Sleep's Impact on Motivation
Photo by Tony Tran on Unsplash
Understanding
What if the key to unlocking your motivation is as simple as getting enough sleep? When we rest well, our brains feel recharged, which can pave the way to fresh ideas and a renewed drive. But what happens if we do not get that refreshing night of sleep? We wake up feeling sluggish, unmotivated, and not wanting to achieve the goals planned for the day. Most of us can relate that at some point in our lives, we woke up not feeling well rested. We want to seek an understanding of how this affects your motivation. Sleep is a biological need that regulates homeostasis in our bodies which can heavily influence how we feel the next day. Getting an inadequate night of sleep can lead to low motivation in physical, social activities, withdrawal from social interactions, decline in health, and increased loneliness (Axelsson et al., 2019). Not only does it negatively affect our motivation and physical health but also sleep can lead to comorbid mental disorders like depression or anxiety. This leads to depression or anxiety worsening over time with a constant lack of sleep.
Motivation can be various goals in someone’s life such as being a part of a group, having an impact on others, or avoiding failure because they are fearful of the outcomes, but in this, we thought of motivation as achievement motivation. Achievement motivation is a drive to achieve and accomplish a challenging goal. This could also be known as overcoming obstacles that come up in life as well. Examples of this type of motivation would be beating personal records or trying to achieve a great academic performance in school.
This can affect several populational roles like athletes, students, children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. Besides negatively influencing individuals' roles, people worldwide are negatively impacted when it comes to lack of sleep. Palmer and her colleagues gathered 5,717 participants from across 28 countries and found that insufficient sleep can alter emotions such as positive affect, anxiety, and emotional arousal (2024). This means that individual’s anxiety worsened, their emotional arousal was negatively affected which influences our behaviors and decision-making, their positive affect was altered meaning our positive emotions like joy or contentment was negatively affected. Not only does positive affect relate to an individual's positive emotions, but it also has to do with our personal growth, social relationships, and health.
Dr. Borkowski, our expert on this subject, stated that the most sleep deprived population are new parents and teens. New parents lose so much sleep because the newborn does not have an understanding yet of their sleep patterns and their sleep pattern is working on adjusted itself with time. She continues with teens have this biological process that causes their body to not release melatonin when it gets dark out. This is called delayed melatonin onset and was founded around the 1980s. Now that phones are used so much by teens, their sleep ends up getting worse. They will stare at their phones at night causing their circadian rhythm to stay on and keep them awake. She also states that multiple studies have found that having your phone or computer on before bed ends up making people lose sleep. Tying that back with the delayed motivation onset in teens, teenagers ended up losing much more sleep than they previously were before phones (2024).
Preventing
Motivation is the driving force behind creativity, efficiency and well-being. Circadian rhythm changes, which is our biological clock that controls our sleep and wake cycle, can have an major effects on motivation. Understanding how to coordinate everyday takes with these rhythms is critical for staying motivated. Circadian rhythms control the timing of bodily functions, such as hormone, body temperature and sleep-wake cycles. Changes to this cycle, such as irregular sleep habits, screen usage at night or shift at work, can cause exhaustion, mood swings, and decreased cognitive function, all which lower motivation Khalsa et al., (2003). The circadian rhythm is the key of controlling hormones like cortisol and melatonin, which has a direct impact on energy levels and focus.
Developing a consistent sleep schedule is important for aligning with the body’s circadian rhythm. Regular sleep and waking hours reinforce the internal clock, which improves mood, energy and motivation. It is recommended to get 7-9 hours of sleep per night to help with emotional and cognitive function. Along with exposure to natural light in the morning, serves as a sign to the circadian system. Naturel light in the morning reduces melatonin and increases alertness, going on outdoor walks or even working next a window is useful for maintaining energy throughout the day (Cajochen, 2007).
It is also critical to manage light exposure in the evening as blue light from electronic devices can interfere with melatonin production and cause delayed sleep. Reducing screen time or utilizing blue-light blocking technologies in the evening can promote a healthy sleep-wake cycle and minimize motivational slumps the following day. Regular physical activity, especially in the morning, helps the circadian stability while increasing endorphin levels, which improve mood and reduce tiredness’s Youngsted etl.al (2019). Finally attentive eating behaviors, such as eating a balanced meals at regular times and avoiding large meals before bed, can improve metabolic health and keep energy levels stable (Garaulet & Gomes-Abellan, 2014). These measures improve circadian alignment, promoting long-term motivation and well-being.
Preventing the lack of motivation involves a plan that acknowledges the body’s natural rhythm. People can match their daily behaviors with their circadian rhythm by establishing a consistent sleep schedule, optimizing light exposure, having a healthy lifestyle by integrating healthy choices. These evidence-based tactics boost motivation while also improving our well-being and productivity
Overcoming
When getting ready to end the day it is important to remember to get the proper eight hours of sleep. We learned that a proper amount of sleep can improve your productivity and increase our level of motivation. Our bodies getting that vital amount of sleep that they need makes sure that we have the correct balance of hormones in our bodies and brains; especially with cognitive and emotional control. A study by Palmer et al. (2024) investigated the value of sleep and our emotional state. This meta-analysis showed how if your sleep isn’t at about eight hours a day then your emotional levels will be all over. Without that rest of the body everything goes into overdrive. Improving your sleep schedule can be easy if you start to regulate and schedule to go to bed earlier. This change doesn’t have to be all at once, nor would that be effective, you need to take it a little at a time. Trying for one week, going to bed a half an hour later and then increasing it the next week till you have your desired sleep schedule. If it is a problem with oversleeping, you should start with setting alarms and avoid caffeinated drinks to help you stay up. Getting a healthy amount of sleep can help with your levels of anxiety, motivation, weight, and concentration. Overall, your sleep patterns don’t just impact your physical health but your mental health as well.
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