Have you ever felt unproductive at work? The answer should be around 100% yes. Taking a guess… the reason was being too tired, unconcentrated, unfocused… 

The quality of our sleep has a major impact on our next day, and the next one, and the next…

While being sleep deprived, it’s not only our productivity that experiences a crisis, but our overall mental and physical health altogether. When we get enough sleep, of a satisfying quality, our cognitive abilities, including concentration, creativity, social understanding and verbal communication are improved and expressed at their best version. 

While sleeping, consolidation of memory and new information is in progress, creating new neural connections and improving neurological function and performance. Sufficient sleep increases the chances of having a new creative idea, of solving a problem in an innovative way, of thinking faster and sharper.

Our alertness is another sensitive component affected by the quality of our sleep. On one hand, being alert is an evolutionary needed function, yet on the other being too alert is one of the foundations for anxiety and irritability. Sleep deprivation is one of the most common causes of low alertness benchmark, creating a too sensitive response for day-to-day situations and increasing risk of anxiety problems and other related mental issues.

In the same spirit, yet in a different way, the quality of our sleep significantly impacts our emotional well-being, our communication with other people in our lives and our overall social skills. Being well rested, we are so much more likely to have positive vibes, to have a positive point of view and have the capacity to deal with changes and difficulties that might appear. One of the foundations of our overall well-being is the relationships we have with each other, and as the chances of being friendly are rising, so does the chance of our happiness and well-being.

As mentioned before, not only our mental health is related to the quality of our sleep, but also the physical state. Sufficient sleep provides our body with the time and conditions to regenerate cells and tissues, heal them and refresh organs and systems across the body. Our digestive system, clearance and circulation, bones and muscles, all get the opportunity to refresh and recover while sleeping. On top of these, our hormonal regulation is based on effective sleep, affecting our appetite, thirstiness, muscle strength, cardiac function, fertility and many other important physiological processes. All of these result in a higher level of energy, better strength and durability, and the most cost-effective result: less visits to the doctor’s office. 

In order to provide ourselves with the opportunity to maximize our productivity, prioritizing our sleep is a cost-effective choice. Including setting a sleep hygiene routine, creating a proper sleeping environment, practicing consistent sleep and adopting pro-sleep habits. 

And the best part is - that once we get in the loop, it keeps on spinning without so much effort, enabling us to enjoy the positive outcomes of our choices.