photo: Free People

 

The early bird catches the worm? Well, apparently not. We always assume that people who get up at the crack of dawn achieve more – when it’s actually the people who are getting more sleep who are doing better for themselves.

According to a little research, the more hours we sleep, the more money we are likely to earn.

Sounds great, but how? A study by researchers in the US, has found that in locations where the days are shorter, for example where the sun sets earlier, people sleep for longer hours and also earn higher salaries.

You may feel like ball of energy during the summer months and are at maximum productivity, your fingers are on fire. But in fact, you’re technically being less productive, because later sunset time reduces worker sleep time and, resultantly, your wages.

The study found that sleeping for just one hour extra a week results in salary increases of 1.5% in the short term and by 4.9% long term. It all adds up I guess!

If you’re a bit of a workaholic you may feel lied to. All those years your grandparents told you about some early bird catching some worm is all just one big fat lie.

While it does make sense that you can get more work done than a sleepyhead– study author, Jeffrey Shrader says that, in fact, it’s more quality of work and not quantity- there’s an increase of productivity from getting a good night’s slumber:

“The biggest effects come through employees who work on commission,” he tells The Guardian.

“If you go to work well rested, you are livelier and happier, and can sell more to increase your earnings.”

Sometimes you just can’t help your sleep pattern, so it might be a good idea to take a half an hour nap during your lunch break.

Google have introduced nap pods to their offices, and on some occasions, I’ve seen offices with little nap areas. Even short naps of up to half an hour can boost your productivity – and potentially your earnings.

But if you’re not so lucky to have an ultra-modern office with nap pods, you can find other places to have a little siesta – such as a disused conference room, your car, a quiet park or maybe even at a library.

You snooze you lose? No, you snooze you win!

 

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