Sleep deprivation and work: A real problem

Ever been so tired that you just couldn’t stay awake?  This study shows that sleep deprivation effects our decision making.  How?

When you are sleep deprived your perception of reward versus risk changes

This study shows that our perception of reward changes under sleep deprived conditions.  What does this mean? It means that when you operating under sleep deprivation you are likely to make decisions that have a higher risk value because you think there will be a bigger payoff.  In times of extreme stress we often make decisions that are poorly constructed and use all kinds of beliefs to justify them.   The same goes when you are sleep deprived.  You will see things that aren’t necessarily so.

Sleep deprivation changes your emotional state

I found this out when I became burned out on my last business.  My emotions became clouded and confused to the point where I began making decisions that were clearly not in the best interest of my family or in my best interest.  I remember spending $1000 on email marketing.  I rest my case!  Your underlying emotions will betray you when you are tired and make you feel and think stuff that just isn’t the case.  You will perceive people doing things that they aren’t and make false assumptions.  These assumptions will force you to think and make stupid decisions.

Sleep deprivation gives you afternoon naps

Have you ever eaten a really big meal at lunch only to get tired after lunch and drift off?  Some people I know get away with taking naps at work but I would hazard a guess that bosses don’t like sleeping on the job.  There are those like Ricardo Semler who urge the practice but overall I think it’s frowned upon in work circles.

Sleep deprivation turns you into a clumsy git

Your ability to process information and make good sense of it under sleep deprived conditions is drastically reduced.  Here is Australia we seem to take this as a challenge! Once you get behind the wheel you are no longer responsible for just yourselves but those you may hurt as well.  If you are overly tire, catch the bus or take the day off.  Is it worth having an accident?  I think not.

Sleep deprivation makes you feel lethargic 

A lack of sleep will leave you with a feeling of lethargy.  At work this would make people think you are lazy, a loafer or something worse.  Not only will you feel lethargic but you will look it.  Your non sleep deprived colleagues will say to you, ‘Hey Bob, you look like crap’.  I guarantee that will make you want to get them fired or at the very least spread nasty rumours about them!

Sleep deprivation changes your perceptions of reality

When you are sleep deprived you perception of reality shifts.  I remember one time after a few days of not very much sleep, I began to hallucinate.  When you don’t sleep very well your brain begins to form things in life that may or may not actually be there.  This is a real problem because trying to wave away invisible spiders (as in my case) will not help you make friends or influence people.

Sleep deprivation can cause dizziness 

Being sleep deprived can cause extreme dizziness in some cases.   I remember once after another long week of not very much sleep I began to get so dizzy I could not stand.  I felt sick, lethargic and not to mention confused.

What can I do about it?

So what can we do if we are sleep deprived?  The key thing to remember is that this is in most cases curable by a trip to the doctor or an increase in the amount of physical activity you are undertaking at any given time.   Increasing your physical exercise will help you sleep better and if that’s not your style you can try some visualisation techniques or some of this helpful suggestions in this article.  Some people I know imagine themselves on an island doing something relaxing and bang they are asleep.  There is an emerging debate around If the condition is more serious or perhaps related to post traumatic stress disorder you will need medication to overcome it.  Polyphasic sleep (taking sleep in shorter cycles over an extended period) has helped some people overcome this kind of problem.  This isn’t for everyone either and it may not be for you.

What you need to do is be aware of the fact that you are sleep deprived.  We all have had those experiences in our decision making when we look at something through our weary eyes only to realise a day later that it wasn’t as big a deal as we thought.  What you need to take from this article is an awareness of sleep deprivation and how it effects you.  Make sure you don’t do what I did and waste your money on email marketing… what was I thinking?

Technorati Tags: sleep deprived, sleep deprivation, decisions, stress, beliefs, emotions, sleep, decision making

Powered by MightyAdsense

Subscribe to lukehoughton.com