In today’s fast-paced world, we glorify hustle. Late-night emails, early-morning meetings, and squeezing in just “one more task” before bed have become badges of honour. But here’s the irony: The very thing we sacrifice—sleep—is the key to performing at our best.
We tend to think of sleep as passive time, but neuroscientists know better. While you rest, your brain is hard at work—clearing toxins, consolidating memories, and strengthening neural connections. Our brain never sleep. Skimping on sleep doesn’t just leave you tired; it actively sabotages your ability to focus, make decisions, and regulate emotions. Less than ideal if you are an executive looking to perform at your best.
Why Sleep is a Non-Negotiable for Peak Performance
1. Your Brain Takes Out the Trash
Think of sleep as your brain’s cleaning crew. While you rest, your glymphatic system (the brain’s waste management system) clears out toxins, including beta-amyloid, a protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Cut your sleep short, and you’re leaving behind neural clutter that affects cognitive function. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is the data you want to measure. It is one of the best indicators of sleep quality when it comes to brain cleaning abilities.
2. Your Memory Needs the Downtime
Ever pulled an all-nighter only to forget half of what you studied? That’s because deep sleep helps consolidate memories. Without it, your brain struggles to store and retrieve information — bad news for anyone who needs to think fast and retain key details.
3. Decision Fatigue is Real
Poor sleep impairs the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for logic and impulse/emotional control. This makes you more prone to snap judgments, emotional reactions, and poor decision-making — a nightmare for leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone navigating high-stakes situations.
4. Lack of Sleep Fuels Stress and Burnout
Ever feel like everything is 10 times more stressful after a bad night’s sleep? That’s because sleep helps regulate cortisol, the stress hormone. Chronic sleep deprivation keeps you in a state of heightened stress, making it harder to stay calm, focused, and resilient under pressure.
So, What Can You Do?
If you want a sharper mind, more energy, and better productivity, your sleep habits need to be as strategic as your work habits. Here are three simple ways to optimise your rest:
- Create a Wind-Down Routine – Avoid screens at least 60 minutes before bed. Blue light tricks your brain into thinking it’s daytime, disrupting melatonin production. Avoid any food 3 hours before bed as digestion interferes with melatonin production and messes up deep sleep.
- Stick to a Schedule – Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day (yes, even on weekends) helps regulate your circadian rhythm. If you want to take it one step further, respect your ultradian rhythms. They are shorter 60-90 minutes cycles happening throughout the day. Use them to do short pauses and let the brain consolidate memories. That “light bulb” moments where ideas flow under the shower or while walking the dog? Directly linked to ultradian rhythms.
- Optimise Your Sleep Environment – A dark, cool, quiet room is your best bet. Consider blackout curtains, white noise, and keeping your bedroom free of work distractions. Your brain needs to associate bedroom with sleep and pretty much nothing else.
Take It Further: Track Your Sleep Like a Pro
Want to see how well you’re sleeping? Wearable devices like the Oura Ring, WHOOP, and smartwatches make tracking your sleep effortless. These tools measure sleep cycles, heart rate variability (HRV – your nervous system pulse), and even oxygen levels, giving you real-time insights into your sleep quality.
Why does this matter? Because what gets measured gets improved. By looking at your sleep data, you can identify patterns—like whether late-night emails wreck your deep sleep or if a magnesium supplement helps you sleep longer. It takes the guesswork out of improving your rest and helps you make small tweaks that lead to big gains in energy, focus, and overall well-being.
People who struggle with sleep deprivation often realise they’re actually getting more rest than they think. There’s a powerful psychological effect in tracking your sleep data, and every client I’ve worked with who started tracking saw improvements within days!
Final Thought: Productivity Starts the Night Before
If you’re constantly chasing ways to improve focus, creativity, and resilience, start with the simplest (and most overlooked) tool you have—sleep. It’s not wasted time. It’s an investment in better thinking, better decisions, and a better life.
About the Author
Thierry is a cognitive performance coach specialising in brain health and the gut-brain connection. After years in the finance industry, he transitioned to coaching executives and high performers, helping them optimise their mental clarity, resilience, and well-being. When he’s not coaching, you’ll find him experimenting with fasting, geeking out over neuroscience, or learning new skills to make sure his neurones are firing at full speed.
Interested in taking your cognitive performance to the next level? Feel free to contact Thierry here:
thierry@gba-performance.com
“Thank you, Thierry, for these valuable insights! 🙌✨ #GreatContent #Appreciation”
Sleep is the best part of my day! It was interesting to read and see how sleep can affect productivity this much….
No wonder we always feel unproductive and tired nowadays! Having good-quality sleep was the solution all along.