The Impact of Bad Sleep on Your Career

February 16, 2022

Have you ever considered the high cost of inadequate sleep? If you’re not getting enough sleep or good quality sleep, it could have a negative impact on your career. And not just in the short term when you’re tired at your job, it could make a significant impact on your long-term career path.

Here are some ways not getting enough sleep can negatively impact your career.

Memory Issues

There are a lot of physical effects of too little sleep, but one of the most critical is the effect on your memory. Without detailing the science, sleep is when the neurons in your brain make the connections that allow you to form short-term and long-term memories. Without enough sleep, you’ll find it difficult to recall things that shouldn’t be hard to remember. This will affect the work you do day-to-day.

Bad Mood

Unsurprisingly, sleep also affects your overall mood. A lack of sleep can heighten anxiety, deepen depression, and make you more irritable. And having a bad mood at work can have a ripple effect causing your coworkers to resent you, making your boss angry at you, and creating a pathway for you to become frustrated and angry at minor things.

Weakened Immune System

You may not always think about the physical health effects of too little sleep, but this can also become a significant issue. When you don’t get enough sleep, your immune system doesn’t function as fully. That means your body is less effective in fighting off illnesses. If you get regularly sick, it may affect the work you’re doing on the job. While more sleep doesn’t keep every bug away, it will help your body stay healthier.

Strained Relationships

While your mood is just one aspect of sleep deprivation, sleep can also be a major factor in your interpersonal relationships. When you’re irritable with someone without cause on their part, they may not want to interact with you. They may assume your levels of irritability are default and stop relying on you. This can cause resentment in your department when you need to work together.

Poor Productivity

Lastly, not enough sleep affects your overall productivity. You feel that slump of energy, and it may take you a lot longer to complete tasks. Once their complete, they still might not be up to the usual standards you’ve set for yourself. This causes a downward spiral of productivity and quality of work.