I've always been able to work long hours on my business, but I also got a
minimum of seven hours of sleep a night. That is, until I had a baby.
Nothing could have prepared me for the loss of sleep that would result from
the demands of a newborn. I experienced drastic mood swings, memory loss and
even hallucinations--clearly not a good frame of mind in which to work. Finally,
my doctor told me to either take a few more months off (on top of the three I
had already taken) or risk having a nervous breakdown. I took the extra time.
Richelle Shaw, 40, experienced sleep disturbances after opening her company,
FreshStart
Telephone. As the president and CEO, she dealt with the post-9/11 stress and
business pinch. Next, she had health problems that kept her in and out of the
hospital for more than a year. Then she found out she was pregnant.
Shaw says sleeplessness caused her to fall behind on projects. She was unable
to make high-level deals, such as joint ventures and partnerships, to grow her
company. Because she was the sole salesperson in the company, sales also lagged.
Says Shaw, "My staff was used to getting e-mails from me (from) 2 a.m. to 6
a.m. I actually changed our office hours to start at 10 a.m. My doctor begged me
to get some rest. I slowed tremendously."
After her baby was born prematurely, Shaw learned to calm down and delegate.
She sought additional help by hiring a nanny and two assistants. Today she
sleeps through the night. Her company has sales of more than $1 million and
continues to grow.
"My work is 10 times more productive now that I get more rest," Shaw admits.
"I learned to rely more on my staff and realized that good is good enough."
Dr. James Herdegen, director of the Center for Sleep and Ventilatory
Disorders at the University of Illinois, Chicago, says signs of sleeplessness
include poor concentration, increased errors and forgetfulness. "Some early
manifestations of insufficient sleep include mood or emotional shifts,
intolerance to rather minor irritations and periods of poor social interaction,"
Herdegen says. "This can place a strain on both workplace and home
relationships."
Herdegen adds that physical disorders can contribute to sleeplessness,
including restless leg syndrome, chronic insomnia and sleep apnea. Ultimately,
seeing a doctor to address ongoing sleep issues can have a positive impact on
business.
For Vicki Mote Bodwell, owner of
Warm Biscuit Bedding Co.,
thinking about her business, her family and even the state of the world was
keeping her up at night. The lack of sleep took its toll.
"I would have less patience solving problems for our business growth," says
Bodwell, admitting that her stress started to have an impact on team performance
and morale.
Bodwell knew she had to learn to relax when an employee quit unexpectedly.
She sought natural remedies, including herbal sleep aids, cutting out drinking
and getting massages to relax. When Bodwell finally went to her doctor, she was
diagnosed with a severely underactive thyroid. With a treatment regimen aimed at
de-stressing, she was able to get more sleep at night and increase her energy.
Bodwell has experienced positive results. "I am more focused, energized and
creative on problem solving," she says. "I feel as if I can tackle problems
proactively instead of being an ostrich with my head in the sand, unwilling to
address them."