So, how did this disaster occur and how is it connected to sleep and productivity? Let’s find out in this lesson.
Browse the video to learn more and don’t forget to take the quiz at the end of the lesson.
“As mentioned in the video, please click on the “Download Assignment” button provided below to download a PDF file with instructions on how to perform the Spoon Test that can help you determine if you are sleep-deprived.”
The Link Between Sleep and Productivity
On 26th April 1982, the world witnessed the worst nuclear disaster in history.
A power surge at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant – located in the north of Ukraine – caused an explosion that resulted in a fire that burned for 10 days, releasing a large amount of radiation into the atmosphere and claiming multiple lives.
As mentioned in The Midnight In Chernobyl, a historical narrative of the event pinned a large portion of the blame on Anatoly Dyatlov, Deputy Chief Engineer – – who was in charge of the Chernobyl nuclear power station at the time of the accident.
Dylatov made poor decisions that night because he was sleep-deprived.
Sleep allows the human body to repair itself and the brain to process information. Deprivation of this essential requirement can lead to disastrous outcomes. Chernobyl is just one of many disasters where sleep deprivation has been found to have a role to play.
Understanding Sleep Deprivation
If you are getting less sleep than you need to feel fully awake and alert, you can say that you are sleep deprived.
A study conducted by researchers A. M. Williamson from the University of New South Wales and fellow researcher Anne-Marie Feyer revealed that moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments equivalent to alcohol intoxication. This means that adequate sleep is essential for a person to be able to perform well.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. The recycling rate, or when you need to sleep again after wakefulness, is 16 hours. Post 16 hours of being awake, you will automatically start to experience a decline in your brain function, thus impacting your productivity and ability to execute projects as desired.
Want to find out if you are sleep deprived? Please download the pdf document using the Download Assignment button provided, which takes you through a simple exercise called the Spoon Test that you can perform at home to find out if you are sleep deprived or not.
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation
A study led by Paul Whitney, a psychologist at the Washington State University, revealed that sleep deprivation leads to reduced performance as inadequate sleep affects the brain’s Prefrontal Cortex, which is responsible for cognitive activities such as reasoning, problem-solving, and decision making – which are essential cognitive abilities required for a person to perform well.
Can Sleep Quality be Improved?
First, answer this:
- Do you take more than 30 minutes to fall asleep from the time you lie down to sleep?
- Do you wake up more than once every night?
- If you wake up once during the night, do you take more than 20 minutes to fall asleep?
If your answer to one or more of these questions is yes, your sleep quality can be considered to be lower than desired.
Now, the good news is that sleep quality – and, consequently, your personal productivity and project execution standards – can be improved by:
- Sticking to a consistent bedtime and wake-up schedule.
- Avoiding alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and similar substances close to bedtime.
- Practising relaxation and mindfulness meditation right before bedtime.
- Restricting your smartphone usage timings, especially right before bedtime.
- Having a relaxing bath before bedtime.
In this lesson, we saw the link between sleep and productivity.
In the next lesson, we will explore the link between exercise and productivity.
Please take the accompanying quiz, a link to which is available right below this video.
Happy Quizzing!
