonged cycle of sleep deprivation.
Benefits Of Sleep On Physical And Mental Health
Listed below are the few benefits of sleep on the physical and mental health of African workers:
- Getting adequate sleep repairs and strengthens body tissues.
- As stated earlier that lack of sleep weakens the immune system, adequate sleep helps the body to produce hormones that help the immune system fight infections.
- Adequate sleep creates pathways that are critical for memory formation and retention. Read up on 6 Healthy Activities That Increase Brain Power Naturally to understand the importance of sleep in maintaining a healthy brain.
- Adequate sleep helps you maintain a healthy weight. Findings have shown that reduced sleep leads to an increase in weight gain.
- Adequate sleep leads to improved mood and efficiency. You can read up more on this on Rest In Tech or Rest In Peace.
- Adequate sleep reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as diabetes, stroke, and high blood pressure.
- Getting enough sleep reduces your stress levels and increases productivity.
- According to Sleep Foundation, getting adequate sleep helps to facilitate the brain’s processing of emotional information. This helps to reduce the severity of mental health disorders such as depression.
Dear African tech bro, you are not a lazy man for sleeping. Our brains are very active during sleep, and research has shown that adequate sleep is vital to our health and performance. Never miss any time you can spend sleeping!
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