8 Reasons Sleep Is Crucial for Entrepreneurs and Leaders The negative effects of lack of sleep are many -- and not worth it in the end.

Sleep is a basic need. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, sleep is defined as a basic need, along with food, drink, shelter and oxygen. We all know the feeling of there just not being enough hours in the day, and we've all lost a night or two of sleep during an important project. But is cutting back on sleep really the answer to increasing efficiency?

Plenty of productivity gurus will advocate for "power napping" instead of getting a solid eight hours of sleep every night, often using Thomas Edison as an example. However, where it comes to scientific studies and statistics, it turns out that losing sleep just isn't worth it. It won't improve your overall productivity as a business owner — in fact, it might even have a majorly negative impact on your performance.

From a biological standpoint, adrenaline is released and used for energy after the first 24 hours or so of staying awake. This causes motor functions to be slightly increased due to sleep deprivation. The mind will work twice as hard and your body will be slightly more tense. Cortisol (the endorphin released when one is feeling stress of any sort) will also be released, and it will attempt to regulate some inflammation as well as begin to fray DNA strands.