Please Sleep: It Makes You More Charismatic with Dr. Christopher Barnes

Are you actually more productive when you work longer hours or just more exhausted? In this episode, I talk with Christopher Barnes, Professor of Management and the Michael G. Foster Endowed Professor at the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, about the ingrained belief that sacrificing sleep is the price of success and why that belief is costing you more than you think. Chris shares how leaders create “sleep-deprived cultures” through their behavior, from late-night emails to rewarding constant responsiveness. We break down what really happens to your brain when you’re sleep-deprived, the vicious cycle between anxiety and insomnia, and why being tired makes everything feel bigger, harder, and more urgent than it actually is. Tune in to learn how better sleep can make you sharper, calmer, and more effective. Check out our sponsors: Shopify - Sign up for a $1 per month trial, just go to ⁠ Notion - Notion is an AI powered, connected workspace for teams. Try custom agents now at ⁠ In this Episode, You Will Learn 00:00 Why working more hours doesn’t mean better performance. 02:15 Are leaders unintentionally rewarding sleep deprivation? 08:00 The tradeoff between working more hours vs. doing better work. 11:00 Why anxiety and insomnia reinforce each other. 12:30 Why everything feels more stressful when you’re sleep-deprived. 14:00 The cycle that keeps high achievers stuck in poor sleep habits. 17:00 What can you do when your boss expects you to overwork? 22:00 Ways leaders can encourage healthier sleep habits. 25:30 The long-term performance cost of sleep deprivation. 26:30 How circadian rhythms affect when you do your best work. 27:30 How flexible schedules improve performance. 28:30 The bias against people who don’t start early. Resources + Links Get a copy of my book - The Anxious Achiever Watch the podcast on YouTube Find more resources on our website morraam.com Follow Follow me: on LinkedIn @morraaronsmele + Instagram @morraam

You can listen to Please Sleep: It Makes You More Charismatic with Dr. Christopher Barnes online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Please Sleep: It Makes You More Charismatic with Dr. Christopher Barnes is an episode from The Anxious Achiever by Morra Aarons-Mele.

This episode is 34:10 long.

This episode was published on Apr 2, 2026.

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