Take a C-Suite Attitude To Sleep

Why climb a ladder if you can just take the lift? Does relentless, hard work beat smarts? Maybe. Maybe not. Actually, you probably want both.

Top level executive management is where the real work begins. Be careful what you wish for. Time – and your most efficient use of it – will be your most prized commodity. Most importantly, is how you manage your downtime and your all-important sleep.

High flyers who rise to the top generally do so through smart work and talent. You’re really good at what you do, but you also have an ability to think practically as well as laterally. Job descriptions and pay grades are likely not your points of reference. Instead, you have a head that already thinks like a chief-something-or-other.

A C-suiter’s head knows how to plan, execute and prioritise. You need a brain that simulates a C-suite of functionality each day. And if you are to maintain your peak performance, you pretty much know you’ll need fully rested cycles of deep, quality sleep – every night.

The information you absorb and “compute”, the decisions you take and the capacity to keep your cool under pressure, is all determined by the way your brain processes and regenerates during the deepest stages of sleep. 

The brain is a mysterious mass of fatty tissue. It works in a compartmentalised, yet co-ordinated, way. In between the cerebrum, the cerebellum, the brain stem and other dissections are a multitude of executive, operational and creative functions. By day, it’s like a C-suite network where the CEO inside you connects with the COO, checks in with the CFO, reviews CIO data and conjures like a CMO. Far from the corporate comforts of a suite, it’s an always-on thought factory.

There are gazilliions of interactions inside your head every day. It’s draining. Which is why you may want to give priority to that pineal gland which releases melatonin in readiness for sleep. Getting exposure to natural sunlight by day – taking that lunchtime run, hopping onto your MTB, or simply walking the dog, is when melatonin is produced. If you want an excuse to play more golf, go for the melatonin factor.

When night falls, melatonin is released, inducing sleep. The last thing you want to be doing is watching TV or checking your phone into the small hours. That’s just artificial light, tricking your pineal gland into thinking it’s still daytime. You won’t get quality rest. And you’ll likely perform slightly under par the next morning.

Calming your thoughts, toning down the lights and readying yourself for bed is how you can really boss your sleep. You’re more likely to enjoy full sleep cycles with deep, restorative rest – your sleep sweet spot – that consolidates all the business knowledge and acumen you’ve taken in during the day.

Being visibly active, always with your head in the game, week in and weekend out, may just be your drive and work passion. Often, it can take on a misplaced, internal competitiveness in the workplace. Activity is confused with achievement. Quantity of work hours trumps quality. 

Of course, there will always be those prolonged crunch times. Next-level projects tend to have high expectations. But the most productive way to advance your career, rather than just keep your job, is to manage your progress through proper, routine sleep. If there are critical times where you need to work those extra hours, be just as disciplined with the shortened hours of sleep you get each night.

If you’re a real go-getter, you’ll eat healthily, put some fun into exercise, make quality time for family and friends. And sleep! Get every hour of rejuvenating sleep your body needs.

Okay, let’s get down to the business of sleep. The more successful your career, in whatever field, the more you’ll likely earn. Hopefully you make it into stratospheric bonus territory. You’ll buy more, acquire more, invest more – like that super luxurious set of wheels, trendy fine art and perhaps a little pied-de-terre getaway.

There is, however, one very rare, unspoken, conversation at dinner parties. “What mattress are you sleeping on?” Who cares! Well, you do, obviously. And so might that internationally renowned CEO sitting opposite you.

Take five minutes to browse www.dialabed.co.za. Find your nearest store. Call ahead. Tell the manager you don’t have much time on your hands. Make an appointment. Arrive on time. And find the comfort and support in the C-suite mattress of your dreams. And never look back.

See you at Dial•a•Bed. And the front cover of Forbes.

TAKE CARE: Lifestyle recommendation is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional should you be experiencing prolonged sleep difficulties or related health issues.