Are Deadlines and Responsibilities Keeping You Awake at Night?

Sleepless nights are bad but worrying about not being able to get your Zzz’s that could make matters worse. In fact, worrying over not sleeping increase stress and anxiety and affects your overall potential.

According to ADAA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America), 80% of adults report some type of sleep-related issue. Almost half report has trouble falling asleep. Four in ten wakes up throughout the night. And almost half start the day feeling unrested.

That’s a lot of zombies walking around and sometimes I’m one of them.

Back when I was in my mid 20’s, I was employed by a fortune 500 pharmaceutical company. I worked in the strategic sourcing department responsible for outsourcing IT services.

If you have ever worked in the corporate world then you will know that there are processes and deadlines for every project. Plus, there are fewer employees to manage projects these days than there were a decade ago, so you may have to manage several projects at one time and that can be stressful.

But what made my role particularly stressful I had to meet with the chief financial officer before any negotiation to review my strategy. The CFO was intimidating. He would ALWAYS ask me, “what are you leaving on the table?” This man. That question. It freaked me out every time. So naturally, a few nights before the scheduled meeting I would have trouble falling asleep at night. The day before the meeting my whole body would vibrate of anxiety and on the eve of the meeting instead of falling asleep I’d replay every potential outcome in my head like a broken record. And after a couple of hours of sleeplessness, I’d worry about not getting enough sleep and how unrested I felt for the meeting. Fortunately, CFO’s are more concerned with numbers than proper communication and presentation skills.

In an article published by People Magazine, back in 2007 Huffington Post Founder Arianna Huffington collapses from exhaustion after working 18-hour days. They write, “while on the phone and checking emails she passed out, fell, and woke-up in a pool of blood, with a broken cheekbone and cut over her eye. Since the incident, she has become an outspoken champion of healthy sleep practices.

Nowadays, there are many easy and cost-effective solutions to get a good night sleep. One simple idea is to download an app to your smartphone.

“If you’re a lifelong sufferer of sleep deprivation who has tried numbers solutions, there is no reason not to give sleep apps a try.” ~Sanjeev Kothare, Ph.D., Director of Sleep Education at NYU Langone.

Apps like, “Calm” and “Stop, Breathe, Think” offer FREE meditation solutions to deepen your mindfulness and tools that guide you through a customized night time meditation to ease you into sleep.

Realize your potential today, start with a good night sleep!

References:

1. Anxiety and Depression Association of America – https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/stress/stress-and-anxiety-interfere
2. People Magazine – https://people.com/celebrity/arianna-huffington-the-wake-up-call-that-changed-my-life/

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