How does sleep help to build emotional intelligence?

You know that you are rarely at your best after a night of bad sleep. But did you know that getting enough sleep could actually help you to build your emotional intelligence?

Below, we explore this fascinating link further and see how getting enough sleep could benefit you – and how shooksvensen can help you to increase emotional intelligence in your workplace.

Managing emotions

You probably remember the last time you didn’t get enough sleep. The next day you might have felt cross, or weepy, or unable to complete a simple task. Sleep is essential for managing your emotions. Without enough sleep, the part of your brain that regulates emotion will not be up to its task of reining in fears and impulsive behaviours. This means that you will be more reactive and more likely to make impulsive decisions without thinking through the consequences.

Supporting executive function

Your brain’s executive function is hindered overall when you are sleep deprived. Your ability to focus and problem-solve is lowered, leading you to feel stressed and anxious. You are also far less likely to have the same discipline or “big picture thinking” when you are poorly rested, hence why small inconveniences seem enormous when you have had a restless night, and why pulling an all-nighter could lead to low-quality work.

Being more empathetic

With your emotional intelligence hampered by a lack of sleep, your brain is less able to read emotional signals. Your REM sleep helps you to process your experiences, so sleep supports your ability to be empathetic. Without enough sleep, you might find yourself thinking people are angry at you when they aren’t, or that your colleague is ignoring you when they are in fact just busy themselves. 

Boosting creativity

Forget those stories about great thinkers and leaders needing less sleep – sleep is essential for creativity and coming up with great ideas! Because thinking “outside the box” is harder when your brain function isn’t at its normal level, being well-rested will give you a better chance of seeing things in a new way.

How employers can help

When building a positive working environment, employers should ensure that emotional intelligence and brain training is a priority. This will help them understand why it’s important to not be fatigued at work. In addition, offering spaces to rest and providing employees with other well-being support can be hugely beneficial.

Getting enough sleep could be better for you than you think – both in your personal and professional life. If you want to know more about brain-based emotional intelligence training and how this could create a healthier working environment, then get in touch with shooksvensen now.

Image Source: Unsplash

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