Meeting the demands of the job,
As well as the expectations of clients,
Customers and colleagues,
Are keeping many of us from drifting off to dreamland and remaining there for the requisite 8 hours a night.
But staying wide awake even after the lights are out is often second nature to many of us,
And it's to our detriment.
Insomnia is often caused by an inability to shut down our brains.
We have so many pressures and deadlines,
Both in the office and outside.
Many of us also tend to be type A personalities and feel compelled to do it all,
And to do it all well.
If we can't put our to-do lists out of our heads,
We either have trouble falling asleep or have trouble getting back to sleep when we wake up at night.
Fewer hours in the sack does not make us more productive,
Even if it means more hours at the office.
In fact,
The reverse is true.
A lack of sleep decreases mental and physical performance,
Reduces alertness,
And adversely affects memory,
According to the Sleep to Live Institute,
A research center based in North Carolina.
Sleep research has also documented that a lack of sleep makes individuals more likely to experience a double whammy,
Intellectual missteps,
And physical injury.
One recent study in Sleep Medicine Reviews,
For example,
Found that individuals with sleep problems had a 1.
62 times higher risk of being injured at work compared to those without such problems,
And that 13% of work injuries could be attributed to sleeplessness.
Injuries aside,
The ability to think clearly,
Quickly,
And effectively is impaired when we're overtired.
People are less productive and more prone to error when they don't get enough sleep.
It's as simple as that.
When our brains cycle through the various sleep stages,
They consolidate what we learn through the day.
If sleep is interrupted,
The process doesn't get completed.
Lack of sleep impairs our cognitive functioning,
Including our attention,
Alertness,
Concentration,
Reasoning,
And problem solving.
This makes it difficult to learn new things and to process information in the manner we need to in order to effectively address our tasks at work.
There are also health risks associated with being on the outs with Hypnos,
The Greek god of sleep.
These risks are many,
And they are significant.
They include a decreased ability to deal with stress,
High blood pressure,
Heart attack,
Stroke,
Obesity,
Depression,
And attention deficit disorder.
Fortunately,
There are ways to appease Hypnos and to return to the land of dreams on a regular basis.
The first step en route to a solid eight hours shut eye is understanding what's keeping you up in the first place.
The reasons are numerous and diverse.
They include everything from irregular bedtimes and wake times,
Shift work,
Caffeine,
Medication,
Pain,
And depression.
Identifying the cause of your wakefulness will help you effectively address the issue of your sleeplessness.
There are,
However,
Specific steps you can take to increase the odds your eyelids will droop and you'll sleep for a chance to dream.
First and foremost,
We have to get the cell phone out of the bedroom.
Not only does the screen light stimulate our brain,
Knowing our emails are right there next to us makes it harder to ignore them.
Through work emergencies,
Those emails that can't wait until we get to the office in the morning are really rare.
If we can make it a habit not to check emails after a certain point in the evening,
That's a good decision to have made.
And we don't want to set up our colleagues and our co-workers to regularly expect a response from us within minutes of receiving an after-hours email.
It's important to develop the habits that will make sleep come more easily.
These include always maintaining a regular bedtime and a wake time,
Even on weekends,
And avoiding napping during the day if you can,
Keeping the bedroom dark.
In addition,
It's helpful to keep your bedroom cool.
We need a decrease in core body temperature to fall asleep and maintain sleep.
If we set our thermostat to 20 degrees Celsius or less,
We may find we're sleeping more soundly.
There are also good habits,
Such as exercise,
That make sleep less elusive.
A practice growing in popularity is Reiki,
A hands-on,
Light-touch approach to stress reduction and improved health.
You can remove yourself and put yourself in a place where someone else is taking care of you.
There is a greater level of relaxation.
And when your body is relaxed,
You are better able to sleep.
You get a deeper sleep.
Most people report their sleep is better for at least the next few nights.
And now,
If you're wondering which professions are most sleep-deprived,
Well,
According to a 2012 study,
Health aides topped the list.
Second place goes to lawyers,
Followed by police officers.
The study,
Which analyzed individual sleep habits as reported in the National Health Interview Survey,
Determined that none of those professions in the top ten attained the recommended eight hours of shut-eye a night.
On the other end of the scale were those occupations generally considered to be the most well-rested.
And top of the list,
Forestry workers,
Followed by hairstylists and sales representatives.
A good night's sleep doesn't have to be a pipe dream.
There are small things you can do to help you drift off to dreamland.
We've already mentioned screen time.
Avoiding the TV and turning it off while you're asleep is essential.
And if you can eliminate light from the outside,
That's a good idea.
An eye mask will help here.
Noise is also a distraction and a disturbance.
If you like to fall asleep to music,
Put in on a timer.
And if you can't get rid of the clatter from outside,
Or possibly a snoring partner,
Try a white noise machine.
Alcohol is also an issue.
It will help us in some cases to fall asleep more quickly,
But there's a rebound effect that will disrupt sleep later in the night.
Exercising at least three hours before bed is helpful.
And making sure that you have a mattress and a pillow that fits your body type is important.
Your mattress should be changed at least every seven years,
And your pillow at least once a year.
Eight hours rest does not have to be the impossible dream.
Sleep well.
