How sleep can make or break your career

Indian adults lose about three nights of sleep every week, which affects their physical and mental health and productivity at work

- Reem Khokhar

Trishita Das, 26, sleeps only three or four hours every night. "I am anxious by nature and have difficulty 'turning off' my brain at the end of a day, especially when working on a difficult project or dealing with stress," says the Delhi-based publishing professional. "I have struggled with sleep for a decade." Inadequate sleep causes migraines, fatigue and lowered immunity, which makes her prone to frequent colds or bouts of flu, and impacts her work. "It makes me less efficient and more irritable on many days. Managing stress is even more difficult because of insufficient sleep and work always comes with stress."

Das is not alone. Health technology company ResMed's recent Global Sleep Survey 2025 concluded that adults are losing an average of three nights of sleep per week, pointing towards a global sleep crisis. The survey results, based on interviews with 30,026 people from 13 countries, including India, Japan, China, Thailand, Germany and the US, showed that 49% of Indians struggled to fall asleep at least three times a week, and 47% took sick leave at least once in their careers due to poor sleep. Indian women had worse sleep quality than men, experiencing fewer nights of good sleep (3.83 hours versus 4.13 for men), with hormonal changes and menopause being key disruptors.

Sleep goes beyond rest. It helps boost short- and long-term physical and mental performance. "Science shows that even one night of sleep deprivation can reduce natural killer (NK) cell activity, compromising immunity and increasing inflammation," says Luke Coutinho, an integrative and lifestyle medicine specialist.