Being a strong and successful leader is demanding on a person and requires good and balanced nourishment. I have learned that if I keep my self properly nourished and my “bucket full”, I have the strength I need to lead and fill others’ buckets. Several aspects of nourishment are required to maintain your life-balance and will be explored in a series of blogs I will entitle Leadership Nourishment.

In this first Leadership Nourishment blog, I would like to discuss the importance of leaders getting the proper sleep and rest needed to lead and function most effectively. I think we all understand that sufficient sleep and rest are needed to improve overall well-being and quality-of-life, and are also key elements in preserving life-balance.

People are always asking many questions about sleep and rest, and much research has been conducted to scientifically answer some of these questions. So how much sleep do we need? How much rest is needed? What constitutes effective sleep and rest to adequately refill your tank? What is more important sleep quality or sleep quantity? Can we “make-up” for lost sleep? I hope to address some of these questions, but more importantly I would like to get you to take an inventory of your quality and quantity of sleep and rest, and consider what changes you might want to make in your sleeping and resting plans and behaviors.

Sleep is a physiological process that we require to survive. According to the nationwide research team on the quality of sleep (19FA0901), sleep quality is superior to sleep quantity as a method for assessing sleep.1

As newborns we sleep most of the day and night, and by the time we are adults we typically sleep between six and nine hours per night. So what happens to us as adults? Children need large amounts of sleep because they are growing physically and mentally, adults need sleep to repair cells and rejuvenate. Often in this day and age our social activities, work requirements, screen time, and multitasking tendencies cause us to sometimes sacrifice our much needed sleep.

Research suggests that proper sleep is functionally important, can increase survival, and lower risk for all-cause deaths.2 So sleep is definitely needed, but rest may also be beneficial. Rest may include any time when you turn it off, or step away, and rest your mind and your body. When sleep may be compromised, proper rest may replenish your energy levels, offer your improved mental clarity, improve your mood, and make you stronger. Rest can come in many forms. Have you even heard of a Power Nap? Many of us take them and sometimes they actually make us feel better. Research suggests that a Power Nap can help recharge when time is limited. I know if makes me feel better. Research also suggests that a siesta of one or two hours can actually help people live longer.3

So, now time to conduct your self inventory. How much sleep do you get each night? Do you get more sleep on weekdays, or on weekends? Do you feel like you are getting adequate sleep to feel rejuvenated each day? Do you take time for rest breaks or naps, even just to recharge?

So what kind of improvements do you think you can make? Next time you have a free moment, consider a nap or siesta of some form. Step away from your work station to recharge. Stop for just a moment. I am sure you can find some time for more sleep and rest in your daily routine. Even if not on a daily basis, can you find more time on the weekends. Research suggests you can catch up on your sleep, however it could take up to four days to recover from one hour of lost sleep.4 Catch-up sleep has even been associated with better health outcomes.5

As leaders proper sleep and rest helps us to think more clearly. It facilitates quick and accurate problem solving and a more even temperament when dealing with difficult people and situations. So my advice strive for 6-8 hours of sleep as many days a week that you can, take power naps when possible, plan for rest-breaks or siestas, and if all else fails strive to make-up on lost or missed sleep when it is possible. It will not only improve your quality of life and life balance, it may make you a better leader. But most importantly it will make you feel better and a little less cranky. Nite, Nite….

  1. Kohyama, J. (2021). Which is More Important for Health: Sleep Quantity or Sleep Quality? Children (Basel). June 24;8(7):543. dot:10.3390/children8070542.PMID: 34202755; PMCID: PMC8304732. ↩︎
  2. Rechtschaffen, A. (1998). Current Perspectives on the Function of Sleep. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. 41(3), 359-390. doi:10.1353/pbm.1998.0051. ↩︎
  3. Bursztyn, M., Ginsberg, G., Steersman, J. (2002). The Siesta and Mortality in the Elderly: Effect of Rest Without Sleep and Daytime Sleep Duration. Sleep. 25(2), 187–191. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/25.2.187 ↩︎
  4. Newson R., Rehman, A. (2023). Sleep debt: The hidden cost of insufficient rest. How Sleep Works. November 3, 2023. . ↩︎
  5. Chaput, J.P., Dutil, C., Featherstone, R., Ross, R., Giangregorio, L., Saunders, T.J., Janssen, I., Poitras, V.J., Kho, M.E., Ross-White, A., Zankar, S., Carrier, J. (2020). Sleep timing, sleep consistency, and health in adults; A systematic review. Apple Physiol Nutrition Meta. 45(10(Suppl. 2)):S232-S247. dot: 10.1139/apnm-2020-032. PMID: 33054339. ↩︎