In our modern, “always-on” society, there is a strange, quasi-heroic ideal associated with sleep deprivation. Roughly one in three adults do not regularly get enough sleep. We are fueled by caffeine to keep us going, with 85 percent of the U.S. population consuming at least one caffeinated beverage per day. You may have read that sleep deprivation is linked to serious health risks, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and the topic of this column, lost productivity! Some estimates estimate that more than $66 billion annually is lost because of lower productivity.
Sleep is not a luxury or a sign of weakness; it is a biological necessity and the ultimate productivity hack. If you want to optimize your life, you must stop viewing sleep as an obstacle to overcome and start viewing it as the “secret sauce” for success.