With many people finding it difficult to get the requisite amount of asleep, it is little wonder their productivity suffers when they are work.
Generally speaking, adults should get seven to nine hours sleep per night, but research has shown that many individuals are failing to hit that mark.
A 2022 study of 8,000 adults in the United Kingdom found that nearly 75 percent of respondents reported poorer sleep compared with the previous year.
More worryingly, one in 10 participants are getting four hours or less per night, potentially impacting their physical health and mental wellbeing.
Lifestyle choices play a key role in our ability to get great quality sleep, particularly when it comes to undertaking our pre-bedtime routine.
Activities such as playing online casino games or listening to music are commonplace, as is watching a lot of TV. However, it’s not the activities themselves but how close to our bedtime we engage in them that have a greater impact.
Research shows that heavy screen time right before you sleep can lead to a sleep deficit or a poorer night of sleep.
People who suffer from sleep deficit find it difficult to focus the following day and have an increased chance of suffering accidents in the workplace.
Neuroscientist and best-selling author Matthew Walker has conducted extensive research into the impact a lack of sleep can have on businesses.
He believes people should take more responsibility for their actions by establishing a structured sleep routine and sticking to it.
“Under-slept employees are not going to drive your business forward with productive innovation,” Walker said.
“Like a group of people riding stationary exercise bikes, everyone looks like they are pedalling, but the scenery never changes.
“The irony that employees miss is that when you are not getting enough sleep, you work less productively and thus need to work longer to accomplish a goal.
“This means you often must work longer and later into the evening, arrive home later, go to bed later, and need to wake up earlier, creating a negative feedback loop.”
While some people may believe Walker’s views on sleep deprivation are overly sensational, the issue is a major problem in the UK.
A lack of sleep is estimated to cost the economy around £37 billion in lost productivity every year – a figure the UK can ill-afford to squander.
People often complain about not having enough time each day to get things done, but Walker claims this is often as a result of their failure to take sleep seriously.
“Why try to boil a pot of water on medium heat when you could do so in half the time on high?” Walker added.
“People often tell me that they do not have enough time to sleep because they have so much work to do.
“Without wanting to be combative in any way whatsoever, I respond by informing them that perhaps the reason they still have so much to do at the end of the day is precisely because they do not get enough sleep at night.”
