Doing This One Thing Makes You Better At Your Job, According To Researchers

Feeling guilty about hitting snooze? Don't. It's probably making you better at your job.

According to a white paper written by Christopher Barnes of the University of Washington and Gretchen Spreitzer of the University of Michigan, many people's work schedules are out of sync with their natural body clocks.

This might not sound like a huge deal -- we have coffee for a reason, after all -- but the paper warns sleep is a "strategic resource" most companies aren't utilizing effectively.

Say you're a night owl who naturally falls asleep around 1 am and wakes up around 9 am. If your office requires you to be at your desk at 9 am, the paper argues you are more likely to make mistakes in the workplace and produce lower quality work due to sleep deprivation.

If you enjoy crawling under the covers at 10 pm, on the other hand, and an alarm buzz at 7 am is totally fine with you, you'll produce a better quality of work due to a better mood, lower stress level and better mental performance.

The paper argues if a company wants to see improved performances in its employees, it should emphasize the importance of sleep with things like nap rooms, reduced hours and avoiding schedules that fight employees' natural sleep patterns.

Work performance isn't the only area of life where sleep is important. Getting adequate sleep increases alertness, lowers blood pressure, fights obesity and prevents heart disease.

Happy snoozing!

Citations: Why sleeping in could make you a better worker (BBC)