A great mind once stated that any day well spent would bring with it good sleep. There is quite nothing like having a productive day only to hit the pillow at night for restful sleep and peace. Sadly, this may seem elusive given the hectic modern lifestyle.
In general, an adult requires at least seven hours of sound sleep each night. Such rest is the key to a healthy body and mind. If a busy week throws everything out of whack, even weekend sleep-ins can help.
Studies have discovered that a weekend sleep-in can reduce the risk of heart disease by 19%. If you’re not getting enough sleep during the week, the first thing that takes a toll is your productivity. How does it exactly play out in a home scenario?
In this article, we will discuss three ways in which a lack of sleep impacts productivity in the home.
A Disrupted Work-from-Home Schedule
If you work from your customized home office, you’re not alone. Ever since the pandemic, remote work has become increasingly popular. It has been found that 58% of white-collar Americans prefer to work from home at least three days a week.
Even if yours is a hybrid setup, even a single day of sleep deprivation can disrupt your work-from-home schedule. When you get proper sleep at night, preferably between 10 PM and 4 AM, your mind is fresh after waking up.
You will naturally find yourself desirous of checking off tasks from the day’s to-do list. You’re in a good mood and look forward to the day. However, a lack of sleep can put your work-from-home schedule in a downward spiral. Let’s look at how it will affect your work –
- You will find yourself struggling to concentrate. Sleep deprivation may lead to missing deadlines, skipping important details, etc.
- A lack of sleep often impacts cognitive function. This means you may find it difficult to think critically and make sound decisions.
- Poor sleep disrupts the brain’s ability to generate new ideas. This will hinder your creative faculties.
- You may find yourself in a constant state of agitation and frustration. Even the simplest tasks would throw you into a rage.
- You may develop a greater tendency to procrastinate as inadequate sleep reduces the motivation to work.
Delayed Activities and Increased Risk of Accidents
Besides your work-from-home schedule, you will have plenty of other household chores to take care of. If you’re a homemaker, then you need to preserve all your energy for back-to-back tasks like cleaning, cooking, washing, and more.
Usually, the schedule is such that there is only a narrow room for any breaks or relaxation. Now imagine if you hadn’t had enough sleep the night before or worse, several nights in a row. You will not feel enthusiastic about performing even the most basic tasks around the house.
All your mind would revert to is gripping your pillow and taking a nap. If it were even as simple as missing a few tasks in a day, the situation wouldn’t be as bad. Sometimes, things take a more grievous turn as sleep deprivation puts you at risk of major accidents.
Let’s understand this with the help of an example. Suppose you decide to opt for a simple lunch so that you can catch up with your sleep. The electric cooker or an Instant Pot are usually the go-to options for a quick and healthy meal.
You go through the ingredients available at home and decide to throw together a quick teriyaki chicken bowl. It’s a recipe that can be cooked within 20 minutes. That doesn’t seem like a tedious waiting time, right?
It’s still not as simple when you’re sleep-deprived. Medical science confirms that sleep deprivation can make an individual fall asleep within minutes. The average time is five minutes if a case is severe. The sleep-deprived person may not even be aware of their microsleeps.
If something like this occurs, you run the risk of an Instant Pot explosion. Yes, matters can get as serious as that since overheating is one of the main causes of a blast. It happens when food is left inside the appliance for extended periods which generates excessive pressure.
According to TorHoerman Law, other reasons for an explosion include defective safety mechanisms, faulty seals, and inadequate ventilation. Again, you’re unlikely to be immune to such issues since a lack of sleep impacts one’s concentration and judgment.
If you’re familiar with this sensation, you know how hasty one becomes, simply wanting to get the task done somehow. A minor error in discretion can lead to severe burns, lacerations, and property damage. This does put things into their proper perspective, right?
The Danger of Too Much Clutter
Did you know that there is a close link between a lack of sleep and clutter? Yes, the link almost creates a vicious circle. In other words, sleep deprivation fuels clutter, and in turn, clutter impacts sound sleep.
Let’s look at the connection a little more closely. These are ways your lack of sleep can increase clutter in the home.
- Poor sleep patterns impair a person’s cognitive function. Since your brain will struggle to make clear decisions, you may find yourself trapped in a cycle of buying unwanted items impulsively. Plus, you may be reluctant to part with stuff, thereby accumulating them.
- You will likely have no motivation to clean or organize your home as sleep deprivation reduces zeal and motivation.
- Stress levels in the body also rise when you’ve not had enough sleep. You may deliberately skip tasks or neglect tidying up.
The clutter will in turn impact your health and affect sleep again. WebMD states that some studies have found that a degree of chaos or mess may spur creativity. However, too much of it will lead to stress, distractions, mood swings, and inability to sleep. It’s best to take charge before things reach a point of no return.
Now that we have discussed the three major ways sleep deprivation or insomnia impacts productivity at home, let’s share some solutions. It will naturally begin by getting your disrupted sleep schedule on track.
Some ways you can get your daily dose of slumber are by reducing screen time, avoiding stimulants, creating a sleep-friendly ambiance, and using relaxation techniques to calm down.
Your sleep is precious and may be so much more than food at times. If your sleep schedule is out of place, make haste and set it right at the earliest.