CEOs Who are Sleep Deprived are Grumpy and Distracted: Here’s Why They Need More Sleep

Numerous business leaders will tell you that they do not get enough sleep.

However, the majority of managers and CEOs would never admit to being a little tipsy, distracted, less creative, or more likely to be abusive to their workers.

According to a survey conducted by Potential Project in collaboration with the Harvard Business Review, only 28% of leaders report sleeping seven hours or more per night.

Nonetheless, these are the repercussions of sleeping fewer than 7 to 9 hours per night on a consistent basis.

According to a frequently cited study, someone who is up for 19 or 20 hours (i.e., someone who sleeps 4 to 5 hours per night) performs tasks as if they are legally inebriated.

Another study discovered that sleeping six hours a night for ten days results in the same level of impairment in performance as pulling an all-nighter.

Christopher Barnes, a sleep researcher and management professor at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, has conducted studies that demonstrate sleep-deprived managers have less emotional self-control. This increases their likelihood of being abusive toward subordinates, which might result in decreased workplace engagement.

“Do CEOs who sleep six hours a night perform optimally? They are not,” neurologist Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep, asserted. “And it is not only a matter of efficacy; it is also a matter of efficiency. When you are sleep deprived, you are extremely inefficient. Why would you attempt to boil water on a medium heat setting when you can do so on a high one?”

According to Els van der Helm, a sleep researcher and cofounder of Shleep, which provides corporate clients with company-wide sleep regimens, only around 3% of the population is genetically programmed to function well on less than six hours of sleep every night.

Increased consciousness

It appears as though CEOs and other leaders are becoming more aware of the critical nature of sleep for their ability to perform at their best, particularly their capacity to focus. 250 CEOs of Fortune 500 businesses were interviewed by The Potential Project, a global leadership development and research firm. A total of 200 of them stated that they sleep between 7 and 8 hours.

Recently, seven CEOs — from firms such as Mass Mutual, Red Hat, Basecamp, and Eventbrite — told CNN that they make a point of obtaining 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night.

Are CEOs who sleep six hours a night functioning optimally? They are not. And it is not simply a matter of effectiveness; it is also a matter of efficiency. When you are sleep deprived, you are inefficient.

Meanwhile, some leaders are beginning to understand the value of sleep. And not just in terms of hours worked, but also in terms of sleep quality, which can be improved by increased physical activity and the establishment of consistent nighttime rituals. This involves going to bed at a consistent hour each night and putting their phone and other electronics away.

Martina Bender-Scheel, Deloitte’s head of talent and culture in Switzerland, argues that sleeping more has increased her productivity and emotional resilience at work.

Martina Bender-Scheel, Deloitte Switzerland’s head of talent and culture, used to sleep 5 to 6 hours a night during the week and an additional hour on weekends.

“I would get up early to prepare the children and myself for the day, commute to work, and then return home for supper, put the children to bed, and then work on the computer until after midnight,” Bender-Scheel explained in an email. She now sleeps at least seven hours per night during the week and another hour or two on weekends.

“I notice a significant difference. I am able to accomplish more during the day since I am able to concentrate better and think more clearly. Additionally, I achieve more creative outcomes when confronted with challenging problems. My emotional fortitude is greater. And I’m more merry,” she added.

By committing to at least seven hours of sleep per night, Filippo Rossi, a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, claims he has improved his focus for clients and improved his health.

“I spend the final hour before bed reading or conversing with my family, walking the dog, or taking a bath. When I’m on my computer after supper, I immediately realize how tough it is to fall and stay asleep,” Rossi explained.

Apart from feeling better, he believes his clients receive a significant return on investment from his increased sleep.

“Who wants to pay for a consultant who is ‘drunk’? Because my job requires a quick mind and constant presence, I choose to use sleep as a strategic lever to recover more quickly and perform at my best as frequently as feasible,” Rossi explained.

John Bowers, CEO of JCC Bowers, a firm that developed an app for controlling your electronic devices, is a work in progress when it comes to sleep.

Bowers received a wake-up call, so to speak, when he was hospitalized for fatigue after only four hours of sleep in three days.

Bowers used to wake up many times a night to deal with incoming demands, he claimed.

Not any longer. He is now normally in bed by 11 p.m. and sleeps for around 5 hours.

He admits that he still thinks about work while sleeping, but believes that the quality of his sleep enables him to think creatively about difficulties.

“It’s a significant improvement over the previous state,” he remarked.