How Much Is Sleep Debt Costing You?

The effects of sleep debt on the US and world economy is a big deal.

Try like a +$1 Trillion big deal.

To get a grip on the magnitude of this issue, in the US alone, 1.2 million working days were lost related to sleep related issues, making up over 2% of the country's GDP. And an incomprehensible amount of quality work was lost as well. 

Once upon a time, the cultural shift was that sleep is for wimps, and if you want to really pack a punch, stay up working for as long as possible. 

There are definitely unique individuals among us, the Thomas Edison's of every generation, that can pull off 3 hours a night and be clear as day in the morning.

But for the rest of us, getting less sleep than we really need is a poor investment and allocation of our time. 

Some great new books have come out including Dr. Culpin's...

Where she shows that getting an adequate amount of sleep is vital to our executive functioning, professional success, and overall health. 

Ask yourself the following questions to start thinking how much your sleep debt is costing you:

1) Is your memory sharp or fuzzy? How does that affect your productivity?

2) How much have poor and hasty judgement calls cost your company and employees?

3) Do you have the emotional calm to handle interpersonal crisis in the office?

4) Do you allow your mind to be creative or are you stuck on auto-pilot?

5) Are you or your employees frequently getting sick? How much is that costing your bottom line?

6) Are you able to concentrate on complex issues or do you find yourself scatter brained and losing focus?

7) As you read this email, are you wide awake or scrambling for your next cup of coffee?

Look, let's be honest, everyone is somewhere on this spectrum and we can all use work finding this balance.

There is no perfect solution for maximizing our time and productivity. But if these questions are more than minor issues, you might want to consider a nighttime calibration to determine daytime success. 

From the most productive and driven people I know, the game is not about working hard, grueling hours. It's about working smart, efficient, and out of the box hours. 

So perhaps the best investment you can make into your own success and the success of your company, is to invest in a good night's sleep to be able to conquer the world in the morning. 

If you'd like to get more out of your night to be at the top of your industry's game, let's connect on a free sleep consult to see how we can prime your ZZZ's to make the most out of life!

Doron Lazarus is the founder of Executive Sleep Consulting.

Reach out to him at doron@executivesleep.org or visit at www.executivesleep.org