Strengthening Emotional Well-being Through Sleep
Have you ever had days where you are forgetful and struggle to concentrate on your work at hand? For many employees, this is a continuing struggle that can stem from too little sleep. Sadly, according to the CDC, 1 in 3 adults fail to get enough sleep (2016).
Sleep deprivation negatively affects the physical upkeep of the body, deters the mind from thinking clearly, and leads to a range of emotions. As a result, workplaces can expect decreased productivity, work-related errors, unstable relationships, and moodiness from sleep-deprived employees.
Sleep and Emotional Well-being Connection
Many people think of sleep as a luxury. Once a busy schedule interferes, cutting sleep is often one of the first interventions employees use to add time into their day, often thinking they can catch up on sleep at a later point. They don't know that both quantity and quality sleep are essential daily for refueling the body and mind.
During sleep, brain activity fluctuates, depending on the sleep cycle stage. Each stage has a role in brain health, allowing for concentration, memory, and learning. Getting adequate sleep, especially REM sleep that occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep, is important for processing memories and positive emotional content.
Effects of Sleep Deprivation
During sleep, many processes occur to support our concentration, memory, performance, and mood. Here's how sleep deprivation can interfere with those processes:
Concentration: Sleep deprivation can lower alertness and concentration, making it difficult to focus. This can affect the ability to use logical reasoning and problem-solving.
Memory: When we sleep, memories from the day are added to our short-term memory. Lack of sleep may interfere with the consolidation of memories, a critical component to learning new information.
Performance: Sleep deprivation causes fatigue, which can lead to slower reaction times. This can be dangerous in situations such as driving or tasks that require quick responses.
Mood: Lack of sleep can lead to irritability and may lessen the ability to cope with stress, leading to anxiety or depression.
Workplace Interventions to Promote Better Sleep Habits
Studies show that employer interventions can improve sleep-related habits and outcomes like sleep quantity, quality, and alertness (Redeker et al., 2019). Below are five sleep-promoting interventions to implement throughout the workplace.
Offer naps: Allowing naps during employee work breaks of no more than 30 minutes can recharge the body, helping to decrease sleepiness and improve mood. Workplaces have helped embrace employee naps by sharing beneficial information and through designated sleep pods and nap rooms. Alternatively, allowing employees to work remotely can give them the extra time they need for rest without the added investment.
Create a comfortable environment: Welcome natural light through windows and daytime exposure. Provide a cool setting with proper ventilation to help employees stay alert.
Allow a consistent schedule: A consistent schedule not only helps to separate work life from home life, but it also allows employees to have a consistent bedtime schedule, regulating their circadian rhythm. Setting limits on the number of hours worked in a 24-hour work period and 7-day work period can help employees get adequate sleep at night.
Encourage physical activity: Exercise can help the body to fall asleep more quickly and improve quality. Promote physical activity by allowing walking breaks, having workout equipment onsite, or incentivizing with a paid gym membership.
Advocate positive sleep habits: Educate employees on positive habits for better sleep at home. These habits can include relaxation techniques, decreasing electronic time before bed, and establishing a nighttime routine.
For More Information
Sleep is deeply connected to emotional well-being and can affect the way employees perform and interact in the workplace. There are many actions you can implement to make sure your employees have well-rested minds and bodies. At Alyfe, we offer the following solutions to help improve employee sleep habits:
Our Emotionally Fit digital well-being program is backed by science and promotes activities and tracking to drive behavior change towards positive sleep and emotional well-being habits.
Want a bundle of sleep resources that are easy to distribute and implement within your workforce? Our Sleep Wellness Kit makes the perfect solution for wellness champions or enthusiasts to educate employees through communication templates, flyers, articles, group discussions, and a final crafted presentation.
Learn more about emotional fitness by downloading our free white paper: A Framework for Workplace Emotional Fitness.
Whatever method you choose to improve employees' sleep habits, we wish them success towards a better night's sleep.
Resources:
1) 1 in 3 adults don't get enough sleep. (2016, February 18). CDC.
2) Redeker, N. S., Caruso, C. C., Hashmi, S. D., Mullington, J. M., Grandner, M., & Morgenthaler, T. I. (2019). Workplace interventions to promote sleep health and an alert, healthy workforce. In Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (Vol. 15, Issue 4, pp. 649–657). American Academy of Sleep Medicine. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.7734