Click Here To Book an Appointment
Click Here To Call 727-203-4613
  • Contact Us
    • Providing Health and Well Being Through Proper Sleep Will Change Your Life
    Book an Appointment
    Decision Making and Sleep

    Not getting enough sleep can affect our health in many ways. It can also affect other areas of our lives. Making good decisions is part of leading a successful and happy life. When you get too little sleep, you may begin to make poor decisions and you do not even realize that you are doing it.

    The more sleep-deprived you are, the riskier your decisions can be. You need to get enough sleep to function at your best and make the best decisions. Decision-making affects all areas of your life, both profesisonally and personally. It is important to be able to weigh the pros and cons of every decision effectively and this may be impaired when you are not getting enough rest.

    How Sleep-Deprivation affects Your Decision-Making

    A 2017 study found that sleep deprivation can lead to:

    • Making riskier decisions

      The study consisted of comparing two groups of 18 to 28 year olds. One group got less than five hours of sleep per night for a week and the other group slept eight hours per night. Twice each day they were all given a decision-making task. At the beginning of the week, the lack of sleep did not yet affect that group, but by the end of the week, it did. An increasing amount of the sleep-deprived participants were making riskier moves as the week went on. By the end of the week, almost all of them went for the riskier decision.

    • Not realizing your decisions are risky

      Another interesting piece of this study is that the people who were sleep deprived did not realize that they were making riskier decisions. They were unable to tell the difference. This revelation leads to the conclusion that when we are sleep-deprived, we do not realize that our decisions may be risky.

    The ADHD Connection

    There may be a connection between sleep deprivation and ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder:

    • The two are linked

      Especially in younger people, ADHD and lack of sleep are already linked.

    • ADHD could be reclassified

      ADHD could actually be a sleep-related disorder. 75 percent of people with ADHD also exhibit sleep problems. This connection needs to be considered and addressed when treating these conditions.

    If you have problems focusing and getting enough sleep, it is important to understand the problem and get the right course of treatment. Set up a Sleep Consultation today.

    Schedule a Consultation