One of the most common questions we ask each other in the morning…
“How did you sleep?”
For the most part, we’ll answer this question with, “Great!” or “Pretty good, I think.”
The problem is, unless you’re measuring your sleep with a wearable device, this response is just a guess.
How do you feel about leaving your performance and health up to guesswork? You certainly wouldn’t leave the results of your business to simple guessing, would you?
Many busy entrepreneurs, executives, and high-achievers will often cut their sleep short in the noble pursuit of “success”. Going to bed around 11 PM and waking up between 4:30 and 5 AM, saying, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead!”
This is often followed by the hollow cheers of the other high-achievers around them who are doing the same thing.
The reason that many people can feel energized and well rested after only 3 or 4 hours of sleep is because of how sleep stages work.
In the first four hours of sleep, your body is working on physical restoration through deep sleep. So, when you wake up after sleeping for 4 hours… you feel well rested because your body has been restored.
However, by leaving out the second four hours, dedicated to mental restoration through REM sleep, you are significantly increasing the likelihood of cognitive decline as you age.
If you’re not wearing something that measures these things, you can’t answer the opening question, “How did you sleep?” with any confidence.
At Tiger, we like to say we’re “device agnostic” meaning, we will simply track the market and use the most accurate device available.
If you wear an Apple Watch, great! If you prefer an Oura Ring, also great! The important thing is that you’re measuring.
We often talk with our clients about the idea of living a data-driven life. Measuring everything from your sleep quality and heart rate variability, to your activity levels and resting heart rate.
If you don’t know these things about yourself, you’re just flailing around without any meaningful information to guide your lifestyle choices.
But, if you have a wearable device, now you can begin to see data, trends, and information that can help you make decisions about implementing different habits and routines.
At Tiger, we prefer to use the Oura Ring. It’s been deemed the most accurate wearable device on the market when it comes to measuring sleep and heart rate variability. Two of the most influential biomarkers when it comes to health and performance. It’s also nice because it’s a ring that doesn’t disrupt your sleep if you move around a lot. (I found wearing a FitBit at night was difficult because it would get caught on my sheets or pillow when I moved…)
Here’s the point… your business’s number one asset is YOU. If you’re not around to keep things going because you’re sick or burned out, then the business is going nowhere.
Like I said before, you wouldn’t leave the success of your business up to guesswork, so stop doing that with your health.