Study links insufficient sleep to reduced judgment and increased risk-taking

A large-scale study from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is challenging a long-held business culture that often equates exhaustion with commitment and productivity. The research, published in Sleep Advances, suggests that insufficient sleep can significantly undermine judgment, increase risk-taking, and harm productivity more than many leaders realize.

Researchers analyzed behavioral data across more than 3,000 U.S. counties from 2019 to 2025, tracking lifestyle risk factors against county-level life expectancy. The study found that sleeping fewer than seven hours per night was the second-strongest predictor of shorter life expectancy, surpassing factors like poor diet and physical inactivity, and ranking only behind smoking.

The OHSU findings indicate that insufficient sleep impairs the prefrontal cortex, the brain region responsible for judgment, reasoning, and emotional regulation. This impairment can lead to poor decision-making and increased unnecessary risk-taking in business contexts. Research also links sleep deprivation to heightened risk-taking behavior, with effects compounding after sustained periods of partial sleep loss.

These findings align with broader trends. A 2025 National Sleep Foundation survey revealed that 60 percent of American adults do not get adequate sleep. The RAND Corporation has calculated the annual productivity drag from poor sleep in the U.S. at $411 billion. The study suggests that a corporate culture that tolerates or encourages exhaustion may be detrimental to both individual well-being and business outcomes.