Importance of sleep

It is a consensual fact that being well-rested during work hours is of vital importance, in order to be able to maintain concentration, focus and quick reaction times. Therefore, it is fundamental to remember: enough rest helps to prevent work accidents. It is also very important in decision-making, affecting judgement and on-the-spot decisions.

In the medical field, for example, studies have shown that the lack of rest largely increases the probability of medical error. This is a particularly important conclusion, since it is fairly common for medical professionals to pull multiple and continuous shifts (especially in the emergency room), whether to compensate shortage of staff, increase learning experiences, or to complement income. A tired doctor does not necessarily mean an unsteady one, but it surely means that he is most likely less focused than he could be under better conditions… and that, in medicine, can just be the difference between a life saved and a life lost.

The amount of sleep needed to properly rested varies from person to person, it is quite a subjective matter. But in average numbers, there is an absolute minimum of at least three hours (not to be made into an habit), and a relative maximum of eight to ten hours. Even though some people need more than ten hours of sleep to feel rested, for the majority of people it is not a recommended amount of time, as it can produce effects on the nervous system.

Properly timed sleep also has an effect on learning and performance, through the cognitive processing that goes on during dreams, as reported on You Psychology, a website on psychology and CBT.