As an entrepreneur, you work long hours. You work long weeks, and sometimes months. While having a flexible schedule is a great perk of the job, you’re always “on call.” If a problem comes up, you have to attend to it—or no one else will. Sometimes you’ll have to skip family dinner or even events, and other times you’ll be able to go to your kids’ sports game in the middle of the day.
No matter what hours you work or what your weekly schedule looks like, it will be a demanding one. Every entrepreneur is at risk for burnout. Therefore, it’s imperative to get enough sleep and good quality sleep at that. In order to take care of your business, you must first take care of yourself.

“The Grind” Myth

Taking the rest you need is not always encouraged in entrepreneurial circles. There can be a lot of talk about “the grind,” 80-hour work weeks and even 4am wake up calls. Some influencers spin the narrative that success comes only with a toxic work ethic. That you must sacrifice everything – including yourself – to run a successful business.

However, no one is immune to burn out, no matter your energy level, as we’re all just human. Good health begins with sleep, and without, it’s difficult to be successful. So, a lack of rest could be the downfall of your company. In fact, science backs this.

On Season 6 episode 21 of the Making Bank podcast, Ariel Garten discusses how sleep impacts our bodies, brains, and businesses. The founder of Muse, an EEG powered headband that modulates meditation and sleep cycles, Ariel has done thorough research on the science behind good –and bad – rest.

Our Bodies

Although being an entrepreneur is a corporate job, it can still be physical. From running to meetings, checking in on products, networking, and managing a team, you might be exerting more physical energy than you realize. Your body needs sleep to rest and recover from the day, so you can get up and do the same thing again.
If you’re doing any sort of physical exercise on top of this, you’ll need even more sleep. If you’re running after children or hit the gym a few times a week – or both – your body goes through a lot. Even with remote work, you need physical stamina to be able to sit at a desk and work for hours. It may not feel physical, but it requires large amounts of energy.
We’ve all had days where we don’t feel our best. Perhaps you’re on the edge of getting sick, running low on sleep or simply just drained. On those days, we usually get nothing done. If your body doesn’t have the energy, neither will you.
In her episode, Ariel discusses how a lack of sleep can impact your body in ways you may not expect. For example, the most obvious is that it influences your energy level. However, a lack of sleep can impede other areas, such as your ability to lose weight. So, if you’ve been hitting the gym, eating well, and still can’t lose weight, try looking at your sleep schedule. You may find a solution there.

Your body allows you to work long hours every day, potentially take care of children or pets, work out, and more. In order for your business to keep running, your body needs to be able to. So, reward it with well-deserved rest and in return, it will reward you tenfold.

Our Brains

Next, our brains desperately need sleep. This is especially important for entrepreneurs, who utilize their minds and decision-making powers every day. Sometimes, you’ll hear entrepreneurs say that they only need five or six hours to function well. However, Ariel argues against this. You may be able to work with little sleep for a few days, but it’s not sustainable.
In any line of work that is creative, you can’t run on fumes. I’m sure we’ve all felt this before. When you’re exhausted, it’s impossible to come up with new ideas, solutions, or anything fresh. Therefore, you need to be well-rested in order to be creative.
In fact, getting a good night’s rest impacts all parts of our working mind. Ariel discusses how sleep not only helps your brain rest, but it also keeps the chemicals in balance. Without sleep, your brain can literally not properly make decisions, as that area of your brain suffers. Ariel also explains how a tired brain struggles to regulate emotions, which is extremely important for anyone who manages other people.

Our Businesses

As stated above, your brain will struggle to make decisions and regulate emotions without enough sleep. As an entrepreneur, you make decisions every day for the good of the company. If you’re sleep deprived, how can you properly make decisions? What happens if you make the wrong ones—all because you didn’t sleep enough? As the founder, it’s your job to make the calls, and sometimes the calls will be tough. Without sleep, they will be even tougher. One day, one of those decisions may cost you your business.
Your ability to regulate emotions will also suffer. Your business will go through many ups and downs, as all do. In order to bring stability to your life, you need to find stability in yourself. Many times, the key to success is staying clear minded when surrounded by chaos. If you’re unable to regulate yourself, you might not be able to regulate the business. Additionally, if you’re managing others, you have to remain calm and levelheaded in all situations. If you’re lacking sleep, you may not be able to manage your team properly.

Overall, a lack of sleep has a big mental and physical impact on you. Anything that affects you, affects your business. So, if prioritize your sleep, you and your business can be at its best.