How much sleep do you get each night? Do you feel like it’s enough? Most experts believe that adults need between seven to nine hours of sleep to function at their best. If you’re getting less than seven hours, it’s possible that you might be a little bit sleep deprived.

I average around 6.5 hours of sleep per night. I think that I still function pretty well, but do I really? Researchers have found that a lack of sleep can affect you and your work in a variety of ways. You might be meeting your deadlines – but if you’re not getting enough sleep, you might also be displaying the following behaviors:

  1. You’re more argumentative than you should be. You might have less patience than you usually do. So your coworkers’ slightly annoying habits might make you angrier than they should.
  2. Your coworkers often question your decisions. It’s great if your coworkers feel comfortable giving you feedback. But if they question EVERY decision you make, that might be a sign that your decision-making skills are not quite what they should be. Insufficient sleep could be the reason for your questionable judgment.
  3. You bump into things a lot. You might be naturally clumsy. But when you’re tired, that clumsiness can reach a whole new level. If you’re constantly bumping into your office furniture, it could be an indication that you need more sleep.
  4. You often have to read the same thing over and over before it sinks in. If a paragraph of text takes you much longer to read and process than it should, it indicates that you’re distracted by something, tired, or both.
  5. You spend a lot of money on things like takeout and grocery delivery services. When you’re tired, things like grocery shopping or cooking seem insurmountable, and paying someone else to do those things for you seems like a great idea.
  6. You avoid taking on new responsibilities – even interesting ones. When you start turning down (or actively working to avoid) taking on cool, new projects, it might be a sign that you’re tired, overworked, or both.

So watch out for those signs! And if you notice yourself bumping into your desk or arguing with your coworkers a lot, you might want to try getting a little more sleep, if possible.

 

Thibodeaux, W. (2018, May 4). 6 warning signs you need more sleep, based on your work behavior. Inc. Retrieved from: https://www.inc.com/wanda-thibodeaux/6-warning-signs-you-need-more-sleep-based-on-your-work-behavior.html