Memories, metabolism, and muscles: The science shows leaders need a good sleep
Sleep deprivation impacts everything. It’s the single biggest negative driver of mental health — which is why it is vital that leaders get good sleep.
Sleep deprivation impacts everything. It’s the single biggest negative driver of mental health. If you don’t sleep seven hours a night, it severely impacts your psychopathology — it literally makes you crazy.
Which is why it is vital that leaders get good sleep.
Leaders who prioritise their own self-care create a ripple effect and have subordinates who are more likely to engage in healthy behaviours through a process of emotional contagion.
Sleep-deprived leaders unknowingly change the emotional climate of meetings and engagements through chemo-signaling.
But don’t just take my word for it; let’s look at the science.
When individuals are sleep-deprived they produce more of the stress hormone cortisol the next day.
The mechanism by which humans detect the ‘stress status’ of others close to them (particularly those with high status) is through an ancient self-protective mechanism of chemo-signaling.
This hormone acts as a potent subconscious signal to the ‘clan’ that all is not well and members should be on high alert for danger.
In modern times, subordinates get a ‘feeling’ that now is not the time to speak up, challenge the boss, or bring up contentious issues. This deeply affects the psychological safety of a team.
Recent research shows that extended mental fatigue is highly correlated with aggressive behaviour and reduced propensity to cooperate due to alteration in the brain’s frontal cortex, an area vital for decision making.
This can also impact reactive decision making, which can make leaders less considered and less able to engage in charismatic leadership behaviours (Ordali et al., 2024).
When leaders don’t get enough deep slow wave sleep, it affects the part of the sleep cycle that activates the lymphatic cleaning process.
This process clears away the metabolic by-products of brain activity, namely adenosine.
Adenosine, if not cleared away, is associated with a feeling of impending doom.
We know this as adenosine is used as a heart medication for tachycardia, and it is well known to produce heightened anxiety in patients.
If not cleared away, leaders can feel anxious, doomful and pessimistic, which can have significant impacts on how they are perceived and lead others.
Sleep is incredibly important for memory consolidation, too, particularly REM sleep.
Memory is crucial for consolidating lessons and adapting to changes in a dynamic landscape (Girardeau et al., 2021).
Sleep is important for the production of testosterone, as a lack of sleep reduces the amount of testosterone produced (Mantua et al., 2020).
This hormone is important for leadership, even in women, as it is associated with lower fear responses, decisiveness, dominant leadership behaviours, and the number of followers (van der Meji et al., 2016).
Sleep is important in regulating metabolic hormones responsible for glucose, and insulin responsivity.
Individuals who sleep less are less able to moderate appetite and hunger signals the next day, and are more likely to crave fatty, salty, sugary foods (Schmid and Hallschmid, 2008).
Exercise is another key component of professional wellness.
If a leader goes to the gym, then doesn’t reach slow wave sleep that night, they will not fully benefit from any muscle gains from the workout, as the deep slow wave part of the sleep is associated with muscle repair and regeneration.
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