Want to be more productive? Go to sleep

How much sleep did you get last night? Five hours? Maybe six? If so, then you could be wreaking havoc on your creativity, productivity and long-term health. Whereas the conventional wisdom is that to be productive you should sleep less (apparently to stay awake and get more done), science is revealing a very different reality. In this article, I will share 3 research-based ways in which more sleep will help you be more productive. Feel free to take a nap at the end. Ready? Let us begin.

1. Sleep for a sharper memory – Snoozes, Mazes and Mice

In his eye-opening book, The Brain Rules, Dr James Medina – a renowned brain researcher – relates a very interesting experiment involving the most popular actors in scientific plays -  mice.In the experiment, mice were made to navigate a maze in search of a reward (my guess is cheese). While they did this, the scientists monitored their brain activity patterns. They also monitored their brains while they slept afterward - the mice, not the scientists.What did they find?During sleep, the mice brains were "replaying" the pattern they had displayed while searching the maze.

It was as though their brains were deeply ingraining the patterns that helped them find their way to the reward so that they could "remember" those patterns the next day if they found themselves in the maze again.This experiment, along with many others (many involving humans), have led to a growing consensus of the vital role that sleep plays in memory consolidation.

The way this seems to work is by facilitating the movement of information encountered during the day from the fragile short-term memory regions of the brain to the more stable long-term memory areas. The reality it a bit more complicated of course, but this is the main gist.

The major takeaway is that sleep helps you consolidate memories. And since personal productivity relies a lot on information gathering, retrieval and application, having a strong memory can make a huge difference in doing your best work - getting a good night's rest is critical to this.

2. Sleep for better decision making - Ancient wisdom, new science

When I was in school, I met a kindly, elderly man on the bus. He had a very calm and wise demeanour mixed with a soft voice and a gentle smile. After a few minutes of talking, I asked him rather abruptly what his advice would be to a young man starting out in the world. The question took him aback though he seemed genuinely surprised and pleased at my forwardness.

He paused, then turned his gaze upward looking through the bus window to the snowy landscape. It was as if he was looking into a magic portal that played back the events of his life.

Finally, his thin face with its sallow cheeks turned back to me. He looked me straight in the eye and said – "sleep on it". He could see my confusion so he explained. "Never make an important decision without a good night's sleep. Sleep will help you avoid a lot of mistakes son. Whether it’s a business deal, a house or a spouse, no matter how urgent it seems – you always have time to sleep on it. This is my stop". I thanked him and never saw him again.

But I remember his wisdom—sleep on it.

Sleep does help decision-making

In the intriguing book, Why We Sleep, renowned sleep researcher - Dr Matthew Walker describes how sleep plays an important role in working abstract and disjointed facts into a coherent picture.

Experiments leveraging brain imaging technology reveal that, in deep slumber, a process occurs in our brains that causes our emotional, visual, motor and personal narrative brain centres to become very active while quietening our rational logical brain regions.When we go to bed with a nagging decision or problem, this mechanism allows us to make connections that may be counter-intuitive. Counter-intuitive, but likely relevant.

The result of waking up with a “clear head” is due to our brains harmonizing all the new information with our existing personal narratives. And it is not unusual for us to experience a sudden flash of clarity on what the right decision is.The interesting thing is that we only enter into the deepest form of this sleep after having been sound asleep for around four to five hours. Therefore, cutting your shuteye short means that you are likely depriving yourself of this powerful, in-built and free internal self-counselling and self-coaching process.

Next time you have a tough decision to make, go to bed.

3. Sleep for energy: Quirky or pure genius?

What do Winston Churchill, Napoleon Bonaparte and Lyndon B. Johnson all have in common? That is, apart from being some of the most accomplished and celebrated leaders of their generation?

They were all notorious nappers.

So serious were they about their sleep that Churchill was known to change into his pyjamas mid-day and nap for many hours while Napoleon was known to snooze soundly on the night before a major battle even with cannons firing fairly nearby. Lyndon B Johnson, on his own part, split his day into 2 “shifts” by napping for around two hours in the early afternoon before diving back into work for the rest of the day.

Some might say these are quirks – coincidental idiosyncrasies. Others will say they are strategies.

The achievements of these great leaders speak for themselves. Clearly, all three understood something—sleep can have a powerful rejuvenating effect on the body and mind.Scientific research is proving this empirically in recent times.

Experiments are showing that taking naps between 20 to 90 minutes in length during the day can restore energy and alertness more effectively than exercise or caffeine. Having tried this myself, I can tell you that it does indeed feel like a new “shift” when I awake. The rest of the day goes by very quickly (and productively) without the jitters and crashes of caffeine.If you find yourself struggling to stay productive through the day, go to sleep on your lunch break. You’ll wake up refreshed, renewed and ready to go!

How much sleep is enough?

The question often arises – how much shuteye is enough for optimum performance? It will vary slightly from person to person but the general consensus is that an adult needs at least 8 hours of night-time sleep. Add to that a 20 – 90-minute daytime nap and you should have all your snooze needs covered.Sound like too much? Are you thinking to yourself that there is just NO WAY you can take that much time out of your day to sleep? Does it sound overly indulgent? Read on…

Go ahead and sleep – its ok

In this article, I shared three reasons to get more sleep to help your productivity. There are more, of course, including boosts to your immune system (and overall health), improvement of your mood, and even making you look more attractive. Not to mention lowering your risk of developing heart-disease and mental dysfunction in old age.

Hopefully this gets you thinking more about how much sleep you are getting. It starts with changing your mind about sleep.I think a lot of the struggle people face to embrace sleep is because many industrialized societies exalt overwork and frown upon rest. Rather a silly notion if you stop and think about it. There is nothing noble or praiseworthy about self-destruction and nothing smart about sub-optimal performance resulting from sleep deprivation.

The philosophy of productivity should be efficiency - doing more in less time with little to no waste. Not overwork - working long and hard with a tired body and mind producing low-quality output. From this point of view, sleep is not the enemy - it is a vital facilitator.

Do what you can. Improve with time

You might not be able to snooze all 9.5 hours recommended every day right away. But you can aspire to increase your slumber portions as time progresses. Make sleep an important consideration as you plan your life in the future.For now, start with insisting on a good night’s sleep of at least 8 hours. Go to bed earlier or wake up later. Trust me, you will scarcely recognize yourself in a few weeks.

To produce your best work, go to sleep

If you will produce your best work, rejuvenation is just as important as exertion. And as you have seen from this article, sleep is an active (not passive) piece of being productive.Start tonight. Sleep tight.Until the next article, be your best and do your best.