Employee Wellness | Human Resources

Bettering Your Sleep

40% of people with insomnia may have a diagnosable mental-health condition.

Over half of respondents to a SleepFoundation.org survey say stress and anxiety were the top reasons they have trouble falling asleep.

48% of U.S. workers say they are regularly tired during the day.

$45 billion is lost in productivity each year from the U.S. economy due to lack of sleep or poor sleep resulting in unplanned absences.

3 hours and 30 minutes is how long adults in the U.S. spend on social media before bed every night, according to a OneCare Media survey for SleepFoundation.org.

Improve Your Sleep Hygiene

Good sleep habits, often referred to as "sleep hygiene," will help you get a good night's sleep. The following are ways to improve your sleep hygiene:

Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.
Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep.
Don't go to bed unless you are sleepy.
If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed. Go do a quiet activity without a lot of light exposure. It is especially important to not get on electronics.
Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
Use your bed only for sleep. Avoid watching TV, using your smartphone or reading in bed.
Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. Keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature.
Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.
Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. If you are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.
Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.
Avoid consuming caffeine in the afternoon or evening.
Avoid consuming alcohol before bedtime.
Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.

Benefits of High-quality sleep

High-quality sleep can have a positive effect on your health in countless ways, including:

Decreased risk of heart disease and stroke
Stabilized hormones, including those in charge of blood glucose regulation, thus decreasing your risk for diabetes
Boosted immunity, leading to fewer colds and improved skin
Most applicable this month, lowered stress (lowered cortisol levels) and improved mood (decreased anxiety and depression)

High-Quality Sleep and Mental Health

Mechanism by which seven to nine hours of high-quality sleep affects mental health:

When the body experiences a sleep deficit, it reacts as though it is under more stress, starting a positive feedback loop that increases your stress level.
- Too much cortisol leads to the body staying in a sympathetic (fight or flight) state, increases heart rate, blood pressure and blood glucose levels.
Getting more rest can significantly decrease cortisol levels and restore balance to the body’s systems. In a preventative step, try to get seven to nine hours of sleep per night to avoid the rise in hormone altogether and reduce existing feelings of stress and anxiety.
Research has found that losing too much sleep can activate a region of the brain that controls emotional processing and worry. While those with an anxiety disorder are much more likely to feel the mental effects of a lack of sleep, it still affects everyone.

Sleep Takeaways

An insufficient amount of sleep can overwork the heart, cause more stress, negatively affecting your mental health.
Adequate sleep however, has been proven to drastically reduce feelings of anxiety by improving your ability to process stress and react in an appropriate way.
A good night’s sleep will boost your mood, outlook and temperament.
Sleep is so important; we will be taking a more in-depth look at it in the months to come.