How Does Sleep Affect Your Performance?

“Sleep, those little slices of death - how I loathe them.”― Edgar Allan Poe

On our sister blog, Sleep Matters, we post information about sleep and the benefits associated with it! However, we have not posted much content regarding the data behind what we post. I recently came across several sources of information that provided some interesting statistics. These were found during various studies on human sleep patterns, the environments that influence those sleep patterns, and what effects those patterns have on your performance. 

Pre-Sleeping Habits

• 9 out of every 10 Americans reported using a technological device during the hour before bed.
• TV is the most popular device at 60%.
• Those under the age of 30 more likely to use cell phones.
• Using these interactive devices makes it significantly more likely to have difficulty falling asleep.
• Using devices also increases the likelihood that that person will have less restful sleep.

• Interactive technological devices are most strongly associated with sleep complaints.

Sleep Deprivation Effects

This blog is a big fan of Dr. Charles Czeisler, who is highly praised within the neuroscience community. He was influential in a study regarding the effects that sleep deprivation has on cognitive abilities.
• Sleep deficiency is a “deficit in the quantity or quality of sleep obtained vs. the amount needed for optimal health and performance."
• Sleep deficiency degrades immune, cardiovascular and metabolic functions.

Benefits of Sleep

Achieving Better Sleep

These images were taken from a lecture given by Dr. Charles Czeisler. If you would like to watch the video, the link is provided in the references section. I would recommend trying to adhere to some of these suggested sleep habits. They are very useful. Trust us here at Kensington Furniture and #SleepMatters, it works!

References

1. Pack AI, Dinges DF, Gehrman PR, Staley B, Pack FM, Maislin G. Risk factors for excessive sleepiness in older adults. Ann Neurol. 2006;59:893–904. [PubMed]

2. Dinges & Powell, 1985; Doran, Van Dongen, & Dinges, 2001; Wyatt et al., 1999

3. A Sleep Epidemic: Charles Czeisler at TEDxCambridge 2011 http://youtu.be/p4UxLpoNCxU