7 Crucial Sleep Mistakes that Affect Badly Your Productivity

Running a business is challenging and often exhausting. As soon as the business day ends, sleeping is something that you would almost always welcome. You turn off the lights, hit the bed, cover yourself with a blanket, and drift to oblivion until you wake up the next day. What you don’t know is that a lot of things happen during your sleep; in fact, your body goes into overdrive.

While you sleep, your body heals itself from micro-injuries, pathological damage, and other ailments. It’s also during this time that your body works to eliminate metabolic wastes that build up in your cells all through the day. Sleep strengthens your immune system and improves your memory.

Therefore, assuming that you have adequate, good-quality sleep, you wake up in the morning healed, rejuvenated, refreshed, and re-energized. That energetic feeling helps keep you efficient, positive, and productive in your business.

Things You Do That are Keeping You from Sleeping

Unfortunately, many factors hinder you from getting enough sleep. And you know what happens when you wake up in the morning during a sleepless or fitful night. You can’t focus on your business, you’re irritable, you become inefficient in what you do, or your productivity level goes down. The business suffers due to emotional outbursts and non-productivity.

In some cases, the effects of inadequate sleep may become hazardous. Unfortunately, many sleep-deprived people experience serious road or work accidents due to microsleep – sudden episodes of sleep or drowsiness that can last anywhere from a fraction of a second to 30 seconds. This is especially dangerous if you’re driving to your company or if your business involves you driving from place to place.

The thing is, many of these factors can be easily remedied. They often mistake that a lot of people make when they go to sleep. Here are some of those mistakes:

Not having a comfortable mattress

Your mattress is one of the most critical things that will enable you to sleep well. But no one mattress can cater to every person. You need to know how to pick the right mattress for you based on factors such as your weight, sleeping position, your comfort preference, or if you sleep with a partner. What works for most people having such issues might work for you too, so consider the puffy mattress review to help make a decision that won’t let you down every night when you go to sleep.

Don’t keep that old, hard, pass-me-down mattress. Having a comfortable, healthy sleep is way more important than bearing with a cheap but uncomfortable bed. If you prefer something plush, then go ahead and buy a new, soft, plush memory foam bed. If you sleep with a partner who constantly moves during her sleep, choose one with excellent motion isolation properties.

Get in touch with your preferred brand’s representatives; they can provide you important product information so you can choose the right mattress for your exact needs.

Not sticking to a regular sleep schedule

One of the most amazing things your body does is that it remembers your routine. That’s why you wake up roughly the same time each day and feel sleepy at approximately the same time at night. Maintaining a regular bed schedule helps keep a normal circadian rhythm or body clock.

Knowing this, it’s essential not to throw off your rhythm by sleeping at different times. So if you feel drowsy, your body is telling you that you need to sleep. Don’t force yourself to stay awake by poring over your accounting books, watching CCTV footage, doing marketing plans, browsing your phone, or doing other activities. Otherwise, you won’t feel rested when you wake up, you’ll feel drowsy throughout the day, and it will be difficult for you to fall asleep.

Using electronic gadgets in your bedroom

You browse through your phone, reply to customer messages on your laptop, or review the next day’s menu on your tablet before going to sleep. Well, according to scientists, the blue light that emanates from your device can hinder you from falling asleep.

You see, the production of melatonin, the hormone associated with the sleep-wake cycle, depends on your exposure to light. Darkness increases melatonin production, enabling you to feel drowsy. If you use gadgets, the light from the screen disrupts your melatonin production, making it difficult for you to doze off.

Thus, it’s important to switch off all gadgets upon going to sleep. Don’t be tempted to switch on your phone, tablet, or computer. Keep your devices away from your bedroom.

Keeping your room bright

From the pointer above, you know how melatonin reacts to light and darkness. By inference, a bright room keeps you from falling asleep. So when you turn on the night lamp to read or switch on the bedroom TV, you’re disrupting your melatonin production process. Even the dim LEDs of indicator lights become incredibly bright in a dark room.

So when it’s time to sleep, it’s best to make your room pitch dark. Turn off all light sources, even gadgets with LED indicators. Install some blackout curtains, so exterior light sources will not illuminate the room.

Drinking caffeinated beverages before bedtime

Coffee is wonderful. It’s often the “businessman’s drink of choice.” It simultaneously calms your nerves and makes you alert. Unfortunately, the caffeine in coffee is also a stimulant that keeps you awake and alert. Until the caffeine’s effect wears out, you’ll be turning like a tornado on your bed, trying to get some shut-eye.

No matter how tempting, don’t drink any caffeinated beverage at least 5 hours before bedtime. Skip the coffee, soda, and energy drinks. Sipping hot tea is fine, but make sure the tea is not caffeinated. It’s often best to brew loose-leaf tea than rely on tea bags; in that way, you’re sure you’re drinking non-caffeinated tea.

Doing vigorous physical activities before bed

Exercising is great. It keeps you fit and healthy. But you shouldn’t do it a few hours before bedtime. That’s because rigorous physical activities increase your temperature, boost up your heartbeat, and make your mind more active.

Instead, do stuff that will soothe you or help you relax. Aromatherapy, a warm bath, slow music—all these help lulls you sleep.

Thinking about the next day

Are you mulling over that unfinished task? Are you nervous about facing VIPs tomorrow? Are you perhaps excited for an upcoming delivery of new products the next day? All these excitement and anxieties can stress you out and prevent you from drifting to sleep.

You have to remember that tasks, meetings, assignments, and interactions will always be there no matter what day it is. Think of them as everyday occurrences that happen every day. Thus, beating deadlines, thinking about what would happen the next day, or worrying about your business is unnecessary. You’ll sleep better if you believe that everything will be okay.

Conclusion

Many of the things you usually do as an entrepreneur can hinder you from sleeping without actually knowing it. By identifying those mistakes, most probably those listed above, you’ll be pleased and promptly meeting Mr. Sandman each night. After all, with all the challenges you’re facing to grow and scale your business, you deserve a good rest.