The average person sleeps for 229,961 hours in their lifetime; approximately 26 years of their life. With all that time wasted, we should at least be optimizing our sleep to be as useful as possible. In order for the remaining 52 years of our lives to be productive and well-spent (assuming a lifespan of 78 years), our sleep must be perfected. Without proper sleep, our productivity slows to a crawl. To remain efficient during the 16 hours per day we are awake, the 8 hours we spend sleeping must be adjusted to our needs. Unfortunately, sleep is often ignored and deemed unimportant. Hustle culture promotes the idea of putting off sleep in order to squeeze in a few more hours of productive work. But, these extra ‘productive hours’ are hardly productive at all. Below, the negative effects of poor sleep and the positive effects of good sleep are clearly outlined with science-backed proof. Following this evidence, easy-to-follow habits are outlined to improve your sleep quality and duration, in addition to describing why these evening habits enhance sleep.
The Research Behind Better Sleep
The Negative Effects of Poor Sleep
According to a 2010 study in the Journal of Occupation and Environmental Medicine, workers found that the “insomnia and insufficient sleep syndrome groups had significantly worse productivity, performance, and safety outcomes”. The study discloses the financial implications of insufficient sleep with a shocking value: “Fatigue-related productivity losses were estimated to cost $1967/employee annually”. The study concludes with clear and unambiguous evidence that “sleep disturbances contribute to decreased employee productivity at a high cost to employers”.
According to a 2007 journal article from Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, sleep deprivation “impairs attention and working memory, but it also affects other functions, such as long-term memory and decision-making”. Even partial sleep deprivation, (defined as the reduction in the total sleep time relative to one’s usual baseline during a 24-hour period), has a significant impact on attention and vigilance.
A recent article published by Cureus discusses the association between sleep deprivation and anger. This article discusses the “large body of research [that] supports the connection between sleep deprivation and mood changes such as increased anger and aggression,” The article reveals that “individuals who get an adequate amount of sleep each night exhibit fewer emotional outbursts, such as anger, and display fewer aggressive behaviours. […] The consensus seems to be that getting an adequate amount of sleep each night promotes improved mood and health.”
A multitude of other problems can arise when sleep-deprived in addition to the previous issues; some of the problems are actually not exclusive to the brain and cognitive performance. Some of the physiological effects of prolonged sleep deprivation can include a weakened immune system, high blood pressure, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, increased risk of heart disease, lower sex drive, poor balance and a greater chance of causing or getting into accidents.
It is quite clear that poor sleep is catastrophic to not only our productivity but also our mental and physical health. Sometimes, it may even affect the mental and physical health of your friends, family, and coworkers. With an increased risk of accidents due to drowsiness and a lack of concentration, combining sleep deprivation with work involving heavy machinery is a recipe for disaster. More intense and unpredictable mood swings can occur due to a lack of sleep; this is an unhealthy and distressing environment for your closest loved ones. Furthermore, a lower sex drive combined with these volatile mood swings can quickly drive a wedge between you and your significant other. It is evident that consistent, high-quality sleep is essential to your personal health and relationships. So aside from preventing all the negative elements of poor sleep, what are the benefits of good sleep? There are quite a few, the following section addresses the most significant and notable benefits.
The Positive Effects of Good Sleep
Good sleep can improve your immune system. According to a recent study conducted at the University of Tübingen, high-quality sleep increases the production of T cells in your body. Stoyan Dimitrov, PhD, an author of the study, told Healthline in an interview, “T cells are a type of… immune cells that fight against intracellular pathogens, for example virus-infected cells such as flu, HIV, herpes, and cancer cells,”
Better sleep can improve the efficacy of vaccines. According to the spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Shalini Paruthi, M.D., “After getting a shot, people with sleep issues don’t develop the same antibody response as well-rested people, and that leaves them more susceptible,“
High-quality sleep prevents weight gain. When sleep-deprived, your body increases the production of a hormone called ghrelin and decreases the production of a hormone called leptin; ghrelin increases your appetite, leptin signals to the body that it is full. Furthermore, low energy due to sleep deprivation decreases the willpower needed to resist snacking and unhealthy food cravings.
Sleeping well consistently can boost your sex drive. When you get enough sleep, your body maintains high and healthy testosterone levels and prevents erection problems. According to Paruthi, men who sleep less than six hours per night have a lower testosterone level, which substantially decreases sex drive.
In general, a good night’s sleep prevents and opposes the negative effects of poor sleep. Essentially, the opposite of the negative physiological and psychological effects occur after getting consistent, high-quality sleep. As is evident by mounding research, high-quality sleep improves your immune system, assists in maintaining a healthy weight, lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, reduces stress, improves overall mood, improves mental clarity and memory, prevents accidents from occurring, and increases productivity. Obviously, high-quality sleep is extremely valuable; the overwhelming majority are fully aware of this. Nevertheless, a shockingly large group of people do not get adequate sleep every night.
In fact, one third of adults are sleep deprived in some capacity according to the CDC; oftentimes, it is due to work overload that sleep is put off and ignored. Conversely, high-quality sleep would likely improve this group’s work ethic and productivity; they would get more done if they actually slept more. So, why don’t they? There are two possible reasons for ignoring sleep due to work-related reasons:
1. Simply a Bad Habit
It is could just be a bad habit. After years of putting off sleep and seeing a pattern of ‘being able to get more done’, attaining those extra hours in the day seems trivial. Sleep may seem less important at the time, so capitalizing on the extra time you now have seems like a plus. This, however, is a misguided approach to productivity. Humans do not operate like a cellphone. We assume that if we ‘recharge our battery’ to 60% by getting less sleep than we need, we will be able to operate at full efficiency until our battery runs out. We do not work this way. If we do not get enough sleep, we cannot work at maximum efficiency for extended periods of time. But if we do get enough sleep, this feat becomes much more manageable and sustainable.
2. Trying to Get Better Sleep, But Don't Know How
They just might not know how to get better sleep. For many people, simply tucking themselves under the covers and dozing off is the only option ever considered to get a good night’s sleep. In actuality, this hardly produces a high-quality sleep. Thoughts float around in our minds of what we did today and what we will do tomorrow as our unrested eyes dart back and forth across the ceiling. This is a common and ineffective pattern that does not produce optimal rest. How do we get optimal rest if this is not the correct approach? There are a few habits that one should implement into their nightly routine in order to achieve a night of more restful sleep.
How to Get Better Sleep
Avoid Blue Light in the Evening
While blue light during the workday can improve alertness, memory, cognitive performance, and can actually boost your mood, blue light should be avoided later in the evening. Devices like cellphones and computer monitors emit this blue light. Fortunately, many of these devices have a blue light filter that can be activated late in the evening. Additionally, glasses have been developed that block out blue light, making it more feasible to watch TV or some other blue-light-emitting device in the evening.
Your body, mind, and behaviour follow a similar pattern every day; this pattern is known as your circadian rhythm. Blue light has a substantial effect on your circadian rhythm by making your brain believe that it is still daytime. When your brain is tricked in this manner, the sleep hormone, melatonin, is produced at a slower rate; this makes it increasingly difficult to fall asleep. When trying to improve your sleep quality, reduce blue light approximately two hours before going to bed. This does not mean stop using your phone (although that might not be a bad idea), it just means use one of the aforementioned features or tools to block out blue light close to bedtime.
Prepare for Sleep by Making a Routine
A routine that relaxes the mind and body can immensely improve sleep quality. If there is any piece of knowledge to gain from this article, this tip is the most important one. This habit is so important, we actually wrote an article exclusively about Evening Routines. Be sure to check it out if you want to develop a routine of your own.
Activities such as a warm bath or shower, 15 minutes of reading, listening to calming music, or meditation are all excellent ways to achieve a night of higher quality sleep. In fact, a warm bath or shower naturally lowers your body temperature, which assists in attaining a good night’s rest. Typically, the age range that benefits most from a relaxing bath or shower prior to going to bed is older adults according to several studies (see references).
Like teaching a dog a new trick, practising a nightly routine can create a Pavlovian response in your body and mind to wind down for rest. Try setting an alarm that lets you know it is time to begin your evening routine. With enough repetitions, you will begin to notice how quickly your body starts to feel tired after hearing that alarm.
Wake Up and Sleep at the Same Time Every Day
Similar to the previous point, sleeping and waking at the same time each day can greatly improve long-term productivity, sleep quality, and overall mood. A ‘reverse alarm clock’ that tells you to go to sleep rather than to wake up is an excellent tool to use to help cultivate this habit. Additionally, your circadian rhythm will remain consistent, making it far easier to know when your most productive and least productive hours of the day are.
Avoid Caffeine Late in the Day
While this advice is fairly self-evident, it is often underestimated how long the effects of caffeine last. During the day, caffeine actually provides many benefits and is often encouraged to be used to increase productivity, cognitive function, and alertness. However, caffeine stimulates your nervous system, making it difficult for your body to fall asleep late at night.
How can you prevent this issue? Avoid consuming caffeine 6-8 hours before going to bed (yes, it lasts for that long), especially if you are sensitive to caffeine. Instead of drinking coffee in the evening, consider lavender tea. Lavender tea increases the quality of sleep and decreases stress levels; this is especially effective in people with anxiety or anxiety-related disorders
Reduce the Temperature
According to a study from the American Sleep Disorders Association, bedroom temperature had a greater effect on sleep quality than external noises. A multitude of other studies shows that higher bedroom temperatures and body temperatures greatly decrease the quality of sleep and increase wakefulness. If you are looking for a temperature target to aim for, typically 20˚C (70˚F) is comfortable and effective for the majority.
Encourage Sun Exposure During the Day
As previously mentioned, blue light can increase alertness, memory, cognitive performance, and mood. The sun is our main source of blue light, hence why sun exposure tends to make people feel better during the day. Exposing yourself to sunlight during the day can benefit your circadian rhythm by increasing your energy during the day and improving sleep quality and duration at night. According to an article published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, bright light exposure during the day improved sleep quality and duration in people with insomnia. This same study discovered that daytime sunlight exposure decreased the time it took to fall asleep by 83%. Try to get at least 2 hours of sunlight (or some form of bright light exposure) during the day. Even if you are an average sleeper, sunlight exposure noticeably improves sleep quality and duration.
For Shift Workers:
The previous habits may be difficult to cultivate, but this does not mean that you are doomed to poor sleep forever. You can achieve higher-quality sleep by implementing some of the following habits in your day:
- Small naps throughout the day
- Bright lights at work, limit blue light at home
- Avoid shift changes to maintain a consistent sleep schedule when possible
- Limit caffeine to exclusively the first part of your shift
- Optimize your sleep environment (light-blocking curtains, remove distracting noises, etc.)
References
Sam Kemmis, “The Science of Sleep and Productivity”, Published March 7, 2019
Rudy Mawer, MSc, CISSN, “17 Proven Tips to Sleep Better at Night”, Updated February 28, 2020
“Sleep tips: 6 steps to better sleep”, Published April 17, 2020
Eric Suni, “Healthy Sleep Tips”, Updated July 30, 2020
Stacy Sampson, D.O., “The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Body”, Published May 15, 2020
Esther Crain, “The 11 Biggest Health Benefits of Sleep”, Updated January 26, 2017
“Are you getting enough sleep?” Published December 1, 2019
“How Sleep Improves Work Productivity”, Updated March 31, 2021
“Healthy Sleep”, Updated July 30, 2021
Meridith Amoroso, “Sleep Smart: Sleeping your way to a productive day”, Published June 3, 2020
Rob Newsom, “The Link Between Sleep and Job Performance”, Updated June 24, 2021
Kaitlyn Berkheiser, “The 6 Best Bedtime Teas That Help You Sleep”, Published October 21, 2019