Even though experts believe people should get at least eight hours of sleep every night, most people don’t actually get that much sleep. Recent studies show that less than half of the leaders in the entire world get at least six hours of sleep. When people don’t get enough rest every day, they have more chances of impaired creativity, less self-control, and the possibility of poor judgment. When those people are leaders who don’t get enough rest, they are more likely to treat their employees wrong and create a work environment where employees are less engaged with less ethical behavior.
The reason so many people, including leaders, get less than the recommended amount of sleep is because social commitments, family, and work take up a lot of hours in each person’s day. After people spend their day focusing on their personal and work-related responsibilities, they believe it is impossible to get the recommended eight hours of sleep each night. Some people are so used to living life on a few hours of sleep every night that they believe their lack of sleep is not causing harm and may even be proud that they can function “so well” on limited sleep.
Despite people seeming to think that they are okay to function on a lack of sleep, there are actually some great benefits of rest that those people are missing out on. Some of the benefits of sleep include the way it allows people to process emotional experiences, consolidate and store memories, clear out waste that can disrupt cognitive activity, and replenish the molecule that provides fuel for the brain. Fortunately, there are things that people who lack sleep can do to change this behavior for the better, including accepting the fact that a lack of sleep can be harmful to not only themselves but those around them as well. After the initial stage of acceptance, sleep-deprived people can follow advice from experts that will ensure they are able to get enough rest. Then, those well-rested people can become the best they can be while also bringing out the best in the people that are in their lives.