Sleep is a Spiritual Discipline: Why Tired Mentors Mentor Poorly 

The Lord gives his beloved sleep. Jesus himself slept even at times when the disciples thought he should be awake—for example, in a boat in a storm! Rest is spiritual. We begin each day with rest, just as we begin each week with Sunday, a day dedicated by the Lord to rest. God understands that a rhythm of rest is essential to our well-being and our ability to fulfil our assignment. 

Ongoing lack of sleep is also dangerous; chronic poor sleep is one of the more significant and underappreciated risk factors for long-term health. If rest is a tool that allows us to live, work and relate adeptly, then exhaustion is an obstruction to our daily lives and future plans. Tiredness impedes us in more ways than we may think:

Cognitive Function

• Reaction time slows significantly—even moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments comparable to being legally drunk
• Decision-making becomes worse, especially under pressure or uncertainty
• Working memory degrades, making it harder to hold and manipulate information
• Creativity and problem-solving suffer because the brain struggles to form novel connections; innovation is impeded

Attention & Focus

• Sustained attention is one of the first things to go — you’re more prone to mind-wandering and missing details
• Microsleeps (involuntary 1–10 second lapses) can occur without you noticing, which is especially dangerous when driving or operating machinery
• You become more easily distracted and less able to filter out irrelevant information

Physical Performance

• Strength, speed, and endurance all decrease
• Motor coordination and fine motor skills suffer, raising injury risk
• Recovery from physical exertion is slower because most tissue repair happens during sleep

Emotional Regulation

• Tired people are more reactive, irritable, and prone to negative interpretations of neutral events, and are aggravated more easily
• The amygdala (the brain’s threat-detection centre) becomes overactive, while the prefrontal cortex—which moderates emotional responses—loses its ability to regulate effectively, making it harder to moderate our reactions 
• This can strain relationships and lead to poor interpersonal decisions. Your effectiveness as a mentor goes down; you have less ability to understand others emotions and reactions

Motivation & Effort

• Fatigue lowers your perceived ability to push through difficulty. The more lethargic you are, the less motivation you have
• Tasks feel harder than they actually are, leading to avoidance or cutting corners
• It’s more difficult to stay connected to long-term goals 

In the midst of burnout, I often had trouble sleeping through the night, even though I often fell asleep in front of the TV beforehand. I had heart palpitations; my heart was beating 90 beats per minute instead of the average 60 as I tried to fall asleep.  I was feeling constantly fatigued but still struggled to rest. In my case, insomnia was due to high sustained stress for long periods of time. It wasn’t until I began to pay attention to both the physical and mental influences during my day and intentionally develop healthier habits that I began to sleep better. 

Here are a few habits to help with better sleep: 

• Keep a log of your sleep patterns and any habits that may affect them. Ask: How many nights did I wake in the middle of the night for an extended period of time and/or have trouble falling asleep? What was I eating and drinking? What was my evening ritual? How is my emotional state and my buoyancy levels? 
• Limit screen time around bedtime. Keeping your phone or tablet in a different room from where you sleep can be helpful. 
• Limit food and drink before bed. Certain foods and drinks (such as caffeine) are best limited to the morning/early afternoon.
• Do a bedroom audit. Ask: Is this room conducive to sleeping? Should I invest in creating a more peaceful resting environment? 

If insomnia still persists, the problem is likely deeper. There could be physical issues, such as sleep apnea or chronic pain or discomfort. A conversation with your general practitioner is in order! Our emotional state is also heavily linked to insomnia. Anxiety and depression have a huge impact on our sleep schedules and can keep our mind and body worked up as we attempt to wind down and rest. Having a mentor/coach, or supervisor to work through these issues with can significantly improve sleep. 

Reflection:

Why am I having trouble sleeping?

Have I committed to too much?

Is it family (little kids) or a seasonal impact?

Is frequent traveling impacting on my sleep?

What is contributing to my tiredness and is it sustainable?

What do I need to change?

What sort of rhythm can I create to be more effective in the way I engage with others?

What’s next?

Revisit last week’s blog on healthy leadership practices:  Strong Enough to Serve: Physical Health for Leaders