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I knew I was in trouble when I had my eighth cup of coffee. My head was buzzing and my hands were twitching, but there seemed to be no end in sight. It had been more than 24 hours since I last slept, working tirelessly on a project for my new company.
The year was 2006 and I was a new entrepreneur at the time. I felt like I needed to prove myself in some way, to earn my spot. Prove that I too was as ambitious as those renowned founders who swore that the key ingredient to success was producing more and sleeping less.
My passion for building my company, Jotform, was still in its infancy at the time. I had yet to learn what work-life balance meant, or how working nights, weekends, and vacations was a surefire path to collapsing from exhaustion.
I think most entrepreneurs can relate, especially when you are in the beginning stages of building your business. You think that the end justifies the means and that if you keep pushing yourself and your team to work through the brain fog and fatigue, you will eventually make it safely to the other side.
Well I call BS.
I can say this because I have been there: I sacrificed precious sleep in the name of productivity, and while some of those projects turned out to be fruitful, my overall well-being deteriorated. When it was time to go to bed, I struggled to turn my mind off, experiencing restlessness and bouts of insomnia. It was like a vicious circle that I couldn’t get out of.
Why You Should Choose Moderation Over Maximum Productivity
The tech world is known for glorifying a “busy” culture. Even one of Silicon Valley’s most influential entrepreneurs, Elon Musk, has acknowledged the toll his lack of sleep has taken on his personal life. In an interview with the New York Times, he noted: “There were times when I didn’t leave the factory for three or four days, days when I didn’t leave,” he said. “This has really come at the expense of seeing my kids. And seeing my friends.”
A significant price to pay, in my opinion.
That’s why I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to stay up all night or sleep four or five hours every night to grow your business. Jotform now has millions of users around the world, and I attribute this to ditching my initial poor sleep habits and focusing instead on moderation. Below, I’d like to share a few sleep tips that I believe are the real secret to success.
Related: How to Combat the Effects of a Sleep-Deprived Brain
1. Don’t rely on weekends to catch up on lost sleep
This is a typical habit practiced by many entrepreneurs: sleep a few hours five days a week and then try to catch up on all that lost rest on the weekend. But sleep debt is a real problem, and it can grow exponentially over time. A 2016 study published in scientific reports found that sleep deficit leads to symptoms of excessive sleepiness and a decline in performance.
The essence? You are not Really catch up on sleep by pushing it all into the weekend. Multiple nights of lost sleep can significantly impede your body’s daily functions, making it that much harder for you to reach your goals.
Related: The 5-Minute Habit (Based on Neuroscience) That Will Change Your Life
2. Focus on good sleep hygiene
in your story for Harvard Business Review, researcher Christopher M. Barnes lays out the reasons why we should take our break seriously. He writes:
“Sleep allows us to consolidate and store memories, process emotional experiences, replenish glucose (the molecule that fuels the brain), and remove beta-amyloid (the waste product that accumulates in Alzheimer’s patients and impairs cognitive activity). “.
On the other hand, Barnes points out that not getting enough sleep and increased fatigue lead to poor judgment, lack of self-control, and diminished creativity, the very things that will hinder your business success.
Many leaders mistakenly believe that falling asleep after a long day at the office is the equivalent of quality sleep, but this is a mistake. Most of the time, they wake up in the middle of the night tossing and turning.
Related: 4 ‘Unproductive’ Habits That Make You More Productive
3. Sleep quality comes down to a healthy lifestyle
I have a programmer friend, Andy, who rarely sees the light of day. Our circle of friends like to joke that he secretly is a vampire. So, he won’t be surprised to find out that he struggles with chronic insomnia.
Here’s what I’ve learned: Resting in peace involves sticking to a consistent bedtime routine, avoiding caffeine and alcohol too close to bedtime, and getting rid of screens at least two hours before falling asleep.
This is all part of cultivating a healthy lifestyle.
And part of this also involves getting enough sunlight. Research shows that the sun’s light/dark cycle has a powerful effect on our circadian clock, sleep, and alertness. So this has a direct link to our quality of sleep.
Likewise, good exercise not only staves off the stress of the day, but can also help you fall asleep more easily at night. Aerobic exercise, for example, causes your body to release endorphins, which can help your brain wind down later in the day. But experts agree that it’s important not to do this too close to bedtime, or else it will have the opposite effect.
Starting your day with a brisk run or a walk around your neighborhood in the afternoon can make a big difference in getting quality sleep.
But aside from all of the above, I found that practicing mindfulness and meditation helped me the most in maintaining a moderate lifestyle. Skillfully and consciously managing our sleep is one of the best ways to ensure that we not only succeed professionally, but also prioritize one of our greatest assets: our overall well-being.
Related: Regaining Control Of Your Dream Life…From An Insomniac Entrepreneur (Recovering)
Source: www.entrepreneur.com