Get Some Shut Eye
Whether you are a security professional, solo-preneur, or stay-at-home parent - or whatever you do - you need a good night’s sleep. Every night.
A new study released last week showed that not only will missing one night of sleep hurt your sense of physical and mental well-being, but adults who don’t get the recommended 7 hours of sleep for at least 3 nights in a row will feel even worse.
The need for security professionals to get a good night’s sleep comes up more than once in my book, Rent-A-Cop Reboot. I understand the hustle that guards and a lot of other people go through, but I promise you that you will not be as effective as you think you will be if you are not well rested.
Lack of sleep will slow your reaction times and make it hard for you to pay attention, which is twice as bad if you’re “drowsy driving” to work. When you need sleep it will be harder to stay awake, no matter what time you are working. It will be harder to make good, quick decisions. It will be harder to understand what people are saying to you and to respond appropriately. In the security profession, these types of missteps could cost you your job, or worse.
Add to lack of sleep a couple of days without a nutritious meal, and you have a recipe for disaster. Even if you don’t make a mistake on the job in the near future, believe me when I say that regularly missing good nights of sleep will show up some day and in some way.
Make sure you get the sleep you need. If you have children, especially young ones, make sure they are getting good sleep, too, to avoid future health issues. If there are serious sleep problems, talk to your health care professional.
We have a lot of decisions to make as the nation moves into more face-to-face experiences since the pandemic began, and the Delta variant of COVID-19 spreads in areas with low vaccination rates. You make better decisions when your mind and body are in top shape. Getting 7 hours of shut-eye every night is one of the easiest ways to shape up.
Today’s sleep decisions affect your tomorrows.
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Special note about Rent-A-Cop Reboot: We are proud to announce that the book is on sale at the Barnes & Noble in Newport News, Virginia! Thanks to the support of visionary Barnes & Noble staff members and people like you, we look forward to additional stores in our home state adding the book to their shelves. We'll keep you posted.