Which Is Better: Staying Up Late Prepping For A Meeting Or Getting A Full Night’s Rest?

(Photo: Ian Hooton, Getty)

A new study says one will give you a boost.

You’ve probably been there: Push for another hour or two on that PowerPoint doc or cut yourself off and get to bed. Turns out, it’s not worth skimping on ZZZZ’s. According to a new study published in the journal Sleep, extended periods of sleep loss can affect your ability to make critical decisions, which won’t bode well for that big presentation at work.

The small study looked at 26 healthy adults; half of them were randomly selected to go 62 hours without sleep, while the other participants rested regularly. For six days and nights, the subjects were asked to perform tasks that tested their ability to use feedback for future decision-making.

“The sleep-deprived people in this study were seriously impacted when we tested them after missing two nights of sleep,” says study co-author Paul Whitney, Washington State University’s associate dean and professor of psychology. “After they received recovery sleep their performance improved significantly but they were not at the level of the control participants.”

We’re not suggesting you head to the conference room with an incomplete project, but if you’re the perfectionist type who likes to tinker into the wee hours, powering down might be better for your overall health—and job performance.

By Amy Schlinger