Impact Of Poor Sleep Strategies
Many of us have poor sleep strategies and are not making sleep a priority. Two-thirds of us are not getting the right kind of sleep or are not sleeping long enough to perform at our peak. We know that sleep is critical to maintain our health and allow for peak performance, yet we still continue to read articles that boast about those leaders who get up early and work late and who sacrifice their health and families to spend 100 or more hours per week at the office.
It baffles me, that this type of person would ever be held up as a symbol of ‘success’. Their business may be succeeding, but for how long and at what cost? “If we treated machinery like we treat the human body, there would be breakdowns all the time,” says James Maas, a former Cornell University psychologist and sleep expert and author.
Chronic exhaustion is costing billions of dollars in lost productivity, according to researchers from Harvard Medical School.
A 2012 University of Southern California study suggests that punishing hours, and resulting sleep deprivation, contributed to physical and emotional ailments within four years of being on the job.
Investing In Sleep Strategies In The Workplace
These smart leaders are investing in everything from sleep-hygiene courses to melatonin-regulating lighting to help their employees improve their sleep. Aurora Health Care, the largest hospital system in Wisconsin, had more than 2,600 employees in 2012 take a six-week online course for insomnia sufferers. They saw an average of $672 in productivity savings per participant.
Other companies like Nike have nap-friendly “quiet rooms” that can also be used for meditation. Google has a number of futuristic napping pods scattered throughout its Mountain View campus. Proctor and Gamble are offering sleeping hygiene workshops to its workers as a way to improve productivity and promote safety.
Sleep is one of the most important components of workplace productivity and the time of toasting those who rise to success by sacrificing their sleep and health is over.
To read more on Workplace Wellness – Napping Benefits and Policies go to: https://worksmartlivesmart.com/benefits-of-napping-and-resiliency/
Sleep Strategy Facts from the National Sleep Foundation Study:
- 43% of respondents between 13 and 64 say they rarely or never get a good night’s sleep on weeknights
- 60% of respondents say they experience a sleep problem every night or almost every night, such as waking in the night, waking up too early, or feeling un-refreshed when they get up in the morning
- 74% of workers over 30 who report not getting adequate sleep say that sleepiness affects their work
- 23.2% of American workers suffer from insomnia
If you have some strategies to share – comment on this posting!
Additional Resources:
Workplace Wellness – Sleep Issues
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