heartharmony.com.au

We all get the odd time in our life when we stare at the digital clock on our bedside table at 4am and wonder whether we are the only person awake on the planet. Years ago it was because I was pacing the floor with crying babies, trying to help them learn the difference between night and day. Every now and again I would pop the latest baby in the car and take them for a 4am drive, waving to all the other bleary eyed parents doing the same thing as we did laps around the local area. I learned then that there was a surprising number of other people with the 4am blues.

Then there was the hyper manic years when I was buried under killer deadlines doing government reform. We would work until 11pm, duck home for a few hours sleep and get up at 4am to do it all over again. As I would walk to my car at night, I would wave at the other hyper manic workers in brilliantly lit inner-city buildings. It was almost as if there was a private club in the CBD that only those powered by adrenalin could join.  Those years were unsustainable … if ever so seductive.

Running my own business, there were the 4am cold-sweat blues in the early years, worrying about everything including the leap of faith into the unknown.  There was also the odd “all-nighter” thrown in to meet deadlines.  Now though,  I generally sleep the sleep of the peaceful and content, with the odd 4am thrown in to remind me of what once was.

So how does sleep deprivation impact on business? If you look around your business, you will find a good handful of your team have the 4am blues. That’s where mistakes are made, industrial accidents occur and less than positive decisions get made.  We expect parents of new babies to be “business as usual” within a few weeks. We drive our team to impossible deadlines. We don’t consider the impact of life changes on work performance.  We feel lack of sleep and tiredness is a badge of courage to be worn and worked through.

What if there was another way?  What if you chose to take a different approach? There is a lot to be said for siestas, snooze pods, for nanna naps in the late afternoon. For sending that tired person home early (on full pay) to catch a few hours of precious sleep. After all, you are responsible for creating a safe place of work  and reducing all known work hazards. Don’t tired people fall into this category?

For me, this morning after I pick dad up from the hospital (yes, his heart surgery went well this time), I will take my day more gently. I will step away from the keyboard, put down the pen and do less dangerous things.

How do you deal with the 4am blues?

Ingrid Cliff

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Heart Harmony – Freelance writer