Proper sleep and human performance. Positive effect of sleep on performance. The influence of sleep on the human body and performance

Work is an integral part of human life. Its optimal implementation depends on many factors, one of which is the quality of sleep. This concept and performance are inextricably linked, just as life itself is impossible without a good night’s rest.

What is performance

Efficiency refers to a person’s social and everyday capabilities aimed at performing this or that work in order to achieve a specific set result, its qualitative presentation with the optimal amount of energy expended.

The concept of performance includes such characteristics of a person as his weight and height, body structure and genetic abilities, as well as professional skills and experience. A person’s performance directly depends on both his physiological and emotional capabilities, which in turn are influenced by the processes occurring during sleep. Don’t forget about a full meal, if you don’t have the opportunity to dine at home, then heated lunch box will help you solve the problem of hot food at any time and anywhere.

Why is it important to get good sleep for high performance?

The variety of professional activities differentiates people and their responsibilities according to the degree of difficulty. It is impossible to say for sure who has it more difficult: some are the most physically busy, others use the maximum mental and psycho-emotional resources, and others have to combine both the first and three times.

Adequate sleep is an opportunity to replenish the expenditure of psycho-emotional and physical energy, however, this is not the only argument in favor of maintaining a high quality of night's rest. With proper organization of sleep hygiene and adherence to a time schedule, including the regulation of biorhythms and biological clocks of each individual person, his performance increases significantly compared to those workers who often stay late or work overtime. Those who combine evening “get-togethers” at work with the desire to watch the sunrise in some club have it even harder.

The importance of good sleep for improving performance is determined by the accelerated processes of regeneration and strengthening of mental activity together with the intellectual abilities inherent in a person. It is in those hours when we plunge into the deep phase of sleep that the brain begins to work on assimilating the information received, which, in fact, determines the volume of experience gained, which is important for performing this or that work. Simply put, if a person does not get enough sleep, over time, the degree of his ability to absorb new information will become less and less, which will lead to the inability to accept and use the acquired knowledge.

Consequences of impaired sleep quality for human performance

There are a number of main consequences that affect a person’s performance that arise when the quality of sleep is disturbed:

Progressive development of physical fatigue and fatigue during the day;
difficult awakening, high probability of oversleeping the required time of getting up;
difficult dreams that affect the psycho-emotional state;
loss of concentration and attentiveness;
a general decrease in reaction, the ability of the body, in general, and the brain, in particular, to respond to impulses coming from the external environment;
decreased immunity, frequent morbidity;
deterioration of intellectual abilities, memory;
inability to solve problems that previously did not cause any difficulty;
decreased vision, sensitivity and smell;
loss of the ability to think actively, which is especially critical for people working intellectually, who need to conduct open negotiations, etc.;
increased danger when working in traumatic industries, when driving a car or working with electrical, potentially dangerous tools;
a high percentage of development of concomitant sleep disorders, including insomnia, which can ultimately lead not only to local temporary changes in a person’s condition, but also to the formation of pathological abnormalities leading to the strengthening of a particular disease in the body.

All of the above leads to a decrease in efficiency, a person’s inability to fulfill the duties assigned to him, as a result of which he loses the opportunity to organize his work process. On a global scale, this leads to a slowdown in production, failed business deals, misunderstandings between potential partners, accidents in the workplace, and an overall decrease in earnings for both the employee and the company where he works.

Conclusion

It is worth noting that the most important elements that must be observed when shaping the quality of sleep are creating an optimally dark space in the bedroom and regulating the time exactly when you go to bed - the time should be the same every day, both when you get up and when you fall asleep.

Our whole life passes in two states - wakefulness and sleep. It is proper sleep that largely ensures a person’s normal well-being during the waking period. No wonder the ancient Greek sages said: sleep is the servant of life. Modern science has helped to establish the nature of such beneficial effects of sleep. It turned out that in the process, energy reserves expended during work are restored, nervous tissue is freed from decay products accumulated in it,

Lack of sleep is harmful to your health. In studies with people who voluntarily agreed to deprive themselves of sleep for a while, it was recorded that already after 5-6 days mental disorders occur in the form of hallucinations, and irritability increases sharply. Poor use of glucose by neurons, decreased iron content in the body, and metabolic disorders were noted. Even partial sleep deprivation reduces brain activity; negatively affects attention, memory, quality of thinking, worsens well-being and mental performance.

It has been established that during night sleep, an active state of the brain occurs from time to time, as during intense work. At the same time, rapid rotations of the eyeballs and body movements are observed; during such periods, a person experiences dreams. This phase of sleep has received several names: paradoxical sleep, REM sleep and rema sleep.

The other phase of sleep was called slow-wave sleep, or orthodox sleep. During slow-wave sleep, the frequency of breathing and heart contractions decreases, body temperature decreases, the release of a number of hormones decreases, and the activity of the gastrointestinal tract decreases. There are no dreams in the slow-wave sleep phase.

Physiologists' study of the characteristics of paradoxical sleep has shown that in this phase the body undergoes profound changes. The rhythms of breathing and heart function become more frequent, blood pressure and blood pressure increase, and cerebral circulation and hormonal activity increase. At the same time, deep relaxation of the muscles of the neck and face and a decrease in the tone of most muscles are recorded.

It also turned out that during the period of paradoxical sleep there is an active neutralization of toxic substances in the body, intensive cell growth, and an increase in the level of biosynthesis in neurons. There is an opinion that it is in this phase of sleep that the brain is freed from the excess information accumulated during the day.

Depriving a person of this phase of sleep sharply reduces his mental performance, leads to significant mental changes, deterioration of well-being, and the occurrence of hallucinations. In some cases, excessive excitability is observed. Therefore, an important function of paradoxical sleep is considered to be the psychological mobilization of the individual, the elimination of anxiety of neurotic origin. Consequently, for people with increased anxiety (and this condition is especially characteristic of students), REM sleep is especially necessary.

Night sleep consists of 4-5 cycles lasting 90-100 minutes. In each of them, there is a phase of drowsiness, or light sleep, and a phase of average sleep, when any noise can wake us up. This is followed by the phases of slow and fast sleep. For a full night's sleep, 7-8 hours is enough. However, not all students follow this rule. Thus, a study of the daily routine of first- and fourth-year students at the Belarusian University showed that 51% of them sleep 5-6 hours a day. Moreover, in the first year the number of such students is 59.6%. Based on research conducted at various universities in our country, 60% of first-year students and 33% of senior students have been found to lack sleep.

Adequate sleep is of particular importance during the session, when students have to master a lot of information. It is then that the student must sleep at least 8 hours! If sleep is limited to 5-6 hours, this will reduce the ability to absorb material and ultimately weaken the body.

Excessive sleep is also harmful. Excessive sleep is not considered beneficial in biological terms, since blood circulation and the functioning of the digestive organs are disrupted. Every student must remember that intense mental work should be stopped 1.5-2 hours before bedtime. Otherwise, the process of falling asleep becomes more difficult, and the sleep itself becomes less sound. The last meal should be no later than 1.5-2 hours before bedtime. It is recommended to go to bed at 23-24 hours, to get up at 7-8 hours.

You should sleep in a comfortable, but not too soft bed, lying on your right side with your legs slightly bent. In this position, the muscles relax best and the body rests.

Before going to bed, it is necessary to ventilate the room, create silence and turn off bright light sources. Unfortunately, after 24 hours in the hostel, “life” is just beginning: walking around the rooms, loud conversations, drinking tea. Daily lack of sleep causes a deterioration in mental performance and weakens the body's defenses.

A short day of passive rest is very useful. Horizontal body position improves cerebral circulation and allows muscles to relax. Daytime sleep, even short-term, perfectly restores performance. Even the ancient sages said that daily soya is beneficial; its duration should be 60 breaths, i.e. approximately 4-5 minutes.

In general, insomnia is not typical for students, but occurs only under heavy mental stress, that is, most often during the examination period, as well as with diseases such as neuroses. You can get rid of this phenomenon through proper organization of your daily routine, regular exercise, and autogenic training.

Night sleep also depends on individual typological characteristics. “Larks” should go to bed early to restore their performance. “Owls,” on the contrary, fall asleep late, but in the morning they like to sleep longer. In a student dormitory, which is inhabited by different types of people, we must try to create conditions for each other for a good night's rest.

The dependence of the level of performance on the duration and quality of sleep is generally recognized and confirmed by numerous experimental studies of the effect of sleep deprivation. However, to deepen the understanding of the functional significance of sleep, as well as to solve many problems of occupational hygiene (rational organization of work and rest during various types of shift work, prevention of mental and physical fatigue and related diseases, etc.), one statement of such a dependence not enough. It is necessary to clarify the specific physiological processes in the body that unfold during night sleep and influence the general functional state, performance and well-being of the subject during subsequent wakefulness. Currently, there are real opportunities to consider these problems, since ideas about some of the factors influencing performance have already been established, and at the same time, new data on the functional significance of individual stages of sleep are rapidly accumulating.

It has been shown that performance, both mental and physical, is largely determined by the strength of the subject’s motivation for activity, the level of wakefulness (activation), and for mental activity also by the focus and stability of attention, mnestic capabilities and the ability to creatively solve problems. At the same time, there is a complex nonlinear relationship between motivation and the level of activation, on the one hand, and performance, on the other. Performance is reduced not only with a low level of wakefulness and weak motivation, but also with too high motivation and excessive (“unproductive”) activity, which occurs in a state of severe neurotic anxiety. Strong emotional arousal disorganizes activity, makes it impossible to concentrate on its subject, leads to autonomic disorders, which become an obstacle to activity, and all these circumstances ultimately significantly reduce performance.

There are several experimental approaches to studying the relationship between performance and sleep. First of all, a series of studies was conducted with sleep deprivation, total or partial, the latter being carried out with a gradual decrease in sleep duration, when sleep was reduced by a relatively small amount at regular and fairly large intervals. Thus, it was possible to compare the effect of acute simultaneous deprivation and such a change in sleep duration to which the body could gradually adapt.

With total sleep deprivation for one or several nights, higher mental functions are primarily affected - the ability to concentrate, orientation in a new situation and the ability to adapt to it. To a large extent, this is due to a decrease in the level of wakefulness, as a result of which the reaction to external stimuli slows down, and those stimuli that are given during a period of particularly pronounced decrease in the level of wakefulness are not perceived at all. There is reason to believe that this symptomatology - decreased attention, drowsiness, increased fatigue - is caused primarily by delta sleep deficiency, since it is reproduced by selective deprivation of these stages of sleep and since the previous sections show the connection between delta sleep deficiency and objective and subjective decrease in performance with neuroses and with disordered sleep and wakefulness. With longer total sleep deprivation, affective disorders occur (emotional arousal, aggressiveness, suspiciousness), which, naturally, also impairs the possibility of purposeful activity, in particular due to a decrease in motivation to solve the proposed task (decrease in the standard of performance). It should be noted that if a decrease in the level of wakefulness and concentration of attention is more or less equally characteristic of different subjects, then the threshold for the onset of affective disorders (i.e., the duration of previous sleep deprivation) and the severity of these disorders are very variable and, apparently, depend on the role of sleep, especially the REM sleep phase, in the processes of emotional stabilization, which, as mentioned above, is largely determined by personality characteristics. Thus, subjects with high self-strength and low impulsivity (i.e., not prone to reacting in a psychopathic manner) perform better attention tasks (identifying a signal from noise) after sleep deprivation than individuals with low self-strength and high impulsiveness. The latter also show more pronounced amnesic disorders after sleep deprivation.

Although effective functioning is not possible with total sleep deprivation, according to some authors, sleep can be reduced, especially gradually, without significant disruption of activity during the waking period. Thus, with a gradual decrease in sleep by 30 minutes every 2 weeks (the study was conducted on 3 healthy young people , motivated by the search for an optimal regime with a maximally extended day), it was found that the 5.5-hour duration (of sleep) is critical - it was after reducing sleep to this value that changes in mood and deterioration in performing tasks (memorization, addition) began to appear. On the 5- and especially the 4-hour sleep schedule, subjects reported decreased mood, increased fatigue, decreased friendliness, and increased arousal and difficulty concentrating.On the 4-hour schedule, subjects reported difficulty maintaining wakefulness.

Objective studies of sleep structure conducted during the period of the modified mode showed that with a 5.5-hour mode, all stages of sleep, especially REM sleep, were reduced compared to the background. When switching to a 4-hour mode, REM sleep continued to decrease (although its percentage was no less than in the first 4 hours of normal sleep), stage II was sharply reduced, but stage IV increased and almost reached the initial level. During the recovery period (transition to a free sleep mode), indicators of mood and performance quite quickly (on average on the 3rd day) approached the initial level, although the total duration of sleep after the experiment remained for a long period somewhat shorter than the initial one (by 1-1 .5 hours), due to falling asleep later. On the 10th recovery night, a control study of sleep structure was carried out and a slight decrease in the total duration of sleep and the same distribution of sleep stages as with the 5.5-hour mode were found.

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One of the main means of restoring performance. During sleep, the processes of accumulation of energy reserves, regeneration, and plastic metabolism occur. As a result, energy resources depleted during the day are restored.

However, not everyone is able to fall asleep at will. Only about half of people can equally easily go to bed early or, conversely, late and wake up at the right time without much difficulty (provided that the total duration of sleep is within the necessary range).

These people have approximately equal work capacity in the morning, afternoon and evening. They are called “pigeons” or “arrhythmics”. These are mainly those who are engaged in physical labor. The so-called “night owls”, of which about 30%, adapt more easily to the evening work schedule.

They get up late in the morning and have maximum performance in the afternoon. These are usually knowledge workers. Another group of people are “larks”. They get up early, are productive in the morning and go to bed early. They make up about 20% of the population.

This division of people into “larks”, “pigeons” and “owls” is very subjective. Many people, especially “pigeons,” cannot determine which group they belong to. In this regard, the West German scientist G. Hildebrandt proposed a simple objective test: measuring the heart rate and number of respirations in the morning, immediately after sleep. There are three possible options for their relationship.

A pulse to respiration ratio of 4:1 (or around this value) is typical for “pigeons”; a ratio of 5:1, 6:1 is typical for “larks”. An increase in breathing rate and a decrease in this ratio are characteristic of “owls”.

Experts estimate that almost half of people (43%) are not satisfied with the quantity and quality of sleep. Insomnia is not always a sign of serious illness. Much more often it occurs due to certain unusual situations that disrupt the activity of the nervous system and internal organs.

In this case, it can be called situational insomnia. When does it occur? Firstly, due to external factors that overstimulate the cerebral cortex. These are a variety of nervous stress both at home and at work, as well as light, sound and temperature stimuli.

Disruption of the blood supply to the brain is of some importance. For example, staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time in the evenings due to typing or writing an article, report, report. Sleep is an active process. During its certain phases, brain activity is activated, which requires good blood supply.

Situational insomnia is also caused by excessively strong impulses from internal organs. So, if before bed there was a long conversation, for example, on sexual topics.

Heavy meals, late and excessive consumption of vegetables and fruits that have a diuretic effect (melons, watermelons, cucumbers, grapes, pears, figs, parsley, radishes, turnips, beets, currants, asparagus, sloe, pumpkin, dill, horseradish) can also serve as interference ) and laxatives (watermelons, grapes, cherries, melons, blackberries, strawberries, figs, viburnum, cabbage, gooseberries, onions, seaweed, rhubarb, rowan, plum, cumin, pumpkin, dill, garlic).

Scientists are divided on the qualitative composition of evening food. Some believe that protein foods (meat, fish) promote sleep, since proteins produce morphine-like substances in the small intestine that promote sleep.

Others, on the contrary, recommend light carbohydrate foods for dinner, which are quickly digested and do not cause strong intestinal motility and stimulation of the nervous system. In fact, both can be considered right. Some people fall asleep easily after drinking a glass of kefir before bed.

Others, after the same kefir, toss and turn in bed for a long time - their sleep is dispelled by a loud rumbling in their stomach. It is important to follow the diet to which you are accustomed, avoiding evening dietary experiments and stress. Alcohol consumption especially interferes with sleep.

Bed requirements

Wrong choice of bed also affects sleep. It is generally accepted that people sleep sweetly on feather beds. Not always. With age, when pain in the spine, osteochondrosis, radiculitis and so-called salt deposition appear, a hard bed provides more complete sleep.

The width of the sleeping area is no less important, especially if the spouses sleep together. In this case, the bed should be double. It's even better when two beds are placed side by side. Being too close to spouses is not recommended due to the influence of skin secretions and awakening moments (snoring, turning over, etc.).

How to cover yourself while sleeping - a light sheet or a cotton blanket? It is better to cover yourself as lightly as possible: this promotes hardening; however, it is clear that if a person is cold, sleep cannot be complete. It is important that the room is ventilated - sleeping in a stuffy, smoky room leads to early wrinkles and neurosis.

There are cases when sleep goes wrong after moving to a new apartment. A number of experts believe that the reason may lie in the incorrect orientation of the bed perpendicular to the lines of force of the Earth's magnetic field. It is more rational for magnetically sensitive people to sleep along the magnetic field vector, with their head to the north.

The quality of the bed we sleep on plays a role. It is best to have a wooden bed and linen made from natural fabrics that do not become electrified during sleep.

A significant cause of insomnia is ignoring the wakefulness-sleep rhythm. This is the well-known staying up late watching TV or at a party, working at night, evening swims in the river or sea, late visits to the steam room, plane flights across three or four time zones.

This also includes hypokinesia - a sluggish lifestyle that does not allow increasing the amplitude of the waking rhythm, and therefore correspondingly leading to a decrease in the depth of sleep.

It is generally accepted that situational insomnia disappears with the elimination of the situations that cause it. This is not entirely true. If an unfavorable situation is repeated and becomes habitual, a vicious circle of cortical-subcortical circulation of excitation may close, from which it is not so easy to get out. Persistent insomnia occurs.

To overcome insomnia (as well as to prevent it), it is necessary to constantly follow the ritual of falling asleep.

This means that it is important to go to bed at the same time, in the same bed, in your usual nightgown. Next, it is necessary to use methods of switching attention that distract from night thoughts about the problems of the day.

A common mistake is to use just one method. For example, many people count out loud to a thousand, get confused and start to get nervous. In this case, it is more advisable to start influencing another analyzer: visual, speech motor or temperature. An integrated approach ensures greater effectiveness of the methods.

Even if, having used all the means known to you, you do not fall asleep for a long time, then the restoration of your performance will still proceed almost as if in the drowsiness stage.

It has been established: during periods of self-impact, our brain not only works without stress, but also actively rests and gains strength.

The simplest way to influence the auditory (sound) analyzer is mental arithmetic. Another option is to listen to a tape recording of the measured noise of the sea; forests, rain or soothing music.

The sound of the pulsation of the superficial temporal artery helps many people fall asleep. To do this, you need to feel it with your index and middle fingers, placing them on your cheek near the tragus of your ear. If the beating of the artery is not felt, you should press down and release it several times.

Having felt the pulse, you need to simultaneously close your ear with the same fingers. You will hear the pulse beat. Start counting them in your head. This method is much more effective than counting in the mind, because a certain rhythm is imposed on us, driving away disturbing thoughts and concentrating the consciousness. It is no coincidence that Indian yogis sometimes use it when they want to quickly concentrate.

Now let’s give a method that can help you fall asleep in the absence of silence. Press both palms to your ears and listen to the silence. Then raise your palms and listen to the noise. Repeat these movements rhythmically, opening and closing your ears for 1-3 seconds. A rhythm of noise appears - silence.

In conclusion, we present another method, perhaps the simplest. Tap your fingers on the pillow, then increasing or decreasing the force of the blow and listening to the sounds. Choose a rhythm that will have a soporific effect on you.

These methods do not relieve insomnia for all people; they are more effective for people with auditory memory. But there are other means.

If you have well-developed visual memory and the ability to perceive images, try using methods that tire your inner vision to speed up falling asleep.

The easiest way is to fixate your gaze on a shiny object for a long time, for example, a ball, a watch, etc.

The second way is to concentrate your gaze on familiar soothing plants, the flowers of which are painted in cool colors (blue, light blue, green).

The third is reading a book before bed (however, a detective story, especially an action-packed one, is excluded here).

The fourth method is exposure to light from a light bulb at a gradually decreasing rhythm using special devices.

Finally, the fifth method is to repeatedly mentally write out the number 3 or another figure with paint on a white background.

To self-influence the motor analyzer, exercises that relax the muscles are used. In particular (and especially), this can be a fragment of isometric gymnastics.

For example, while lying down with tension, clasp your hands and count to six. Then lower your hands. Do you feel how pleasant the peace has become? Now bend your knees and press them tightly towards your body, hold your breath and count to six again.

Inhale, relax your muscles and stretch your legs. Sleep will become even closer. Next, do both exercises at the same time, trying to contract the muscle as much as possible and then relax it. You will feel: the body becomes light, as if floating in the air, and the eyes close on their own.

Moscow scientist R.S. Demeter proposed a number of static exercises that influence and challenge the motor analyzer. first mild fatigue, and then inhibition in the cerebral cortex.

They consist of alternately holding the limbs in weight. When performing exercises, direct your thoughts to the anticipation of the feeling of muscle fatigue. This will distract you from worrying thoughts about insomnia. After a few minutes, fatigue and drowsiness occur. The nature of the exercises depends on the position in which you are used to falling asleep or resting.

For those who are used to sleeping on their side

The following exercises should be used.

Raise your leg, holding it until fatigued, about 2 minutes. To speed up this sensation, you can bend your leg at the ankle joint.

For those who are used to falling asleep or resting face down

Raise your foot 10-15 cm, with your knee touching the bed. Keep your foot suspended for about 1 minute. Do the same with the other leg.

Brief (for a few seconds) relaxation, and then repeat this exercise once or twice, depending on the condition.

Exercises for those who are used to resting or falling asleep lying on their back.

Raise one hand or both and hold in this position for 2 minutes.

Lying down, spread your legs apart, close your toes, open your heels and leave them in this position until you get tired (about 2 minutes).

Relax for a few seconds and repeat the exercises if you cannot fall asleep.

These exercises are more suitable for people with mental work. For people engaged in heavy physical labor and who are very tired, finger exercises are recommended.

Finger exercises

Place your hands on your torso or along the bed. Raise your fingers one by one and hold them in this position for up to 5 seconds. This distracts you from thoughts that interfere with sleep.

Raise each finger and hold it successively for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 s. At the same time mentally say: “Raise your thumb - once; lower - two. Raise your index finger - once, lower - twice,” etc.

The finger holding pattern serves as an additional distraction. Then you also need to work with all your fingers in the reverse order. Other options for this method: alternate flexion and extension of the fingers, holding for 1 to 5 seconds, holding one or both hands in the same pattern.

Dalasyuk R.I., Kampat L.P., Shevchuk T.F.

During sleep, which lasts about eight hours, the brain processes all the information from the past day.

At the same time, it is also decided which information will remain in consciousness and which will dissolve in our subconscious and can be activated again in special situations that pose a danger to our lives.

Without enough sleep, we feel bad and lose our ability to work. Sleep disorders are among the most common diseases.

Each person's need for sleep is individual and different from the needs of other people; it is focused on our “internal clock”.

Usually we belong to one of the groups, the so-called “night owls” and “larks”.

“Night owl people” go to bed late, but also wake up late.

“People who are larks,” on the contrary, go to bed early and get up early.

It is necessary to adapt your sleep schedule to the individual rhythm of your body.

There are several rules for healthy sleep, following which you will always feel rested and full of energy:

1. Fresh and not too dry air in the bedroom.
2. It is advisable to always go to bed and get up at a certain time.
3. The last meal should be three to four hours before bedtime, the food should consist of easily digestible foods.
4. Eliminate the possibility of noise and extraneous sounds entering.
5. The bed should not be too soft.
6. Avoid taking sleeping pills on a regular basis; they can only be used in the most extreme cases. It is better to replace it with herbal decoctions (for example, chamomile tea with honey).
7. If you have difficulty falling asleep after coffee, tea or alcoholic drinks, do not drink these drinks in the early evening.
8. If you can't sleep, don't try to force yourself to sleep. Better get up and go back to sleep only when you feel tired.

Try to adhere to these rules and remember that the well-being and performance of the entire body depends on the quality of sleep.

Using sleep to find new ideas and program success

1. If in the evening, before you go to bed, you figuratively imagine what you would like to achieve, you program your consciousness with your goals, and after that it becomes easier to achieve them.
2. If you need to remember the necessary information, read it several times before going to bed and go to bed. During sleep, our brain processes information and it is consolidated in our memory.
3. Often in a dream we find a solution to some problems, we have new ideas. Keep a notepad and pencil ready so that when you wake up, you have time to write them down.

Good sleep and wonderful creative dreams!