On The Power of Sleep

This Week’s Topic: Sleep is a Superpower

1 Strategy 🎯 

As the father of an adorable little 4-month old insomniac, sleep (or lack thereof) has been top of mind lately.

Outside of work, we spend more time sleeping than on any other activity.

And yet, the topic of sleep is rarely discussed in the context of leadership and team performance, despite the mountain of research demonstrating how important it is.

If sleep is discussed, it’s often framed, implicitly or explicitly, as a counterproductive behavior.

Most of us have worked alongside a colleague who wore their lack of sleep like a badge of honor, as if it proved their effectiveness and dedication.

It doesn’t.

Bragging about how little I sleep is about as impressive as bragging about how little I exercise, or how unhealthy my diet is.

Here are just a few byproducts of chronic sleep deprivation:

• Difficulty learning new skills

• Inability to concentrate

• Memory challenges

• Mood swings

• Burnout

• Increased risk of depression and anxiety

• Weight gain

• Suppressed immune system

None of these traits are synonymous with leadership or optimal performance.

Sleep and team performance are not enemies - they’re bedfellows.

If you’re like me, and you struggle with getting quality sleep from time to time, here are 5 simple strategies to help rewire your brain for better sleep, courtesy of Matt Walker, one of the world’s leading sleep scientists.

1. Regularity: Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.

2. Temperature: Studies show that a room temperature of 65 degrees is optimal for promoting sleep. Schedule your thermostat to drop to 65 degrees just before bed time - the drop in temperature will signal to your brain that it’s time for sleep.

3. Darkness: A dark room triggers the release of a hormone called melatonin, which promotes more restful sleep.

    

4. Walk it Out: If after lying in bed for more than ~25 minutes you still feel restless, get up and do something else. Stubbornly forcing yourself to stay in bed will condition your brain to associate your bed with frustration, rather than sleep.

5. Limit Caffeine: This is a tough one for my fellow coffee addicts. We reach for the caffeine to get through the late afternoon slump…then we get a poor night of sleep…then we’re exhausted by the following afternoon…so we reach for the caffeine to get through the afternoon slump…and the vicious cycle continues. Rather than going cold turkey, try gradually lowering your caffeine intake over 2-3 weeks. As your sleep improves, you’ll find you need less caffeine to stay energized.

Reply to this email and let me know what steps you’re taking to get better zzz’s! I look forward to hearing from you.

Sweet dreams and I’ll see you next Wednesday,

Darin 

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