The value of coming to work fresh

As a dental practice owner, it’s easy to find yourself burning the candle at both ends trying to cover all your business responsibilities while also providing care for a full schedule of patients. But you can find that your extra hours have do not translate to practice growth. Here’s why coming to work refreshed matters.

When you’re exhausted, you can make mistakes

Maintaining a high degree of focus when you’re tired for patient care is relatively easy. As a medical professional, you are skilled at performing at a high level even when you don’t feel your best. But when you utilize all your extra energy in the operatory, you may slip up on less vital tasks.

Tired people tend to be grumpy

Making genuine connections with your patients is an important part of building loyalty, earning referrals, and providing a positive patient experience. A patient may notice when you’re not engaged in conversation and are simply going through the motions.

Fatigue affects memory

Both short- and long-term memory are negatively impacted by fatigue, affecting both your ability to retrieve information you obtained in the past and your ability to access information acquired while tired at some future date. A foggy memory makes it difficult to perform at your best.

Avoid losing patience with staff, vendors, etc.

It’s easy to let little things get to you when you’re weary. When you’re fresh, you’re more apt to deal with negative interpersonal scenarios more calmly.

Harder to multitask when tired

When you’re tired, your mind can wander. To combat this, we tend to concentrate intently on the task at hand. While this technique works fine in the short run, it blocks our ability to manage multiple streams of thought at once.

Healthy sleep habits translate directly to greater productivity

Being well-rested works wonders for your body and mind.

• Body: Sufficient sleep builds a healthier immune system, boosts energy levels and leads to heightened productivity.
• Mind: Adequate rest contributes to better focus, more reliable information retention, smarter decision making and increased engagement.

Work hard but know your limits

The road to success will inevitably feature days where an extra pot of coffee are necessary tools to get the job done. Just be sure to remain self-aware and keep close tabs on your physical condition.