Sleeping on the Job? Perhaps You Should!
Lack of quality sleep may be adding to your work-related anxiety and depression.
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I was on a high.
I ran several miles earlier in the day. I listened to great and inspiring content. I listened to my body and didn’t over eat. I made meaningful progress on the startup I am co-founding.
But it all came crashing down.
The next day I was very anxious. I couldn’t calm my nerves. I was lonely. Even though I was surrounded by my wife and kids, it wasn’t enough. I still felt so completely and utterly alone. I felt misunderstood.
I was sad. I thought about all of the great blessings in my life. But I didn’t feel any of the joy I normally felt. I just felt hollow.
I was uninspired. The progress I had made the previous day on the startup no longer seemed important or meaningful. I was spinning my wheels on how to move it further along.
I was in a state of depression.
Why was I feeling such an emotional 180 from the day before?
Don’t Wake Me Up
Chris Brown said it best when he sang, “Don’t Wake Me Up”. Unfortunately my daughter hadn’t received the memo. She woke me up at 1:30 am because her legs hurt.
I was in the middle of my REM cycle when I was awakened.
Why is that important to note? Because REM sleep is associated with emotional processing, and adults need two hours of REM sleep per night.
I had gone to bed late the night before, so getting two hours of REM sleep was already at risk to begin with. Having awakened before completing the first cycle made it very unlikely I would complete a second hour.
When I got back to bed, I did my absolute best to fall back to sleep. But an hour passed with my eyes shut, and I was no closer to falling asleep. So I did what any other person would do. I picked up my phone and watched both the men’s and women’s 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
(Go Pack for winning the Women’s team event for a 3rd straight year!)
One hour turned into three. I finally fell back to sleep between 4 am and 5 am, with no hope of completing a full REM cycle before getting up in the morning.
Starting my day with low energy and 0 hours of REM Sleep under my belt is what set me up for such a depressing day.
Sleep is Vital to Mental Health
It has taken me a while, but I have finally realized from personal experience the link that exists between quality sleep and mental health. I am acutely aware when I had a poor night of sleep, because the following day I almost always suffer from some level of depression and anxiety, both of which are linked closely to sleep.
As a working professional, if you are struggling with anxiety and/or depression from work, one of the first things to do is evaluate the quality of sleep you get each night.
Are you staying up late?
Are you looking at blue screens before going to bed?
Are you eating or drinking too close to bed time?
These are just a few tasks that could inhibit your ability to sleep. There are many others.
Ensuring that you are sleeping well each night, prioritizing your ability to get at least 2 hours of REM sleep, may materially affect your mental health in a positive way. Shedding any amount of anxiety and depression related to work may lead to increased satisfaction and productivity, while simultaneously reducing the risk of burnout.
Sounds ‘dreamy’ eh?
But as good as this all sounds, I am left with one question:
If so many benefits come from quality sleep, then why haven’t companies started offering guaranteed daily mid-day siestas as part of their benefits packages?
One can dream, right?
Before you collect some Zzzz’s, make sure to like and share this article!