The future does not belong to those who get up early, but rather to those who get enough sleep. To remain vigilant and attentive, managers, entrepreneurs and business leaders must prioritize sleep… even if it is still frowned upon and taboo.
“I have long valued getting little sleep, around four hours a night,” says Dominic Gagnon, president and co-founder of Connect.
The father changed his lifestyle habits in order to prioritize his sleep. And even though he admits that it’s “an everyday struggle,” he believes in it and he’s committed to it.
“Working hard is stupid,” he says, laughing. The culture of hyperperformance and that of professional burnout are still very present and valued. We need to work better, not necessarily more! »
Lazy. Nonchalant. Weak. There are many derogatory terms for people who stay up late, especially in positions of power. As if sleeping was a waste of time…
In the opinion of Florence Guiliani, professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Sherbrooke and director of Behind the Facade, an initiative which aims to talk about the mental health of entrepreneurs, this ideology is losing steam.
“There is a very particular relationship between entrepreneurs and sleep, particularly in start-ups,” she says.
More concerned about their energy resources and more receptive to the balance between their professional and private lives, young workers listen to themselves more, underlines Ms. Guiliani.
A study she conducted among 300 SME managers shows that they sleep on average 6 hours 42 minutes per night during the week – which is far from the 7 to 9 hours recommended for adults.
About 30% of the population lacks sleep, says Nadia Gosselin, professor of psychology at the University of Montreal and scientific director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Sleep Medicine. And if “die-hard” insomniacs represent 10% of the population, 25 to 30% of people suffer from insomnia occasionally.
“This figure rises to 55% among entrepreneurs,” recalls the researcher.
Others ? They accumulate “debt.” Sooner or later, they will pay for this cruel lack of sleep.
“There are risks for cognitive health,” says Nadia Gosselin, “such as a lack of attention, vigilance, difficulty planning, concentrating. The person may become more irritable, more impatient. In the medium term, there is a risk for mental health with an increased risk of depressive disorders and professional burnout. And in the long term, it is physical health that is affected with a greater risk of dementia, diabetes and obesity. »
Charles Morin, professor in the psychology department at Laval University and holder of the Canada Research Chair in Behavioral Sleep Medicine, points out that there are two types of people: those who function better in the morning and those who function better in the evening.
It is not easy to move from one type to another.
“For some people, getting up at 5 a.m. is pretty easy,” he says. But there is a limit. »
Caroline Lao, a 26-year-old psychology student, has built a routine to get up early every morning.
“My evenings are reserved for relaxing or having fun,” she confides, “while my mornings are very productive. I structure my schedule in blocks of hours and this helps my motivation because I have a feeling of self-accomplishment. »
This cannot be done without discipline…
“Our biological clock can adapt,” concludes psychology professor Nadia Gosselin. You need to adjust your evening social activities, meal times and exposure to light. »
