It seems that getting a good night’s sleep increases women’s ambitions for status at work but doesn’t have as much effect on men.
A new study out of Washington State University in the US indicates that sleep quality impacts women’s moods and changes how they feel about advancing in their careers.
“When women are getting a good night’s sleep and their mood is boosted, they are more likely to be oriented in their daily intentions toward achieving status and responsibility at work,” said lead author Leah Sheppard, an associate professor in WSU’s Carson College of Business. “If their sleep is poor and reduces their positive mood, then we saw that they were less oriented toward those goals.”
As for men, the two-week-long survey study of 135 workers in the US showed that their ambitious workplace aspirations were not impacted by sleep quality.
Each day, participants in the survey noted how well they slept, the quality of their current mood and then later in the day how they felt about striving for more status and responsibility. This led to a total of 2,272 observations which researchers looked at through a gendered lens.
So what causes this workplace difference as a result of men’s and women’s sleep quality?
Researchers can only speculate but believe it may have to do with a combination of gender differences in emotion regulation and societal expectations.
They point out that women often come up against the cultural stereotype that they’re more emotional and likely feel more pressure to climb the corporate ladder. Therefore, it could be that when women get a poor night’s sleep, it leaves less capacity to take on more work than men, which only adds self-doubt to the already high standards women face.
Another explanation could be that men are taught by society to bury their emotions and are inherently perceived as more ambitious in the corporate world. This could mean that a poor night’s sleep doesn’t have as great of an impact on their capacity to take on more workplace responsibility.
Despite all the speculation around the ‘why’ of the study’s results, it’s also important to look at the implications this information has on women’s career advancement.
The researchers note that organisations might consider offering additional resources and support to counteract the impacts that poor quality sleep can have on women in the workplace. They also suggest that flexible work schedules and onsite exercise facilities could help women get better sleep amongst excessive responsibilities.
The study’s insights could also prove useful to ambitious women as they strive to advance their careers. It’s a helpful reminder of the importance of fostering daily habits that prioritise sleep quality.
Sheppard gives examples of taking practical steps like putting boundaries on work hours and starting a meditation practice to get better sleep.
“It’s important to be able to connect aspirations to something happening outside the work environment that is controllable,” she said. “There are lots of things that anyone can do to have a better night’s sleep and regulate mood in general.”