They all prioritize sleep as a key part of their performance and success.

They all prioritize their sleep.

While Federer himself has said that he needs 11 to 12 hours of sleep to perform at his best, Tom Brady and LeBron James are also reported to sleep between 9 and 12 hours and maintain consistent sleep schedules. But it’s not only top athletes who understand the importance of healthy sleep habits—Amazon founder Jeff Bezos also says he makes a conscious effort to get eight hours of sleep per night, as it is key to boosting productivity and making high-quality decisions.

But how much sleep do we actually need? Why is healthy sleep important? And do companies also need to address the topic of sleep?

Hardly any topic has gained as much attention in recent years as our sleep behavior. Despite its importance, however, it is still far too often overlooked—both in elite sports and in business—even though it has a major impact on our performance, our well-being, our health, and ultimately our lifespan.
Yet many mistakes are made when looking at the top causes of poor sleep: we don’t prioritize sleep, we maintain inconsistent sleep schedules, spend too much time on screens late at night, consume caffeine too late, eat too late, work out too late, and have a suboptimal sleep environment.

As part of our sports management as well as leadership and self-management seminars, I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Albrecht Vorster, one of the leading sleep researchers. He demonstrated impressively why sleep should be one of the most important topics in companies.
Those responsible need to be aware that they set the framework for their employees’ sleep. And perhaps it’s not just about work-life balance, but rather about work-life-sleep balance—because an employee who sleeps less than six hours loses around six working days per year due to absenteeism. Sleep plays a crucial role in the regeneration of mental, cognitive, and physical fitness.

But how much sleep do I actually need? There is no fixed number of hours that applies to everyone. However, your optimal amount of sleep can be determined quite easily: the best way to do this is during a vacation, when you don’t have to wake up at a specific time for at least three consecutive days.
Go to bed when you feel tired and avoid alcohol in the evening. Sleep until you wake up naturally without an alarm and feel well rested. Track the number of hours you sleep on each of the three days and calculate the average. This average minus one hour shows how much sleep your body needs for you to start the day feeling energized.

This post was published by Christian Lang on LinkedIn on February 16, 2024. Zum Original-Beitrag