It seems that nothing can be easier than to sleep. I lay down to feel more comfortable, close my eyes, and now I am are already immersed in the world of dreams. In practice, the older we get, the more information noise, worries and responsibilities around us, the more difficult it is to turn off extraneous thoughts and fall asleep. In a special risk group there are businessmen, managers and top managers: their heads are immersed in business concerns, so sleep is often superficial. Over time, this leads to serious consequences. The head of the Zelevar dietary supplement production company Artem Dzigunenko and clinical psychologist, sleep consultant, sexologist Yana Akinkina explain how to get enough sleep and keep your thoughts clear.
Why bosses fall asleep at meetings
Being imperceptibly sleepy at a meeting is not a reason for ridicule, but a reason to find out if you are all right. As a rule, business owners and top managers prioritize work, sacrificing rest and sleep. That’s what usually stops successful people getting enough sleep.
- Early ascent. The businessman gets up early in the morning, often long before the family wakes up. This allows to prepare daily plans, deal with business, while no one distracts. But the problem is that such a rise reduces the hours of good rest.
- Evening work at home. Many continue to work at home. Checking mail, writing reports, solving urgent issues. And you also need to talk with your family, watch a movie, read a book. If there are small children, then sleeping at night without awakening is even more difficult. As a result, the body does not receive the necessary hours of sleep.
- Stress. It accompanies each manager daily. Decisions are made quickly, sometimes intuitively. Mistakes are expensive, so the responsibility is enormous. Such a load greatly affects the quality of sleep.
- Bedtime anxiety. In the evening, the brain continues to scroll through the events of the past day and make plans for tomorrow. This constant thought activity makes it difficult to relax and fall asleep on time.
- Meal time disturbance. Breakfast on the run, lunch at the meeting, dinner late in the evening – this is the usual diet of the leader. Improper nutrition disrupts the body’s biological rhythms, worsening sleep.
- Insufficient physical activity. The work of many leaders is associated with a sedentary lifestyle. The lack of regular physical activity reduces the body’s ability to recover fully at night. GABA production (responsible for relaxation) and BDNF level (helps the brain adapt to stress) are reduced – as a result, increased anxiety appears.
Chronic sleep deprivation is a silent productivity killer
Top managers have long made short sleep a symbol of success. There is an opinion among leaders that a successful leader needs four to five hours of sleep. An example is Elon Musk, who claims to be able to work 120 hours a week and sleep right in his office. True, later the billionaire himself admitted that constant wear and tear brought him to serious health problems.
The problem is that it is not necessary to be heroic, like Musk, in order to earn chronic lack of sleep – you can work less, but because of poor-quality sleep, you still do not have time to recover.
Why is lack of sleep so dangerous? First, lack of sleep dramatically reduces concentration. This prevents you from making the right decisions and increases the risk of mistakes.
Secondly, the body is deprived of the opportunity to fully rest and recuperate. Cognitive abilities suffer, immunity decreases, problems with memory and mood appear. An exhausted body begins to malfunction, fatigue and irritation appear, in severe cases – hallucinations. Even the appearance signals problems: the face becomes paler, bruises and swelling appear under the eyes, the skin loses freshness, hair may fall out.
With prolonged sleep deficiency, internal organs experience overload, the nervous system and cardiovascular activity are especially affected. Diseases that were previously unnoticed can worsen. Chronic sleep deprivation triggers the stress mechanism, causing hormonal disturbances and accelerating the aging of the body.
Sleep as an investment: setting up a rest regime
The sleep norm is different for everyone. The classic option is seven to eight hours of rest at night. Of course, some people need six hours, others need nine. It is important to understand that sleeping and lying in bed with your eyes closed are different things. Superficial sleep doesn’t make a full recovery, so if you feel like you have a problem, it’s time to change things.
For a good night’s sleep, you need to follow simple hygiene rules. Prepare a comfortable space in the bedroom. Draw the curtains, as melatonin is produced in the dark, promoting deep sleep. The optimal temperature in the room is about 18 degrees. Ventilate the room before going to bed, but remember to close the window to reduce background noise from the street.
Half an hour before going to bed, put your gadgets away, arrange a small relaxing ritual – take a warm shower, listen to calm music or read a book.
When it comes to nutrition, look out for natural sources of melatonin. For example, tart cherries and cherries are rich in this hormone. Salmon and tuna will also provide you with B vitamins, omega-3 and magnesium. Eat a banana in the evening – it contains a lot of magnesium and vitamin B6, which stimulate the production of serotonin. Alternatively, prepare a light oatmeal dinner – it will give the body the necessary substances for a gentle transition to sleep.
With chronic insomnia, it is useful to contact specialists: somnologists, psychotherapists or neurologists. They will select optimal sleep correction methods, including dietary supplements like glycine, L-theanine, herbal extracts and magnesium. These substances reduce cortisol levels, gently slow down the nervous system, remove muscle clamps and help you fall asleep.
In advanced situations, stronger medical artillery is prescribed. However, it is important to understand that pills alone will not solve the problem. To restore healthy sleep, you need changes in habits and lifestyle. Take the situation into your own hands and introduce useful practices – and then, with a fresh head and good health, it will be much easier to lead a business to the top of success.