Insomnia can be extremely detrimental to your life, especially at work. The illness has a lot of repercussions that can damage your performance in terms of the daily tasks you have to carry out.
Unfortunately, people tend to minimize their own sleep in the hopes of increasing productivity nowadays. This action can lead to insomnia, which in turn can put you at danger in terms of both your home and your career.
There are lot of negative effects brought about by insomnia. If you are experiencing any of these following five signs that creates problems for you at work, you may be struggling with insomnia.
1. Lack of Concentration
It was discussed in another Well Being Tips post that lack of concentration is a direct effect of poor sleeping habits. Experts suggest that an inability to focus will undoubtedly result in poor performance at work.
A lack of concentration could even lead you to get fired or even hurt another human being. It was mentioned in the aforementioned article that delivery driver Malkit Chaukria crashed with Aaron Ryan because he was working 17 hours a day with little sleep. The accident killed Ryan and ultimately got Chaukria fired and convicted.
2. Lack of Motivation
Feeling tired and not caring about what goes on at work? That probably means you might not have the motivation you need to do your job properly. The National Sleep Foundation includes lack of motivation in their list of repercussions brought about by insomnia. Motivation is key in performing well and a notable lack of it will lead to unwanted consequences, such as failing to complete tasks.
3. Decrease in Creativity
A blog post by Leesa shared a study conducted by the University of Haifa that concluded that sleep can increase your creativity. In turn, lacking the right amount of sleep or struggling with insomnia will ultimately decrease it. Creativity is important in any work setting, regardless of your industry or position. Having a creative thought process enables you to think outside the box and prove to your employees that you have good decision-making skills.
4. More Stress
A lot of jobs require people to work shift patterns. This means you might be working at night instead of the day, or you are required to work more than the normal 8 hours per day. Working shifts is oftentimes the root of insomnia and making therefore can make employees more prone to stress. Medscape argues that shift work is more stressful than your regular 9-5 office job.
Stress can lead to a multitude of other problems at work, like poor performance and strained relationships with colleagues. If you’re feeling stressed, it may be time to check on your sleeping habits to see if they’re compatible with the shifts you’re having to work.
5. Emotional Instability
If you find yourself having more fits of rage than ever before, it might be down to your sleeping behavior. Insomnia.net lists emotional instability as one the most dangerous effects of the illness. It is also one of the most problematic when it comes to your professional life. In any industry, a good social network and camaraderie are both important in assuring a successful business. Also, your social skills are often part of what people examine in deciding if you’ll be fit for their company. If you find yourself becoming a little erratic and have trouble dealing with high pressured situations, you really need to get more sleep.