Dan
| Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tags: Leadership Wellness
“Live Well” – Rest.
A few years ago, I was starting to sense that I was overdoing it – constantly trying to fit “just one more thing” in before I’d call it a day. I was tired, stressed out and unable to relax – even when I wasn’t at work.
“8 in ‘08” became my mantra that year, and I was very deliberate about getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night. That doesn’t sound like a huge goal, but I can honestly tell you that it was the most difficult physical fitness goal I’ve ever set.
It takes great discipline to make yourself go to bed. It takes a lot of willpower to not watch television or stay up answering email and scouring the Internet. But “just one more thing” can end up being devastating to productivity and creativity and ultimately your influence as a leader. Not to mention how detrimental sleep loss can be to your mental, physical and emotional health.
Sleep impacts your head. Studies show that sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory and that people who sleep after learning a task do better in applying and completing those tasks later.
Sleep impacts your heart. Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
Sleep impacts your body. It is also proven that sleep deprivation can cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite. Sleep deprivation can also alter the immune system, making it more difficult to fight disease.
Sleep impacts your attitude. I don’t know about you, but when I am tired all the time, I am more irritable, more impatient and I lose the ability to fully concentrate.
It's true that a rested field gives a bountiful crop. So, if you find yourself in the vicious cycle of “the harder you work, the better you’ll be,” or "just one more thing" like I was, I’d like to encourage you with this: Your productivity is not about the amount of hours you spend working; it’s about your passion and enthusiasm and the quality of your ideas. And that quality is directly impacted by how well you take care of yourself.
Rest well. Live well.
Next week, we're going to talk about something I'm very familiar with... food!