{"id":981,"date":"2026-10-15T09:07:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T09:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drcwtan.com\/?page_id=981"},"modified":"2026-10-15T09:07:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T09:07:12","slug":"sleep-decision-making-when-experience-is-not-enough","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/drcwtan.com\/?page_id=981","title":{"rendered":"Sleep &amp; Decision-Making: When Experience Is Not Enough"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-10-15T09:06:38.851Z\">October 15, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A leader can have the right knowledge, the right experience and the right information \u2014 yet still make a poor decision.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because effective decision-making depends on more than what a leader knows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also depends on the brain&#8217;s capacity to process information, evaluate alternatives, regulate emotions, and anticipate consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that capacity is influenced by sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Brain Behind Every Leadership Decision<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leadership involves making decisions, often with incomplete information and under significant pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether evaluating an investment, resolving a conflict, or responding to an unexpected crisis, leaders rely on cognitive functions such as attention, working memory, reasoning, and impulse control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These abilities depend on coordinated activity across several brain networks, including those involving the prefrontal cortex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Insufficient sleep can disrupt cognitive functioning, making it more difficult to maintain attention, process complex information, and respond effectively to changing circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A leader may still be able to attend meetings, review reports, and participate in discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But being awake and functioning is not necessarily the same as operating at optimal cognitive capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Research Tells Us<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a 2020 experimental study, Salfi and colleagues investigated how sleep deprivation affected impulsivity and decision-making [1].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their findings showed that repeated partial sleep deprivation increased impulsive decision-making and risk-taking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One particularly interesting observation was that individuals who were normally cautious appeared especially susceptible to these changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This suggests that the decision-making style we associate with an experienced, careful leader may not remain entirely stable under conditions of insufficient sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A separate scoping review published in 2025 examined 25 studies involving 2,276 participants [2].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The review found that many studies reported impaired decision-making following sleep deprivation, although the effects differed across tasks and individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together, these findings reinforce an important distinction:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Having the capability to make good decisions does not guarantee having the cognitive capacity to exercise that capability consistently.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Sleep-Deprived Leaders May Not Recognize the Problem<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One challenge with insufficient sleep is that individuals may continue performing familiar tasks despite reductions in certain cognitive abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A leader can remain articulate, confident, and engaged while experiencing difficulties with sustained attention or complex reasoning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This matters because confidence and cognitive performance are not always the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ability to recognize one&#8217;s own performance limitations may also be affected under certain conditions of sleep loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a result, a leader may underestimate how fatigue is influencing judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The concern is not that every decision made after a poor night&#8217;s sleep will be wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is that insufficient sleep can increase vulnerability to errors, particularly when decisions require sustained concentration, careful evaluation, or adaptation to changing information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Decision-Making Is Also Emotional<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We often think of decision-making as a purely rational process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In reality, emotions influence how we interpret information, assess threats, and respond to uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sleep plays an important role in emotional regulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research discussed by Stanford Medicine highlights the bidirectional relationship between sleep and mental health, including the influence of sleep disruption on emotional stability and stress vulnerability [3].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When leaders are tired, heightened emotional reactivity or reduced tolerance for frustration may influence how they respond to disagreement, unexpected setbacks, or challenging conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, a leader might become less patient when considering alternative viewpoints or respond more defensively to criticism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are potential consequences of impaired emotional regulation, not inevitable outcomes for every sleep-deprived individual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nevertheless, they demonstrate why decision-making cannot be separated entirely from emotional functioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Capability \u00d7 Capacity: The Missing Equation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Organizations spend considerable resources developing leadership capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Executives attend strategy programmes, decision-making workshops, leadership development courses, and executive coaching sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These investments build valuable knowledge and skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there is another variable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Leadership performance depends not only on capability, but also on the capacity to use that capability effectively.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Capability represents what a leader knows and can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Capacity reflects the cognitive, emotional, and physiological resources available to put those abilities into practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A highly capable leader operating with reduced capacity may not consistently perform at their best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is why sleep and recovery deserve a place in conversations about leadership effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They help support the brain functions that allow experience, knowledge, and expertise to translate into sound judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Better Decisions Begin Before the Meeting<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Organizations frequently seek to improve decision-making through better data, more sophisticated analytics, and structured frameworks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All are important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But decision quality also depends on the condition of the person interpreting the information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A practical approach to supporting leadership decision-making should therefore include adequate sleep, opportunities for recovery, and awareness of fatigue during periods of sustained pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For particularly consequential decisions, leaders may benefit from avoiding unnecessary sleep restriction, seeking independent perspectives, and allowing adequate time for deliberation whenever circumstances permit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These practices cannot guarantee good decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They can, however, help reduce avoidable conditions that may compromise judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Question Every Leader Should Ask<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Experience matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knowledge matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Good information matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But none operates independently of the brain responsible for using them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sleep is not a substitute for leadership competence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>It helps protect the cognitive capacity required to exercise that competence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before your next important decision, consider asking yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Am I making this decision with the full benefit of my experience \u2014 or with a brain that has not sufficiently recovered?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because better leadership decisions may begin long before entering the boardroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They may begin the night before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>References<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[1] Salfi, F., et al. (2020). <em>Effects of Total and Partial Sleep Deprivation on Reflection Impulsivity and Risk-Taking in Deliberative Decision-Making.<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC7261660\/\">https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC7261660\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[2] Agyapong-Opoku, F., et al. (2025). <em>Examining the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Decision-Making: A Scoping Review.<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC12189852\/\">https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC12189852\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[3] Stanford Medicine. (2025). <em>How Sleep Affects Mental Health (and Vice Versa): What the Science Says.<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/med.stanford.edu\/news\/insights\/2025\/08\/sleep-mental-health-connection-what-science-says.html\">https:\/\/med.stanford.edu\/news\/insights\/2025\/08\/sleep-mental-health-connection-what-science-says.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A leader can have the right knowledge, the right experience and the right information \u2014 yet still make a poor decision. Why? Because effective decision-making depends on more than what a leader knows. It also depends on the brain&#8217;s capacity to process information, evaluate alternatives, regulate emotions, and anticipate consequences. And that capacity is influenced [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":979,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"order-bump-settings":[],"_wpfnl_thankyou_order_overview":"on","_wpfnl_thankyou_order_details":"on","_wpfnl_thankyou_billing_details":"on","_wpfnl_thankyou_shipping_details":"on","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-981","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drcwtan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drcwtan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drcwtan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drcwtan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drcwtan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=981"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/drcwtan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":982,"href":"https:\/\/drcwtan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/981\/revisions\/982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drcwtan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drcwtan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}