The fast pace of life in the 21st century and the round-the-clock demand of career, family, social life, and community involvement cut back on a person’s sleep. Too many nights of sleeping less than what is adequate is partly responsible for having low energy levels that impact on a person’s performance at work, at home and beyond. In general, a person’s concentration and the amount and quality of his work decline by 30% because of lack of sleep.
Related:5 Healthy Habits To Help You Sleep
According to a 2008 Sleep in America Poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), almost 50 million Americans have sleeping problems that adversely affect their personal, home and work life. 29% of the poll respondents dozed off or became sleepy at work, 36% fell asleep or became drowsy on the wheels, and 20% had their sex life affected.
Other effects of lack of sleep on the workplace
The effect of lack of sleep on productivity is well documented, but other than that, sleep deprivation is also associated with unethical behavior and impaired decision making as well as innovative thinking. A sleep deprived person has sudden mood swings, and could be more irritable and fractious. This behavior could make him a lot of enemies in the workplace. Sleep deficiency also has a negative effect on the prefrontal cortex, that part of the brain that plays a role in regulating complex cognitive behavior, decision making, emotional behavior and social behavior.
People who are sleep deprived may be at risk of developing high blood pressure. It is believed that sleep aids the blood in regulating stress hormones as well as ensures a healthy nervous system. Too many sleepless nights could unfavorably affect the body’s ability to regulate stress hormones.
How much sleep is adequate?
Enough sleep according to the Mayo Clinic differs from one person to another. A normal adult needs approximately seven to eight hours of sleep at night, but adequate sleep means sleep that induces a feeling of well-being and daytime alertness.
However, the NSF says that there is “no magic number” to the amount of sleep an individual needs, and this is because of two factors:
Basal sleep need – the amount of sleep a person ordinarily needs to perform at optimum level
Sleep debt – the amount of lost sleep accumulated over time due to illness, bad sleeping habits, and other causes.
Research suggests that the basal sleep need of a healthy adult is from seven to eight hours nightly which jibes with Mayo Clinic’s definition of adequate sleep. However, the combination of basal sleep need and sleep debt complicates things.
One case in point could be when a person who may meet his basal sleep need but has accumulated some sleep debt. This guy could still be feeling sluggish every so often because of this mix. And this could happen especially in times of the circadian rhythms, those times of the day when the body is biologically conditioned to be less lively and more drowsy, such as in mid-afternoon or during overnight hours. A person may suddenly feel intensely sleepy during these times or even still feel dopey upon waking up.
But there is hope after all since studies have shown that sleep debt can be paid off or worked down.
This post was originally published at an earlier date.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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