Zzz… Importance of Sleep
As business professionals, we may find ourselves struggling to fall asleep or waking up in the middle of the night. It is believed that 30-48% of the population will struggle with their sleep but will go years without seeking support or making changes to their routine.
It can often be attributed to our to-do list and sleep hygiene can go out of the window during times when we may need to work late or are finding work stressful. However, sleep can have many benefits including helping with both our physical and mental health.
If we don’t get enough sleep, we may start to find that our concentration decreases, as well as reduce our cognition and delay reactions so that we aren’t able to focus on tasks as effectively. This can be particularly noticeable at work or whilst doing tasks that require a lot of concentration such as driving.
Personally, I am really passionate about supporting people with their sleep as I struggled with sleep for years. I told myself ‘I was just a bad sleeper’ and just put up with it. By working in the wellbeing industry I always look at courses I can do and I came across CBTi and trained in it. I was amazed! First hand I was able to focus on my sleep and get my sleep back on track in just a few weeks! Yet I had put up with sleeping badly for over 10 years!
So, what can we do to make sure we get a good quality of sleep? Here are some of my top tips:
Look at your sleep routine – This may be about finding something that works for you, so looking to see if there is a time that you are able to wake up every morning or a time that you can start to do restful activities to wind yourself down before bed in the evening. It is often a good idea to have an hour or two away from screens before bed, so think about incorporating time for this in your routine.
Prioritise Sleep (no more late nights working!) – Be strict with your working and rest hours.
Manage your stress in the evening – Do you find yourself struggling to fall asleep due to stress? Think about setting aside some time in the evening to wind down and help manage this stress through journaling or mindfulness so that you’re able to fall asleep peacefully when you go to bed.
Seek Support – Don’t put up with bad sleep. Did you know in as little as a month we can get your sleep back on track?
The statistics on sleep speak for themselves – a study by the University of Warwick found that those who get less than 6 hours of sleep continuously are 48% more likely to die of heart disease and 15% more likely to develop a stroke.
These are shocking statistics but show how important sleep is to both our physical and mental health. If you are struggling you probably are more aware of the impact sleep has on your functioning. It really can affect everything with your day.
If you are struggling with your sleep, don’t suffer in silence. We have a FREE sleep webinar find out more about how it can help you to start to make changes Sleep Webinar (kartra.com)
Written by Claire Elmes – Inspire You
