How Sleep Deprivation Kills Your Self-Esteem
This is part of my blog series Practical Self-Help for Introspective People.
Hey, friends!
I like to think of my self-esteem as a battery. Some days it's topped off at 100%, and I can do anything. Other days it's at 0%, and I just want to spend the day hiding in bed.
Over the years, as I've worked on building up my self-esteem, I've come to an important realization: sleep deprivation drains my self-esteem battery. It kills my confidence.
When I'm chronically tired, I can't charge my self-esteem battery beyond 50%. Being "half empty" is the best I can hope for! No matter what I do, no matter what tips or tricks I employ, my self-esteem is in the toilet.
Sleep deprivation makes me cranky, which hurts my marriage. It makes me unfocused, which hurts my job performance. And it makes me crave Snickers and gummy bears and jelly-filled doughnuts and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which hurts my health.
When my marriage, job performance, and health suffer, my self-esteem tanks. And no amount of mantras or self-affirmations or self-help books will help.
So, if you struggle with self-esteem, the first thing you should do is fix your sleep. I can't stress this enough. Go to bed at the same time every night, get enough rest1, have good sleep hygiene, etc.
Getting good sleep won't guarantee high self-esteem. But it’s impossible without good sleep.
Also, I could finally sleep. And this was the real gift, because when you cannot sleep, you cannot get yourself out of the ditch—there’s not a chance.
— Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love
If you have trouble sleeping well, talk to your medical doctor. Poor sleep may be caused by sleep apnea, a lack of exercise, restless leg syndrome, too much caffeine, etc. Again, talk to your doctor.