HUFFINGTON
02.23.14
THRIVE
The Western workplace culture—exported to many other parts
of the world—is practically fueled
by stress, sleep deprivation, and
burnout. I had come face-to- face—
or, I should say, face-to-floor—with
the problem when I collapsed. Even
as stress undermines our health,
the sleep deprivation so many of
us experience in striving to get
industry. As John Paul Wright, an
engineer for one of the country’s
largest freight rail operators, put
it, “The biggest issue with railroad
workers is fatigue, not pay. We are
paid very well. But we sacrifice our
bodies and minds to work the long
hours it takes to make the money,
not to mention the high divorce
rate, self-medicating, and stress.”
In terms of the traditional measures of success,
which focus on money and power, I was very
successful. But I was not living a successful life
by any sane definition of success.
ahead at work is profoundly—and
negatively—affecting our creativity,
our productivity, and our decision
making. The Exxon Valdez wreck,
the explosion of the Challenger
space shuttle, and the nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Three Mile
Island all were at least partially
caused by a lack of sleep.
And in the winter of 2013, the
deadly Metro-North derailment
caused when William Rockefeller,
the engineer at the controls, fell
asleep, focused national attention
on the dangers of sleep deprivation throughout the transportation
Over 30 percent of people in the
United States and the United Kingdom are not getting enough sleep.
And it’s not just decision making
and cognitive functions that take
a hit. Even traits that we associate
with our core personality and values are affected by too little sleep.
According to a study from the
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, sleep deprivation reduces
our emotional intelligence, selfregard, assertiveness, sense of independence, empathy toward others, the quality of our interpersonal
relationships, positive thinking,
and impulse control. In fact, the
only thing the study found that gets
better with sleep deprivation is