Did you know that one sleepless night affects your performance as much as a blood-alcohol level of 0.1?

As crazy as it sounds for a drunk mate to decide whether it is ok for them to drive likewise, it is difficult for you to assess how impaired you are when you're tired.

Sleep deprivation affects judgment. You may want to count on others in the workplace or at home to help you recognise the signs:

❌ Tired heavy eyes

❌ Yawning or blinking frequently

❌ Difficulty remembering or comprehending conversations

❌ Foggy brain

❌ Irritability

Once you have identified that your sleep deprivation could be affecting your mood, health or performance, aim to adopt one or two of the sleep tactics below that you think may be easier for you to implement.

Once you have experienced the difference it has made to your sleep, progressively introduce other sleep tactics as part of your overall sleep strategy.

1. Establish a SLEEP SCHEDULE and NIGHTLY BEDTIME ROUTINES

‘Schedule sleep as your number one meeting.’

WHY?

If we don’t make sleep a priority we will fail to learn, remember, understand and be our best self. By performing the same activities in the same order every night, your brain will come to recognise your bedtime routines and prepare your body for sleep.

Just as a nightly bedtime routine helps children with sleep, the subsequent impact may have flow-on effects on parents. Evidence suggests that it improves the latency to sleep onset (ie time it takes to go to sleep) and the number and duration of waking up at night.

An irregular sleep schedule or inconsistent bedtimes is associated with an increased risk of:

❌ heart attack

❌ obesity

❌ high blood pressure

❌ stroke

❌ diabetes

1. Reduce BLUE LIGHT SCREEN TIME (via electronic devices)

WHY?

‘Melatonin initiates sleep> blue light suppresses melatonin> blue light is emitted from screens such as computers, tv and electronic devices including: e-readers, smart watches and video game consoles.’

Have you ever stayed up stayed up late to study or review important information on your device prior to a major meeting or presentation only to have it negatively affect your sleep and consequently, your alertness and performance the next day?

Electronic devices emit blue light and affects your sleep in the following ways:

❌ Increases your latency to sleep onset: it stimulates your mind, making it harder to fall asleep

❌ Reduces sleep duration: it tends to delay the time you actually go to sleep ❌ Disrupts the quantity, quality and continuity of sleep: notifications, blinking lights and ease of access that it is within reach can cause unwanted disruptions when sleeping next to electronic devices.

1. Set up your bedroom to be a SLEEP SANCTUARY

‘Keep your bedroom DARK, COOL, QUIET AND CLEAN AND CLEAR’

WHY?

DARK > initiates melatonin which initiates sleep.

COOL > your body needs to drop your core temperature by about two or three degrees to initiate good sleep.

QUIET > loud noise can disrupt sleep; even softer noises can cause sleep disturbances or shift you to a lighter sleep stage.

CLEAN & CLEAR OF CLUTTER > psychophysiological effects of sleeping between clean sheets in an uncluttered space improves sleep quality.

1. Limit LARGE VOLUMES OF FLUID & CAFFEINE prior to bed

WHY?

LIMIT large volumes of fluid intake

Too much fluid prior to bedtime will increase your need to urinate and disrupt sleep continuity.

LIMIT Caffeine

Consumption too much or too close to bedtime: increases your latency to sleep onset (negative impact) disturbs the normal cycles of sleep, both frequency and phases (ie less deep or REM sleep) has a diuretic effect which will increase your need to urinate and disrupt sleep continuity.