Beyond the Grind: Understanding How Sleep Shapes Work Ethic

Have you ever tried watching a movie late at night before bed? You are invested in the story, but your eyes feel so heavy that they start to droop. Next thing you know, you jolt awake a minute later and realize you are falling asleep. That’s when you know there is no way you can focus on the movie while you are so tired. Are you aware that this can happen in a less noticeable way during the day after you wake up to go to work? Have you ever felt like some days your mind keeps drifting from the project in front of you and you keep on having to “restart” your thought process to get back into your work? This can happen especially after you went to bed late to finish that movie and woke up early the next day, all to have a grand total of 6 hours of sleep. This lack of focus in the workplace could be the side effect of not having enough sleep to get you through the day.

I think all of us know that sleep is very important and affects nearly every function in our bodies, but there are less obvious side effects of lack of sleep that you (and certainly me) may be experiencing. Experiencing fatigue from not getting enough sleep can have negative effects on memory, focus, emotions, judgement, etc.. These have a big impact on work ethic by causing you to be more inefficient and more prone to mistakes, which could lead to gigantic problems. No one wants to experience that, and no one wants to be drudging to get to work and not ever feel like being productive. This can all change with a good night’s rest!

All in all, I think we could all use more sleep. Imagine how much more you can keep your thought process going in a straight line and not have to lasso yourself back to the task at hand constantly. Imagine how much more apt you would be to take on more work once your brain is cleared of all the fog that fatigue can bring, then you can impress that supervisor of yours (and maybe secure that promotion). This is possible for anyone, and it becomes a lot easier when you keep a routine sleep schedule with at least 8 hours of sleep every night.