You'd Better Be Drunk Than Sleep-Deprived, New Study Shows

Sleep is important, we get it. Some might even say it’s a hype.

Yet a new study has just confirmed something quite spectacular.

You are performing tasks worse when under sleep deprivation compared to under the influence of alcohol.

Now would most likely judge a co-worker when showing up at the workplace drunk.

But what about having him come in boasting about pulling an all nighter?

Now that you know that his work is going to be just the same as if he had been doing it whilst drinking, this should have your alarm bells ringing the next time you find yourself in this scenario.

But it isn’t just others who you should worry about. Many upcoming, as well as established, leaders are still sacrificing sleep all too easily.

Yet it has long been established that not enough sleep has severe consequences. It makes you become unfocused and, as new research has revealed, even creates false memories.

All those factors are essential when you are responsible for leading projects and people.

At the same time it is all too simple to shelve sleep first. You just don’t do it as much. You stay awake a bit longer and suppress your signs of tiredness. You grab for another coffee et voilà.

So how can you be truly motivated to flip the switch and focus on sleep instead it being the first element to neglect?

First of all you need to be aware that no matter what your goal is, whether it is business, private or health, sleep will help you get there a lot faster and more efficiently.

Sleep is not an enemy, robbing you of precious time. It can, however, turn into a real troublemaker if you neglect it too much and too long. It will pay you back you with health issues, impaired cognitive function and negative emotions.

So the best way of thinking about sleep is to strive to have it as an ally. And that is how you will succeed. Because just like your most faithful friend, sleep will deliver and supercharge every aspect of your life.

The same study that has revealed that sleep deprivation is worse than alcohol input, has also determined that performance is significantly improved when sleep requirements are met.

So here are a few things for you to keep in mind the next time you want to stay awake just a little bit longer. Even though your body is clearly telling you that you should go to bed.

1. Remember your goal and the fact that sleep will help you get there much quicker. The work you will be doing when tired is not going to be as good as when well rested and the worst thing is you will not even notice. Recent research has proven that your mind wanders off when you are tired without you even noticing.

Now don’t forget the devil is in the detail. A detail where the risk of messing it up has just been increased ten fold by you not listening to your body and sleep tapping you on the shoulder.

2. If you are a bad sleeper and drag it out because you are worried that you’ll have a bad night then I have two magic words for you: “So what?”

You had most likely a lot of bad night’s of sleep in your career up until now and still you made it work. So don’t stress about it. Will you be as efficient as you would when well rested? No, you won’t.

But stressing about it before it has happened will surely not do any good either. So just stop and think “so what?” You don’t need 8 hours every night either, so don’t even start panicking about that.

3. Remember that you want to be a role model when leading your team or for anyone working with you. So having you show up looking tired and edgy is not going to help you build connections nor will it help you impress your clients or superiors. Even worse than that, if you have a team, you might end up with a lot of overtired team members all committing elemental mistakes, being grouchy and performing way beneath their capacities. Because you have shown them how.

So trash that imaginary badge of honor and go to bed. Or have a glass of wine and relax, but stop working when you feel tired.

Are you ready to stop being powerless and start getting your sleep back?
Then download your 20 Sleep Hacks Right Here!