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 per night,” says Dominic Gagnon, president and co-founder of Connect & Go, an integrated technology and radio identification solutions company for the attractions sector. “I’m a morning person and so I get up early, at 5 a.m. maximum. But I realized that I also needed to go to bed early to get six to seven hours of sleep a night. It’s a mental health issue! »
The father changed his lifestyle habits in order to prioritize his sleep. And even if he admits that it is “an everyday battle”, he believes in it and he is 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! »
A taboo topic
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.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FLORENCE GUILIANI
Florence Guiliani, professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Sherbrooke and director of Behind the Facade
There is a feeling that you have to sacrifice yourself and that the less you sleep, the better you are perceived. But we see that this tends to change, particularly among the new generation, that of millennials, for example.
Florence Guiliani, professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Sherbrooke
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 Mme Guiliani.
Lack of sleep
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.
Around 30% of the population lacks sleep, indicates 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.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY NADIA GOSSELIN
Nadia Gosselin, professor of psychology at the University of Montreal and scientific director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Sleep Medicine
People who actually don’t need much sleep, four or five hours a night, are very rare, about 5% of the population.
Nadia Gosselin, scientific director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Sleep Medicine
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. »
Become a lifter-early
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 quite easy,” he says. But there is a limit. »
PHOTO ANDRÉ PICHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Charles Morin, professor in the psychology department of Laval University and holder of the Canada Research Chair in Behavioral Sleep Medicine
Getting up before 5 a.m. is dangerous and getting up at 4 a.m., when the biological clock is at its lowest level, has no long-term benefits.
Charles Morin, holder of the Canada Research Chair in Behavioral Sleep Medicine
Caroline Lao, a 26-year-old psychology student, has established 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. »