Sleep Your Way To The Top!

The Impact of Sleep Loss on Executive Decision Making

Looking for a career that will let you see the world? Yearning for a position of high responsibility that will let you work on exciting, high-end, multinational, multimillion dollar business transactions? Aspiring to work with talented, highly motivated, ambitious people who will give you the edge and necessary skills to help fast-track your career to director or partner?

Do you want it? Do you really want it?

If you’re an aspiring young banker, lawyer, I.T., or management consultant, of course you do. The kamikaze “we’ll sleep when we’re dead” attitude is what superiors and clients want to hear right?

Of course they do. There’s no question that working a couple of hours past 6:00 pm provides several extra hours to get work done. What most are unaware of is that executive decision making when sleep deprived, hurts productivity and performance. In a study performed by the National Sleep Foundation in 2000, it was found that people who worked in excess of 60 hours a week made almost 10 percent more mistakes on the job than people who worked less. [1]

We live in a day and age where people, regardless of profession or industry, are increasingly being shifted into the 24 hour workforce thanks to advances in cutting-edge technology and global communications. Today’s executive operates well beyond the design specifications of the human brain and body. They undertake exhausting schedules, whisk across multiple time zones, and work exceedingly long hours. Often suffering from the debilitating effects of jet lag, the health and performance of executives are being jeopardised.

Despite popular belief, sleep is not a luxury that can be sacrificed when something more interesting or important comes up. It is a necessity. Whilst we all like to believe we live a healthy balanced lifestyle by eating the right foods and exercising regularly, we often neglect the third, equally important component – good sleep.

A report presented to the U.S. Congress in January 1993, made the following findings. In the year 1990 alone, the direct cost of sleep deprivation and sleep disorders in the United States was US$15.9 billion. Indirect costs, in terms of productivity and accidents amounted to a staggering US$150 billion [2]. Worthy of note, is that neither figure accounts for the incalculable cost of suffering, family dysfunction, and loss of human life.

Not surprisingly, many tragic disasters have occurred as a result of overwork and fatigue. Examples include the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Challenger disaster, the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown, as well as the collapse of President Bush senior, at a Japanese reception in 1992.

In Australia the results have been just as startling. In September 2000, Australian and New Zealand researchers reported in British journal, Occupational and Environmental Medicine that sleep deprivation is just as hazardous as being drunk. They found that getting less than 6 hours of sleep a day was “a very serious risk” that significantly impaired coordination, reaction time and judgment. Results showed that people who drove after being awake for 17 to 19 hours, performed worse than those with a blood alcohol level of 0.05, our legal limit [3].

The Effects of Inadequate Sleep on the Executive’s Health

Inadequate sleep does more than impair an executive’s performance. It affects almost every part of the body. Not only does the body’s immunity to disease and viral infection deteriorate as sleep deprivation increases, there is mounting evidence that supports a possible link between inadequate sleep and certain health problems, such as type II diabetes and hypertension.

Research conducted at the University of Chicago found that people with an accumulated sleep debt of three or more hours each night, over the course of a week, did significant harm to their body’s ability to process carbohydrates, manage stress and maintain a proper balance of hormones [4]. Blood and saliva samples taken from test subjects showed that sleep deprived people were less able to process glucose, resulting in their bodies producing more insulin, and a glucose level associated with that of a pre-diabetic state.

Equally disturbing were the findings in 2000 that sleep deprivation directly affects hormone production levels, which in turn increases the propensity to overweight and obesity [5]. The study found that lack of sleep at a younger age in men can drive down the production of growth hormone later in life. As growth hormone plays a critical role during adulthood in controlling the body’s proportions of fat and muscle, having less of the hormone as men age, increases the chances of becoming overweight. Since then, other studies have drawn correlations between inadequate sleep and the hormone leptin deficiency, which regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates. When leptin levels are low, the body craves carbohydrates, regardless of the amount of calories consumed.

According to Mark Rosekind, a leading sleep researcher in the United States, people are sleeping 20 percent less than our forefathers a century ago [6]. It should come as no surprise then that Syndrome X has reached epidemic proportions around the world. Lack of sleep has been a leading cause of obesity in people today. Unfortunately, it is unlikely the world is going to slow down any time soon. People will continue to work harder, sleep less, become increasingly sleep deprived, crave more carbohydrates and develop insulin resistance in the process.

Syndrome Z – The Reason Why Some People Just Can’t Lose Weight

As a greater number of people develop Syndrome X,” we at the Sleep & Chest Disorders Centre, predict the beginning of a new epidemic: Syndrome Z. Understood and recognized by only a few, Syndrome Z is the combination of Syndrome X and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). Put together, they form a deadly combination, making weight loss almost impossible.

OSA by itself is a little known, potentially life threatening sleep disorder “characterised by snoring, partial or complete cessation of breathing during sleep, reductions in blood oxygen levels, severe sleep fragmentation, and excessive daytime sleepiness.” [7] It is one of the most common sleep disorders with arguably the greatest impact on society medically and socially in terms of morbidity and mortality. Its prevalence is widespread, affecting people regardless of sex, race, age, or socioeconomic background. It is estimated that 8 percent of middle-aged men and 4 percent of middle-aged women suffer from it. Despite being as common as diabetes and asthma, public awareness of the disorder remains low. It is estimated that fewer than 10 percent of OSA sufferers have been treated for the disease. That means a staggering 90 percent of sufferers remain unaware they even have a problem!

At the Sleep & Chest Disorders Centre, we diagnose and treat people with sleep disorders such as OSA. We aim also to educate people of the potential consequences of leaving OSA untreated. They include hypertension, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, pulmonary hypertension, congestive hear failure, stroke, neuropsychiatric problems, cognitive impairment, sexual dysfunction, injury due to accidents, lost productivity and interpersonal relationship problems.

In recent years the Sleep & Chest Disorders Centre has treated an increasing number of executives with Syndrome Z. From our own findings, we believe Syndrome Z sufferers are unable to lose weight because of the excessive secretion of Stress Hormones when awake and asleep. This process modifies the fat and carbohydrate metabolism, and leads to excessive laying down of fat resulting in overweight and obesity. The latter, as everyone knows leads to other complications including hypertension, heart disease and stroke.

The Personal Strain of Sleep Deprivation on the Relationships of Executives

Up to this point, discussion has focussed only on the quantifiable consequences of inadequate sleep on executives. However, just like life itself, not everything can be quantified. What about relationships? Is there a link between sleep deprivation and relationships?

You bet there is!

Have you ever wondered why corporate executives are often moody and erratic? Or wondered why their marital relationships appear to fall apart more than others?

Of course there are an infinite number of possibilities and permutations of reasons why this occurs; however, in the vast majority of cases one can bet that sleep deprivation is one of them.

Don’t take my word for it. In a study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania on mood, feelings and emotion, subjects were restricted to 4.5 hours of sleep a night for a week. The results showed conclusively that inadequate sleep made people more stressed, angry, sad and more mentally exhausted [8]. Results showed that as the week progressed, the mood and vigour of the subjects declined steadily. On the other hand, when allowed to get sufficient sleep, mood scores improved significantly.

These results were later corroborated by a meta-analysis of 56 separate sleep studies [9], where the results were more revealing. They showed that mood is affected more by sleep deprivation than either cognitive skills or physical performance.

Executives Need More Sleep

Being an executive is not the same as it used to be. There was a time when bottom lines and demanding shareholders were the most hazardous part of the job. Due to our ignorance, we failed to see that the biggest hazard to ourselves was ourself. Without significant lifestyle changes, executives’ health and ability to perform will continue to suffer.

It is hoped that one day in the not too distant future, publicly listed companies may be scrutinised less on P/E Ratio, Debt/Equity Ratios, Current Ratios and Quick Ratios, and more on its Executives’ Sleep/Awake Ratio.

However, why wait that long for that fantasy day to come? Why not do yourself and your company (of course!) a favour, and take that much deserved nap right now.

- Justin Chan

References

[1] National Sleep Foundation, 2000 Omnibus Sleep in America Poll
[2] National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, Report of the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, submitted to the United States Congress and the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, January 1993
[3] A.M. Williamson; A. Feyer; Moderate Sleep Deprivation Produces Impairments in Cognitive and Motor Performance Equivalent to Legally Prescribed Levels of Alcohol Intoxication; Occup Environ Med 2000; 57: 649-655 (October)
[4] K Spiegel; R Leproult; E Van Cauter; Impact of Sleep Debt on Metabolic and Endocrine Function, The Lancet; Vol 354; October 1999
[5] R Leproult; E Van Cauter; L Plat; Age-Related Changes in Slow Wave Sleep and REM Sleep and Relationship with Growth Hormone and Cortisol Levels in Healthy Men, Journal of the American Medical Association; Vol. 284, No. 7; August 16, 2000
[6] L Keller, Hitting the Wall, CNN.com, http://www.cnn.com/2000/CAREER/trends/12/04/napping/index.html
[7] Report of the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, Wake up America: A National Sleep Alert, Executive Summary and Report, January 1993
[8] W.C. Dement; The Promise of SLEEP; Dell Publishing 1999 , at 275
[9] J.J. Pilcher; A.I. Huffcutt; Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Performance: A Meta-Analysis; Sleep; Vol. 19, No. 4, 1996