Improve Sleep to Cause a Lifestyle Change and Work Productivity

This guest post was submitted to The Anywhere Office by Jay Ackers of safetyservicescompany.com

Fatigue at the workplace isn’t just a health and safety issue for office managers – it drains productivity. When you are healthy and alert you are happier and motivated to give your best efforts.

I lived this when I lost 60 pounds in the last year through better nutrition, exercise and yes better sleep. After looking at my personal situation, I moved to a quieter neighborhood closer to my office, invested in a sleep mask, ear plugs, white noise machine, regulated my sleep-wake schedule (even on the weekends) and stayed hydrated. I even bought a special alarm clock that gradually wakes me up with light and a phone app that monitors my sleep cycles and waits to wake me up when I’m no longer in deep sleep.

What I learned was my entire day hinged on having a refreshing night’s sleep. I would start working early and was more productive , no longer nodding off at my desk. When my work was over I was more willing to meet friends for a group run; which led to weight loss, a better diet, less stress and even better sleep.

Each positive change made other changes easier and more effective. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, look at your own situation and decide what changes you need to make.

Sleep Problems Cause Disease

The science is behind my conclusions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls insufficient sleep a critically under-addressed contributor of many chronic diseases and conditions such as: cardiovascular diseases, depression, and diabetes.

Not getting enough sleep contributes to the incidence of these diseases and makes them worse and harder to manage once you have them.

In fact 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep problems, which leads to deficient functioning during the day and even driving accidents.

Insomnia is difficulty getting or staying asleep or waking up hours early and not getting back to sleep. Insomnia can set in because of stress or be the result anxiety that you won’t be able to sleep.

Longer and better sleep can help diabetics control their blood sugar, contribute to metabolic changes preventing obesity and reduce symptoms of depression.

Recommended Solutions

Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day in a dark, quiet bedroom without any distractions and with a comfortable bed.

It’s also helpful to eat well in advance of bedtime.

Keep a diary of your sleep habits to help find where sleep problems may occur. The diary should include when you go to bed and when you go to sleep, when you wake up and when you get out of bed. Also track naps, exercise and when you consume alcohol and caffeine.

Author Biography: Jay Acker’s Safety Services Company, is one of the leading providers of third party authorization services for prequalifiers like ISNetworld (TM) along with a complete set of safety training materials.