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Rest: The New Prescription
Words Ebun Lufadeju
To rest or not to rest? The 21st century has seen the birth of many entrepreneurs. It is reported that 582 million people in the world are entrepreneurs. Success can be linked to the number of hours worked and working long hours can lead to burnout. Why is rest important and how is it linked to health? Pharmacist Ebun Lufadeju explains why.
We live in a time where it seems that to achieve more, we can never stop working. Is being busy and successful the same thing? Many resources say that those who are entrepreneurs or aspiring to be, need to wake up at 4-5am. To add to that, many budding entrepreneurs even stay up late or all night, to work on personal projects whilst simultaneously being employed during the day. We can all probably count times that we have spent the whole day working, until the point we’re stressed or maybe even exhausted. The life of an entrepreneur can seem like a rollercoaster. Whilst it is important to work hard, the body needs time to recover and recuperate.
What is rest?
Rest means to cease work or movement to relax, sleep, or recover strength. Rest can also be defined as staying in a specific position. I am an advocate for working hard to achieve your goals, so, in no way will I promote laziness. However, peace is an important commodity, your peace regulates the frequency of your heart. Being at peace with where you are at every season will help you to rest because sometimes the mind is just too busy. We have to separate overworking from working hard and learn to listen when our bodies tell us to rest. Success can become a goal that seems unreachable and you can do everything in your power to reach the goal. Yet, the question stands; is the goal worth losing your health?
The side effects of not resting
If you do not rest it can harm your performance and business. Rest breaks can often seem like a waste of time. However, regular breaks have been shown to increase productivity and creativity, as well as improve the overall health and well-being of individuals. A popular example of this when the founder of the Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington was found in a pool of blood, she had worked herself into a state of exhaustion and had ended up breaking her cheekbone. Adequate rest is vital for the mind and needed for us to produce our best work.
We have mental health, as well as physical health and the lack of rest or overworking can affect both aspects of our health. Considering how much time we spend working, our working environment and mind-set towards work can affect our wellbeing. Nowadays, even in the working environment, many establishments are moving towards prioritising the rest and mental well-being of their staff. This includes new initiatives like separate spaces for rest, having Friday afternoons off and even work lunches to take you away from the desk.
It is important to have a work and life balance. How much time in your day do you take a break off work? Eight hours of sleep has always been the global average, however, by 2014 no country was achieving the standard. Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation has once said that he needs at least seven hours of sleep to stay sharp, creative and upbeat.
Can lack of rest make you sick?
Overworking can lead to emotional distress, followed by lack of focus, lack of concentration, impatience, irritability and physical fatigue. Lack of sleep can impair the body’s ability to heal and fight off illness, making you more prone to infections, such as the cold and flu.
Not getting enough sleep has been linked to several other serious health issues, which includes:
Thinking issues
Skin issues (e.g. wrinkles and loose skin)
Lowered sex drive
Weakened immune system
Weight gain
Increased risk of certain cancers
Increased risk of diabetes
Increased risk of heart disease
So, how do you get more rest?
For some people, it is not that easy to reverse the way we think and view rest. For a workaholic, doing less work in a day is not as easy as it sounds. However, getting enough sleep is not just for your beauty or productivity, it is important for your health. Start with small changes, rather than doing an all-nighter – see if you can spread the work across the week.
It is important to take rest breaks throughout the day. This can be done simply by shutting off for a few minutes each hour or two – without your phone! Try using tools such as Mailchimp to automate parts of your business. It is also important to get enough sleep during the night, here are a few other ways to improve your quality of sleep:
Make sure you switch off all devices, such as the TV or radio before you sleep. The light rays from these gadgets can cause the brain to remain active.
Turn your phone on do not disturb so you are not woken up by any calls or text
Avoid alcohol and caffeine before you sleep
Do not eat sugary or fatty food before you sleep
Take a relaxing bath before bed
In conclusion, I know every case is different - it may be harder to rest as an entrepreneur since there is never really an official cut off point. However, it takes being intentional about getting enough rest, by understanding the importance of not only your productivity but also your health.
