The Business of Sleep (mis)Management

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The Business of Sleep (mis)Management

Sleep (mis)management is both an individual and organizational issue that requires urgent attention. Unfortunately, in an increasingly hyper-connected world, one in which many companies now expect their employees to be on call and to answer emails 24/7, we stigmatize sleep, considering it to be low priority in our hectic schedules. Yet, sleep deprivation is both bad for individual wellbeing and organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Put simply, if we operated machinery the way we are now operating the human body, we would be accused of reckless endangerment. It's time to rethink the business of sleep!

What you will learn

The prefrontal cortex, which is about 30 per cent of the total mass of the brain, is critical for the performance of a range of tasks and behaviors known as “executive function”; a set of skills that become more frequently required in more senior positions within organizations. This set of skills include focused attention, language, high-level communication skills and memory, as well as divergent thinking, planning, problem solving, reasoning, self-control, and decision-making. However, the prefrontal cortex is the most impacted by sleep loss and therefore needs to be protected if we wish to control executive function.

Key topics include:

  • Sleep loss and the damaging effects on our health, work, and productivity.
  • How our chronotype affects the way we work
  • Circadian rhythms and chrono misalignment
  • What we can do to protect sleep at an individual and organizational level

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