The Business of Sleep

Book excerpt: While a number of world leaders may have claimed to be able to make do with five hours of sleep per night, for many people that little amount of sleep can – even in the short term – have serious and damaging side-effects. Major disasters have occurred as a result of poor sleep, from the destruction of the Challenger space shuttle to nuclear meltdowns such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, but more prevalent effects can include health disorders, the rise of depression and poor memory retention. For businesses and their employees, the impact can be incredibly detrimental – from the negative impact on decision-making and communication skills, to the stifling of creativity and innovation. The Business of Sleep delivers a serious business message: a lack of sleep will have an effect on your work and career. But the good news is that there are positive steps that can be taken. Drawing on both seminal and cutting-edge research, alongside interviews with notable CEOs and business influencers, sleep specialist Vicki Culpin offers an accessible guide to how sleep works, the consequences of poor sleep and the practical ways of mitigating against, and reducing the impact of, compromised sleep in organisational environments.