Making a money decision? Better get a good night’s sleep!

New research is showing that not getting enough sleep doesn’t only impact our health, but also in how creative and productive we are.

And cup after cup of coffee won’t help either.

That’s because sleep does a lot more for us than you might think. It gives the brain time to do its important “maintenance and restoration” jobs. Sort of like when Window’s shuts down your computer after installing updates.

Sleep specialist Dr. Charles Czeisler at Boston’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital says that cutting short your snoozing time is “equivalent to being legally drunk.”

And he’s not just talking about pulling a college all-nighter. Missing even a little bit of sleep night after night can have the same effect.

Dr. Czeisler says that most adults still need those eight hours of shut eye. And that those who can function well on Thomas Edison’s idea of little sleep are “about zero.”

But here’s where we fool ourselves. Most people running short on sleep can still go through the motions of the day, either at home or at their jobs.

But it’s when we need to make a judgment call or learn new information that we fall short. And if you’re making a decision that has to do with money, there’s a good chance you’ll make the wrong call.

So if you’re not going to get more shut-eye for your health, do it for your bank account.

Sources:
“A full night’s sleep can really pay off – in salary and investments” Brett Arends, September 18, 2014, The Wall Street Journal, online.wsj.com