How to Boost Motivation and Energy: Sleep Tips for Better Performance with Terry Cralle
Are you struggling to find the energy and motivation to get through your day? Do you feel like you're always dragging throughout your day? Lack of sleep can zap our energy and make it hard to stay focused. Getting enough rest is essential for maintaining clarity, focus, and performance, so make sure you're giving yourself the best chance for success by tuning into today's episode for sleep tips for better performance.
In This Episode, You Will Learn About:
Sleep habits for better performance
Why good sleep makes us happier
Mattress replacement frequency
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According to the bureau of labor statistics, full-time workers spend, on average, about eight and a half hours a day of work. In the state of America, sleep study people in the workplace and the workforce sleep about 6.8, four hours on average at night. That means we spend about a hundred more minutes on the clock than in bed every day.
And we're getting far less than that seven to eight hours of sleep that we're told we're supposed to have. It's likely that working people are probably even having fewer quality hours of sleep. I know firsthand as a mom of five-year-old twins. This is an area sometimes I struggle with.
How Sleep Affects Work Performance
So let's talk about sleep. I know we're supposed to have seven to eight hours of sleep, but how does lack of sleep affect our performance at work? We don't have enough time to go over all the ways because it's so important. And I think a lot of people just sort of look at sleep as being sleepy at work, but we're not looking at a lack of sleep in totality, because lack of sleep affects everything from your productivity performance. I mean really every aspect of your functioning. It affects how you communicate with your colleagues. It affects your outlook, your motivation; it affects your feelings of stress. I mean, you'll feel more stressed out when you're deficient in sleep.
It affects teamwork. It affects job retention and job satisfaction. Well-rested workers like their jobs more. Well-rested people, in general, have a better attitude. They have more energy, more vitality; they're more creative. They're happier people. And it's so hard Danielle to get the message out because collectively, I think many of us, somewhere—maybe not on the surface, but somewhere deep down—disregard sleep and the need for sleep. I think we look at it as a weakness. I think we look at it as sort of the opposite of the work ethic and being motivated and ambitious. And it's not. It's a biological
necessity, a biological requirement we have, just like drinking water. We wouldn't try to get on by walking around thirsty all the time, needing hydration. But we're doing that with sleep. So we're disregarding it. We see it as a weakness. A lot of people do and we're not prioritizing it.
So, I think when people start looking at sleep in a different light, they'll see their work—every aspect of their work and every aspect of their functioning in and outside of work—change dramatically. If they're not getting the sleep they need, it's so important that I tell people. “Reverse engineer your day.”
Seven and nine hours is the requirement for most adults. Now, there are short sleepers who have a genetic variant. They can get by with maybe five hours and not have any ill effects, but that is less than 1% of the total population. The rest of us need that seven to nine hours. And you know what? We need it every single day of the week. Not just, you know, don't undersleep during the week and then try to make up for it on weekends. We need it every single day because it's affecting and impacting every single thing we do. Society focuses a lot when it comes to what we should eat and drink: water and exercise. And seems like this is the element that we're missing in education.
Establishing a Working Sleeping Habit
We focus a lot on what we should eat. There are probably hundreds of diets out there. We talk about the importance of fueling your body with healthy foods. But we rarely talk about sleep and I'm glad that you're gonna be talking about the different ways that we can improve our sleep. So you've shared that we need about seven to nine hours of sleep, but how can we establish a good working sleep habit that works for us so that we can be our optimal best selves and be more productive, happy, and motivated throughout the day?
We have to change our thinking. You have to realize sleep is not sufficient. Sleep is not an obstacle to success. And I find so many people in my seminars and workshops trade their sleep hours for waking hours because they're under a very false premise of, “I need to get more done. I'm running behind. So I'll sleep less and do more.” And I say, nope, exactly the wrong formula. You will do more, do it better, more efficiently, and with fewer errors if you get that sleep. So again, flip the script and really schedule that seven to nine hours, whatever it takes in your life.
If you have to delegate things, sometimes for some people, it's a huge change in their personal dynamic, their family dynamic, in work dynamic to get all of this switched around. But if we put sleep first, prioritize it, and be very unapologetic for our needs, it's not a weakness on any level. It's what we need to be our best. A well-rested worker is what you want. A tired worker is more likely to have an on-the-job accident or injury. A tired worker is more prone to substance abuse, more prone to family discord, marital problems, and just job burnout, of course, this is a huge problem with people that aren't getting enough sleep.
So we really have to change the way we perceive sleep. And then of course there are strategies and a lot of us have heard the good sleep hygiene strategies over and over again, but it's hard to really get people to utilize those if they're sort of not on board. With a different way of looking at sleep and realizing it's your friend, not your foe, your life will be better. Every aspect of your function, your physical health, and your psychological health will just have immediate benefits from sufficient sleep.
We have to look at all the other things. Like I already mentioned, motivation, outlook, just being optimistic, being grateful, just having a sort of a different take, having energy. And when you mention diet, I have so many inquiries: “I've tried all these diets and I'm not losing weight.” As a registered nurse, I get some of that and I say, “Well, how's your sleep?” And then I get—I mean, it's across the board, “LOL, who has time for sleep?” And that's where I'm saying, this is the problem. You can't have that attitude. If you get your sleep—I mean, sleep deprivation and obesity are parallel epidemics.
We're seeing a rise in obesity because we're seeing a decline in sleep. And so we've got to get rid of those electronics. At night, we have to have a bedtime routine, just like our kids need them. We need them. And we have to just really conform to that and realize it's transitioning your mind and body from weight to sleep. Make that a priority and look at your sleep environment: Is it really optimal for sleeping? Because the function of the bedroom is for sleep in romance only. Don't bring your work in there. Don'thave your baskets of unfolded laundry in your line of sight. All these things are distracting. But if we're focused on sleep health and leading a sleep-healthy lifestyle, just a few tweaks can really change things.
Now I ran into a couple recently, they've had the same mattress for 36 years. But again, it's sort of that “L O L-who-has-time-for-sleep.” But then I started drilling down. I asked them about everything, cuz everything impacts sleep. And then I get to the 36 years, and I was like, wait, no—this is your sleep surface. You're on it for 56 hours a week. Again, I think that's reflecting our disregard for sleep in general. And again, we do pay attention to diet and exercise, but we don't pay attention to sleep. And sleep is not one of the three pillars of health and wellness. It's the foundation because diet and exercise are completely dependent upon sleep.
There are three habits. My nickname growing up was sleeping beauty. So I've always been an advocate for sleep. I know that my body needs eight hours of sleep to function. And that was a big realization when I had twins and was getting low sleep. But there are three habits that I've established in my routine to help provide optimal sleep that I've found extremely beneficial.
One is, no TV in my bedroom. We actually only have two TVs in our entire house: one in the living room and one on the outside. So we don't have a TV in our bedroom. I have a reminder on my phone to turn off my phone on social media an hour before I go to bed. So it kind of pops up a reminder of time to go to bed.
My second habit is I read before I go to bed. I'm reading Jenna Kutcher's book, “How are you, really?” It's very lighthearted. Very inspiring. So I go to bed, not thinking about work. I go to bed thinking about the happy things I'm reading in a book.
And the third habit that I've established that has helped my quality of sleep, or I would say the productiveness throughout my day is when my alarm goes off, I'm up. I don't snooze my alarm because what I found is when we snooze our alarm, we're not giving our body enough time to go into that REM sleep, the rapid eye movement sleep, which is the deepest quality of sleep. So we end up waking up and feeling sluggish throughout the day. That sluggishness can and can last about two to four hours throughout our day.
So those are three habits that I've implemented in my life, where I've seen a significant improvement in my energy, motivation, and quality of sleep.
Those are wonderful and are often recommended. We've been talking to people about having a bedtime alert as well, and you mentioned that with your phone. But it even helps with the kids. Just having that alarm go off is sort of a good cop, bad cop, telling kids they have to go to bed.
It's a tall order for these little ones. You know, I want to empower them in the process; let them make choices wherever possible. If they can possibly pick out the pajamas that are age-appropriate, choose one book, you know, things like that, to get them sort of involved in the process. But that bedtime alarm, it's not you saying now it's time. That alarm goes off in the background. There's the alarm let's go works for both. We have bedtime procrastination. It is a huge problem for people. I mean, between social media and some good TV shows—things like that. I love what you say though. Let's just drop those electronics. That media curfew is essential. I like to remind people not to get ready for bed in bright lights and even the same holds true for the kids.
That goes a long way. I've always talked to people of all ages, about three good things, which is again, along the lines of what you said, list or write or recite or share three good things that happen to you during your waking hours with each other, just to yourself, with your partner, with your child, anything like that, but it kind of sets the tone. And I do tell people that I know work pressures. A lot of people bring work home with them. It's that funny thing that happens when you put your head on the pillow, all of a sudden, your mind starts racing and you're thinking of things—this and that. One really neat thing that I found helpful is to write a list at the end of the work day. Just physically writing out a list for some reason. Things look a little more manageable when you just eyeball it on paper. When you've gone through the exercise of writing it out, it just doesn't look as overwhelming. So then when you lie your head down, it's a little easier.
We also tell people this sounds counterintuitive, but we say don't try to fall asleep because if you try to sleep, that can be a little nerve-wracking. Instead, make the goal to just relax. And when you relax and do everything, whether it's a bubble bath, or anything you do at night—yoga, meditation, journaling reading, that helps you relax. That sleep will follow if you're in a relaxed state.
One thing that kind of happens a little earlier, and this has been a big bone of contention, especially with working moms with the little ones, we feel like if we don't get that to the gym at 6:00 AM, we're just not getting that exercise that we need during the day. And exercise begets high-quality sleep, high quality sleep begets exercise the next day. It's a wonderful bidirectional relationship. So I tell people that don't get frustrated if you can't get to the gym at six, guess what? It doesn't matter. A 10-minute walk at lunchtime will help your sleep quality that night.
And I am a gym rat, but I do it in the evening and I have a lot of company. In the gym and evening and even early nighttime sleep, some studies have come out saying that does not ruin your sleep. I think that has been the consensus for a while. After the afternoon, you shouldn't exercise, but it just depends on our body clocks and our propensity. I'm a night owl, love nighttime sleep. And then I go to sleep fine and dandy. Experiment with different times, but exercise is so critical to good sleep. And when you get that sleep, you are motivated to exercise. You have the energy to exercise. You have a great outlet, and you're going to be so much farther in being healthy and having a healthy weight if you follow those recommendations.
Why There’s a Need for a Good Quality Mattress
The mattress like don't discount the sleep surface. Of course, this is a huge component of our healthy sleep lifestyle. Eight to 10 years, I would, every eight to 10 years reassess. It could be sooner, could be later, depending on body type and the type of mattress you get. But it's very important. The pillow. A bed for your head is also important. They kind of go together. A great mattress and a bad pillow don't work. But I think it's one of those things before it's bedtime and lights out. Spend some time in your bedroom. Do a little bedroom optimization and look at those things. And if you have a vague feeling of, “Oh, I'm not quite sleeping like I used to.” You know, people will just chalk it up to age but don't do that. You should be sleeping well. Look at the mattress. I mean, sometimes it's the last thing people look at, and then they'll go, “Oh, wow. I hadn't even thought of that.” And it's not an indefinite lifespan and you'd be surprised at the new technology and new materials. And I don't know why people think it's just no fun to go mattress shopping. I love it.
Some Tips When Feeling Sluggish at Work
Move. You've gotta move, get up and move. Walk around. Get some light. But I will say, stay hydrated for sure. Peppermint chewing gum, things like that. Anything that will just get you to move around: get some sunlight, get, get out, walk around. But be very careful because I do wanna say on a very serious note that drowsy driving is as dangerous as drunk driving.
People think, “I can roll down the windows, chew eyes, things like that, and I'll be okay.” No, you won't be okay because we have something called micro sleeps where your brain shuts off. We are not in control of that on any level. And when we get past a certain point, I know people have told me they've been on a highway, and then all of a sudden they don't even recognize where they are and they probably had micro. Incredibly dangerous. Again, I'm strongly opinionated about being very unapologetic for your need for sleep, or for being too tired. And if you're too tired to drive or do something, ask for a ride, Look at it as drinking too much.
But, talk to a colleague. We have buddy systems in some workplaces. I can note if one of my colleagues is doing the head nodding, is doing constant yawning, or is eye blinking. There are some very overt signs of being very sleep-deprived, as well as some more subtle ones. But you know, keep an eye out for each other. If you know someone who has to drive a delivery truck and they look incredibly tired, just speak. We have to look out for each other, and we have to make sure some places where the employees have nap rooms. I think those are a great idea. And I think people that have adopted those don't find any problem with people abusing them. Nap rooms are fabulous. Again, it's just that we have to talk about sleep openly, realistically, and as a biological need and work around any problems we have.
You should always address sleep with your healthcare provider at every visit. Don't ignore sleep problems. If there's a sign of a sleep disorder, anywhere in there, you may not think there is one. That's why I always say, just bring it up. Sleep is a vital sign. It truly is. It's so fundamental to our overall functioning, our general well-being, and our quality of life. It's that important where it should be brought up. And we really have to look at ourselves in the workplace and make sufficiently a personal, a family, a classroom, and a workplace value.
Three pearls of wisdom advice that you wanna leave our audience with?
I think it's really important to reframe sleep. Everyone in the family should have a positive outlook. I would always portray sleep in a positive light. Even children understand how sports teams now have sleep experts on staff because they wanna win, and sleep leads to winning. Kids understand batteries recharging, but we also want to be respectful of a person's needs for sleep. As everyone supports each other, new mothers, help [them] with the cleaning, help bring food to a new mother. It's important they get plenty of sleep. Sleep deprivation, and new motherhood, postpartum depression, it's linked. Teenagers have problems with drug abuse, and risk-taking behaviors, a lot of it is due to lack of sleep. So we really have to have a lot of open dialogue with family members, educators, and policymakers, in our high schools.
Some of our high schools are starting at seven 30 in the morning. That's what time I went to high school. And it was brutal because teenagers have a biological propensity to go to bed late and sleep late. But instead, we're blaming teenagers for being lazy instead of looking at it as we should. So I just think, the most important thing we can do is reframe it.
Don't engage in bedtime battles with your kids. If there are problems going to sleep, there are so many great solutions that can help offset those. Just have an overall rethinking of it and prioritization. And again, make sure that every age person in your family, your coworkers, and everyone at work understand the importance of it.
And don't dismiss it because it's often sort of laughed off as who needs it. And I tell you every day, people tell me they don't need much sleep and that they have learned how to get by. And you know what? It's not something you learn, and they're not getting by cuz in two more sentences, they'll tell me how many health problems they have that are all linked to lack of sleep.
You can't cheat it at all. You've gotta rethink it and make it a priority. Whoever coined that term, “I'll sleep when I'm dead,” or “I'll sleep when I'm six feet under,” I just do not agree with that whatsoever. It is so important that we have one body and to make sure that we take care of it to its fullest so that we can show up as the best version of ourselves.
