An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Healthy Sleep Habits

Sleep is not an option. We all must fulfill our basic needs to stay physically healthy, emotionally aware, and mentally alert. Yet, more and more entrepreneurs use various methods trying to evade it. Whether it is by drinking numerous cups of coffee, power drinks, eating several energy bars, we do it each day to stay awake. If there is a way to get by on little to no sleep, entrepreneurs want to be the masters of it. 

The recommended number of hours of sleep each night is 7 to 9 hours, and although some follow this, many do not. Some even fall into the trap of believing the common myth that your body will eventually adapt to restricted sleep. Sleep deprivation is a bad habit many entrepreneurs need to kick to stay in good health and to be successful in all their endeavors.

How Entrepreneurs can Kick the Habit of Unhealthy Sleep Patterns

Entrepreneurs live a hectic life. In one minute, they could be finishing a proposal, and the next, on a client call. There is always something to do, which causes many entrepreneurs to miss out on good quality sleep.

Success might come to those who hustle every day, but it either does not stay or cannot be enjoyed to its fullest due to sleep deprivation. If what you lose sleep over to achieve does not last or interferes with your happiness, what is the point? Many may respond with three words, money, money, money.

There is no mistaking it; having a constant flow of profits is the ultimate goal for every entrepreneur; it just should not be the only one. You need to have health-related goals, which include getting enough rest.

Life requires balance, which involves working hard and sleeping well. Otherwise, everything you are trying to achieve by not sleeping will end up doing the exact opposite. Eventually, negatively impact your life and work. A lack of sleep may rob you of the stamina required to start and run a company or the brainpower necessary to make essential decisions. Every hour you take from sleeping hours and reassign it to working hours will eventually catch up to you.

Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep Every Entrepreneur Needs

Numerous benefits come from getting a good night’s sleep. Studies show sleep is essential to having a healthy immune system, metabolism, and memory. Sleep helps your body to restore, refresh, and repair itself. 

Sleep benefits include:

• Reduces stress
• Improves mood
• Lowers risk for serious health problems, i.e., diabetes and heart disease
• It helps with getting along better with people.
• Strengthens mental clarity
• Increases knowledge retention
• Heightens productivity
• Strengthens immune system
• Improves work performance
• Helps with long and short-term memory

The good news is that it is not too late to start receiving these benefits. You can kick the bad “no-sleep” habit to the curb and create a new sleep routine.

Work Hard, Play Hard, and Sleep Hard

When you readjust your sleeping timeline, it does not mean you will need to stop working or playing hard. It only requires that you incorporate sleeping hard into the daily mix of the things you do. 

Removing sleep is not what helps build a successful entrepreneur or company; it increases productivity where the growth happens. To make your working hours more productive requires more hours of sleep. 

There is a recovery process that takes place, which you can start tonight. A study found that just two consecutive nights of less than 6 hours of sleep will decrease how you perform for the next six days. Entrepreneurs cannot afford to perform poorly for an entire week. 

You have people and the success of your business depending on your leadership abilities. Although it may be tempting to cut back on sleep, do not be fooled into thinking you can function well on only a few hours of it. 

If your sleep patterns are a mess, here are some ways to get your sleep back on track.

An Entrepreneurs Guide to Healthy Sleep Habits

No matter what is on your docket, every entrepreneur needs enough sleep to ensure they can give 100% of themselves to work.

Ways Entrepreneurs can Start Sleeping Better.

If work is important to you, then sleep needs to no longer be questioned. Use this guide to improve your sleep quality and quantity.

• Make your bedroom a “no-television, computer, or phone zone.”
• Express your work unavailability at night
• Turn off or put away electric devices 30 minutes to 1 hour before bed to “wind down” the brain
• Create a calming bedtime routine.
• Get at least 20 to 30 minutes of regular physical activity each day
• Avoid caffeinated drinks later in the day as it can take 6 hours for caffeine to wear off.
• About 20 to 30 minutes each day of regular exercise
• Follow a consistent sleep schedule
• Create an evening’ wind down’ routine
• Delegate or outsource nighttime work responsibilities
• Track sleep patterns

Conclusion

Put in the effort to develop better sleeping habits to make you feel and function every day at work. Although many entrepreneurs may want to reject the idea of sleeping more, it must be tempting not to feel sluggish or worn down every day. Look at getting more hours of sleep not as a “loss” of working hours, but more of a “gain” of work productivity. Not to mention the many other benefits a good night’s rest provides.

By carrying out these healthy sleep habits, you can get a better quality sleep that allows you to work on the business at your full potential. Stop cutting yourself short with only 4 to 6 hours of rest. You may think you feel great and only need a few hours of sleep. But for a moment, consider what you would be capable of with 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Why not give it your all?

When you take care of yourself, you are also taking care of the business. After all, it is not getting less sleep that makes entrepreneurs successful; instead, it is the quality of work you produce.