Being an entrepreneur comes with many challenges. On most days, you need to use the extra time to finish your work, which can take a toll on your sleep.
But if you think that sleep comes after success and you choose to hustle rather than sleep, think again. We all need a good night’s sleep because it keeps our minds fresh with ideas and improves our performances. This is especially important for entrepreneurs because they must constantly develop ideas that could help their businesses succeed.
Adults should regularly sleep for 7 or more hours per night to promote optimal health. When you deprive yourself of sleep, your overall well-being can suffer. If you have experienced any of the following signs below, you probably need more sleep.
1. Fatigue
One of the most common signs of sleep deprivation is getting tired right after sleep or during the day. As a result, you feel drowsy while driving or doing other things. The symptoms can be subtler than yawning or needing more caffeine. You may want to increase your sleeping hours if you constantly nod off while driving or during a boring meeting.
Read more: 5 Surprising Things That Drain Your Energy (And What You Can Do About It)
2. Feeling irritable
Your emotional health depends on your sleep. Even minor discrepancies in your sleep can negatively affect your mood and outlook during the day. That is why people suffering from anxiety and depression are more likely to have chronic insomnia.
Studies show that lack of sleep can be related to higher stress, irritability, and aggression. This can hurt your company and business productivity. You will feel better once you shift to a normal sleeping schedule.
3. Low Sex Drive
Fatigue due to lack of sleep is a common factor when it comes to your mood for sex. You feel too exhausted to have any desire for sex. Poor sleep is also associated with erectile dysfunction in men and hormonal changes in both men and women.
4. Frequently Getting Sick
Sleep quality also affects your physical health because the cells in your body need to recover during the night. When you lack sleep, your body can have lower defenses against diseases like heart problems, immunocompromised illnesses, and diabetes.
Read more: How Can Entrepreneurs Improve Their Metabolic Health?
5. Suffering skin
Your skin also shows if you’re not getting enough sleep. For example, you can experience acne breakouts because your immune system is not properly working. You can also have puffy eyes and dark undereye or eyebags because you don’t get enough restorative sleep at night.
6. Poor concentration
Sleep deprivation can have a negative impact on your ability to reason, focus and memorize. This can lead to a loss of productivity in your workplace. You may increase your focus by drinking coffee but getting a good night’s sleep is the best way to improve your overall performance and productivity.
Conclusion
Note that oversleeping is just as bad as not having enough sleep. Occasionally having extra hours of sleep won’t harm your health. However, consistently oversleeping can indicate underlying health conditions like depression and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). So get the right amount of sleep to help you conquer the day.
