Do you notice your colleague drinking energy drinks in a morning?
Or is your team member often yawning and looking tired?
Sleep is a vital part of our everyday wellbeing and can have a detrimental effect on our work and decision making. We have teamed up with Furniture Village to survey the nation, identifying key areas of concern that working Brits struggle with*.
Would your employer give you time off for sleep problems?
Our research has shown that 40% of respondents do not think their current employer would be understanding and give time off if employees were experiencing sleeping problems.
This is a really concerning statistic given that poor sleep, especially over a long period of time, can be extremely harmful to our overall wellbeing and professional performance.
We regularly work with businesses to provide support and resources for them and their employees to create a better relationship between the professional world and sleep.
Is driving when tired really that bad?
35% of respondents said that they have driven their car while tired from a bad night’s sleep. We have all seen the road signs on the motorway stating that tiredness can kill, and, while this may be perceived as a dramatic warning, it is true. Across the world, it is estimated that up to 20% of road accidents are caused by driver fatigue.
Driving to work tired can be extremely risky, especially if travelling at busy rush hour times where other road users may be in a rush to get to work.
Poor sleep also increases our inclination to ‘snap’ or become annoyed, with more than two-thirds (67%) agreeing that they are more inclined to snap at colleagues due to poor or lack of sleep.
Paired with driving, this could increase your risk of experiencing road rage behind the wheel and acting dangerously.
In the workplace, a poor attitude and aggressive tone can be damaging to your career and can also create a negative atmosphere for both yourself and colleagues.
Does your attention span decrease if you have a bad night’s sleep?
Then you are not alone. Almost 60% of respondents have experienced their attention span being negatively affected by a bad night’s sleep more than once. A lack of attention can lead to some really serious problems; agreeing to things you don’t want to, making poor choices at work and generally being uninterested and ‘zoned out’ of everyday life.
41% also said that they found themselves overwhelmed and less able to cope with work on multiple occasions due to a lack of sleep.
Are you a fast foodie?
Have you ever found yourself making unhealthy food choices because of a bad night’s sleep? 52% of respondents said that this is a regular occurrence for them.
Choosing an easy to prepare meal, or opting for fast food, might seem like a good option if you’re too tired to cook a more nutritious meal, but a poor diet long-term coupled with prolonged lack of sleep can have a detrimental affect on your overall health, both physically and mentally.
Prepping meals ahead of time for your lunch at work can be a great long term time saver, providing a grab-and-go lunch on the day – but also one that is healthy and nutritious, and often cheaper!
If you’re struggling to sleep, here are our 10 tips for better sleep:
- Try to keep regular hours. Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time will provide a better routine and program your body to sleep better.
- Create a restful sleeping environment. Your bedroom should be kept for sleep and it should be a steady temperature, with no noise or light.
- Make sure your bed is comfortable. It’s difficult to drift off to sleep on one that’s too soft, too hard, too small or too old.
- Exercise more. Regular, moderate exercise such as swimming or walking can help relieve the stress.
- Try to avoid stimulants such as caffeine or alcohol – especially in the evening. They interfere with falling asleep and prevent deep sleep. Have a hot milky drink or herbal tea instead.
- Don’t over-indulge. Too much food, especially just before bedtime, can wreak havoc with sleep patterns.
- Don’t smoke. Smokers take longer to fall asleep, wake more often and often experience more sleep disruption.
- Try to relax before going to bed. Switch off screens an hour before bedtime and instead have a warm bath, listen to some quiet music, do some yoga – all help to relax both the mind and body. We collaborated with Penguin Publishers to develop a range of narratives to help people relax and aide sleep.
- Deal with worries or a heavy workload by making lists of things to be tackled the next day.
- If you can’t sleep, don’t lie there worrying about it. Get up and do something you find relaxing until you feel sleepy again – then go back to bed.
If you are still struggling, please visit our dedicated sleep helpline to access support. Please call 03303 541 547.
*Survey of 2,000 UK adults, OnePoll, August 2021