How many hours of blissful sleep did you have last night? Everyone seems to be burning the midnight oil to try and create something big. But the truth is, sleepless nights will only lead you nowhere.
In today’s fast-paced world, 24 hours isn’t even enough to accomplish everything that needs to get done for the day. Getting some rest is no longer an option. However, a study conducted by Rand Europe shows that in the US, businesses lose billions of dollars each year due to sleep deprivation.
John Medina, a developmental molecular biologist, stated in his book “Brain Rules” that most people describe sleep as powerfully restorative—pointing to the fact that they cannot think well if they don’t get enough sleep. So the real question is, how can sleep contribute to your business success? Let’s dig a little bit deeper into it.
The larks, the owls, and the hummingbirds
Nathaniel Kleitman, a sleep researcher, showed in an interesting experiment that a person’s body possesses a series of internal clocks, all controlled by different regions in the brain. These internal clocks, however, work differently for every individual.
Some people usually get up early in the morning, even before the alarm rings. In scientific literature, they are called the larks. They feel most productive at work a few hours before lunchtime. On the contrary, there are those who need a few alarm clocks just to get themselves out of bed in the morning. They are called the owls. They are more alert and productive in the late evening. The rest are called hummingbirds—some are more larkish, some are more owlish, and some are in between.
The power of naps
No matter what time you start your day, almost everyone around the world goes through a period of time in the mid-afternoon where they experience momentary sleepiness. It’s really difficult to get things done during this time because your brain wants to take a nap and it doesn’t care about what it is that you’re doing.
Instead of going to war with the need to nap, embrace it. Your brain will thank you because you’re actually permitting it to work better for the rest of the day. Did you know that even NASA allows its pilots to take short naps before taking on long flights? Google is also one of the companies that recognises the benefits of napping—installing sleep pods for its employees to catch a quick nap. In fact, a study revealed that a 45-minute nap boosts a person’s cognitive performance that can last for more than six hours.
Why sleep is so important
People vary in the amount of sleep they need—some need five hours, some need six hours, while others need seven—but essentially, it comes down to what’s right for you. When you allow yourself to get robbed of proper rest, unpleasant things can happen to your brain.
Several studies have shown that sleep loss can eventually undermine human functions, including attention, mood, working memory, logical reasoning ability, quantitative skills and general math knowledge. If you continue to neglect the importance of a good sleep, even walking on a treadmill would be impossible to do.
Promoting work-life balance has always been one of Cloudstaff’s commitments. Hence, First Class Sleeper Areas have been designed to give the staff a quiet and peaceful space to relax and restore their energy to be more productive at work.
Configured like an airplane cabin, the Sleeper Areas are low-noise, low-light spaces with recliner chairs, blankets and pillows for those who need to take a quick break. When we allow the staff to get some rest, it benefits them, the company, as well as our clients.
Cloudstaff First Class Lounges with Sleeper Areas are currently available in CRK06, CRK08, and CEB01. It is all part of our “Number One Workplace in the Philippines” strategy. It’s time to give sleep the importance it deserves, both in our personal and professional lives.