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When entrepreneurs feel exhausted but can not afford to sleep enough, they may be able to recharge with mindfulness exercises such as meditation, according to a new study from Oregon State University.
"We can not replace sleep with mindfulness exercises, but they could help to compensate for and provide some relief," said Charles Murnieks, badistant professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the OSU College of Business. and lead author of the study. "70 minutes a week or 10 minutes a day of mindfulness can have the same benefits as an extra 44 minutes of sleep a night."
The results were recently published in the Journal of Business Venturing. Co-authors include Jonathan Arthurs, Nusrat Farah and Jason Stornelli of OSU; Melissa Cardon of the University of Tennessee; and J. Michael Haynie of Syracuse University.
Entrepreneurs are usually defined as people involved in the discovery, appraisal and exploitation of new business opportunities, often with an interest in ownership of new businesses. Entrepreneurship can be exhilarating, but it can also be hard work, stressful and tiring. "You can only work so long for so long," said Murnieks.
Generally, when people feel exhausted, their desire to achieve goals is reduced, they are less inclined to carry out their professional tasks and sometimes have more difficulty in meeting and responding to challenges, all of which are challenges. important processes of the spirit of enterprise.
Burnout is an ubiquitous problem for entrepreneurs working in new businesses, but little research has been done on the extent to which this group is burned out or how they manage it. In their research, Murnieks and his coauthors sought to explore the means used by entrepreneurs to cope with the exhaustion of the work.
In a study of 105 entrepreneurs from across the United States, researchers asked participants about their level of burnout; if they have engaged in mindfulness practices and if so, how often and for how long; and how many hours they slept each night.
More than 40% of participants reported working an average of 50 hours or more per week and sleeping less than 6 hours per night. The researchers found that contractors who slept longer, or who participated in mindfulness exercises with a high level of awareness, reported lower levels of burnout.
In a second study of 329 entrepreneurs, researchers again asked questions about the practice of mindfulness, perceived exhaustion and sleep. The study confirmed the findings of the initial study, namely that mindfulness can combat the feeling of exhaustion.
However, in both studies, Murnieks and her colleagues also found that mindfulness exercises are less useful if you sleep enough but still feel exhausted. When a person experiences perceived exhaustion, she usually feels a lack of energy at work and as if her resources were depleted.
"If you feel stressed and do not sleep, you can compensate with mindfulness exercises," said Murnieks. "But when you're not sleeping, mindfulness does not improve those feelings of exhaustion."
Mindfulness exercises and sleep are thought to act differently to reduce exhaustion. Mindfulness works to modify and reduce stressors before they lead to exhaustion, while sleep strives to replenish energy and self-control after exhaustion, but before exhaustion is felt.
Additional research is needed to better understand how mindfulness exercises can help tired entrepreneurs and the limits of these beneficial effects, said Murnieks, but it seems that mindfulness can give a boost.
"There are times when you start a new business that you will have to develop," he said. "Mindfulness exercises can be a way to provide relief during these difficult stretches."
Source of the story:
Material provided by State University of Oregon. Original written by Michelle Klampe. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.
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