“I try hard to make my 8 hours of sleep a priority”

The age old mantra of needing 8 hours sleep a night shouldn’t be ignored even with modern day pressures.

Research has shown that for most adults between 6 and 9 hours sleep a night is needed¹ Sleep provides time for your body to recharge by consolidating and storing memories, processing the day’s activities and associated emotions, replenishing glucose which fuels the brain and eradicating beta-amyloid whose build up disrupts cognitive activity².

Business leaders who thrive on limited shut eye or arrive at work unrested are doing more damage than good, not just for their own health but also for their employee’s health and performance. Fatigue can cause changes in behaviours such as loss of patience, erratic decision making and a lack of charisma which are not desirable traits of a leader and can leave employees disengaged.².

Fortunately the popular trend of less sleep = success seems to be shifting.

No longer will the constant business travel, late nights in the office and numerous social commitments portray you as a winner. People are becoming more aware of what they demand of their bodies, the food they eat to fuel themselves and how to treat themselves to make them the most productive they can be. To paraphrase Jeff Bezos “I try hard to make my 8-hours of sleep a priority”. ³

Is it a sign of a sleep disorder?

For some, not getting enough sleep can be a sign of a sleep disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Sleep disorders can be treated if they have been identified. And in the first instance it can be the partners of snorers who are having disrupted sleep as a result of snoring who will generally comment and raise awareness. Becoming aware of the symptoms of sleep disorders should direct you to complete an online screen test to help highlight the symptoms of sleep apnoea. If you have any concerns, then don’t hesitate to discuss this with your GP who may refer you for a sleep study. If you are then referred for a sleep study and subsequently diagnosed with sleep apnoea it will also determine what level of severity as this will help define your treatment options.

Many Resmed patients already on CPAP treatment, such as Ed Jones, report huge improvements in their daily life from its use.4 Once patients are used to the new way of sleeping, they will hopefully see a marked difference in their daytime performance. Many patients who have been diagnosed with OSA and started treatment will hopefully have experienced similar changes in energy and mood. It’s a reminder, that keeping on track with your CPAP therapy and persevering through any issues is vital to get the best results.

Imagine waking feeling that you’ve had your full 8 hours of sleep? Positive energy can be infectious, especially if you are a leader – colleagues and employees can be impacted by changes in your attitude. Clearer decision making, decrease in errors, sustained attention, more self control and being more approachable are all great attributes in a leader. That’s definitely something we can all aspire too.