Don’t Need Sleep? You’re Dreaming.

Successful office professionals are responsible and motivated people who will do nearly anything to get the job done and keep their bosses, coworkers and clients happy. Office professionals enjoy advancing their careers and taking on the challenges that come with this ambition. However, such a life also comes with stress, anxiety and self-doubt—all of which can keep us up at night.

Most of us have routines in place that help us manage our stress. Daily exercise is invaluable, as is an understanding significant other and a network of friends who enjoy happy hours, movies and the occasional visit to a spa or shooting range. Nevertheless, sometimes we incur more stress than we can process, and when this happens we lose precious sleep. Not having the proper amount of sleep is harmful in a surprisingly number of ways.   

This article explains, “Consistently not getting enough sleep doesn’t just leave you a dazed, moody and forgetful former version of yourself, chronic sleep deprivation can also put you a risk for a whole host of health problems ranging from diabetes to hypertension and obesity—all of which can affect longevity, according to Sonia Ancoli-Israel, Ph.D., director of the Gillin Sleep and Chronomedicine Research Center and professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego.”

Yes, poor sleep habits not only lead to poor performance but a decreased life expectancy. And when you put it into those terms, sleep takes on a much greater significance, especially considering all of the other steps we take to try and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Are you getting enough sleep? If not, why? Let us know in the comment section!

Photo courtesy of foilman.