Have you ever nodded off your work desk while working on a task or attending a meeting? Have you ever dozed off during a commute? While stress at work affects your sleep patterns, your sleep patterns can affect your work as well.
As you sleep, your body does some repairing and creates hormones to help you fight various diseases. Sleep also strengthens your tissues, promotes cardiovascular health, and improves your overall mood. Quality sleep enhances critical thinking while keeping you active to do your tasks throughout the day. On the other hand, a lack of sleep can have a detrimental impact on your productivity and wellness as a whole.
We'd like to help you understand the link between sleep and work productivity so you can improve your sleep quality while enhancing your work output.
How Does Sleep Affect Productivity?
Working too much can contribute to a lack of sleep, while sleep deprivation can contribute to a lack of work productivity. This pattern has been here for ages. Many people trade sleep to do more or enjoy their time after work. But the truth is, the more you deprive yourself of proper sleep, the fewer things you get done.
Many biological processes only happen when you sleep. This includes slowing down of your breathing and relaxing of your muscles. Your brain also switches to a restful state, where different body functions happen while at rest. In short, sleep deprivation means depriving yourself of these healthy processes.
Chronic sleep deprivation causes you to:
- Commit mistakes in your tasks
- Forget things often
- Lose your focus
- Have mood swings while at work
- Feel tired easily
- Have higher risks of getting sick
- Have poor work performance
Try these several steps if you're one who feels the fatigue of work stress and lack of sleep.
How to Get Quality Sleep for Increased Work Productivity
Set a Sleep Schedule
This might be very easy to describe but hard to achieve, but developing a healthy sleep schedule is definitely possible. A healthy circadian rhythm is vital to improving your overall health. You can try many things to maintain a consistent sleep pattern, like exercising, choosing the proper lighting when you snooze, and setting a window time for sleeping. To achieve this, you will need to prepare for bed during your window time to condition your body for sleep, especially if you have become accustomed to inconsistent sleeping patterns. Doing this requires perseverance and consistency.
Limit the Use of Electronics Before Sleeping
Sleep is often sacrificed for TV watching, internet browsing, or even doing extra work at night. Although it's hard not to get too immersed in finishing your deadlines at night or binge-watching your favourite series, it's crucial to weigh the side effects of sleep deprivation. If you find yourself prioritising your television and gadgets over extra hours of sleep, it's time to do a reassessment and create a boundary between your tasks and rest.
Create a Good Sleep Hygiene
Your preparations before you go to sleep are also important. Take advantage of many sleep hygiene tips to personalise what works best for you.
When at work, avoid sitting at your desk all the time. Standing up or taking some breaks can help your blood circulate better during the day. Consuming caffeine in moderation during coffee breaks is also vital. Also, give yourself an earlier schedule to finish your house chores before bed. Trying out some relaxation techniques might also help you understand what works best. Most importantly, allow yourself to unwind to clear your mind from the stress and deadlines.
Eat Your Meals Well and Don't Take Too Much Caffeine
Staying up late to finish a task? It might be tempting to eat midnight snacks or drink coffee to help you be active at night. But this habit can be detrimental to your health. Eating too much at night can disrupt your sleep and cause digestive issues. On the other hand, sleeping with an empty stomach can disturb your sleep. The best thing is to plan healthy and timely meals. Also, take note of your water intake.
If You Need to Take a Nap, Keep It Short
An afternoon nap during your break can help you regain your energy and boost your mood while at work. But then again, having too much of a thing isn't advised. Be careful not to take a nap that is too long or too late during the day because it might affect your sleep quality at night. A healthy nap takes no longer than ten to twenty minutes, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.
Pay Attention to Your Emotional Health
Your emotional health can significantly affect your sleep quality. More so, your sleep quality can affect your mood and mental health. Any compromise on either can affect the other. Stress, anxiety, depression, and other related things can cause sleep deprivation. While it takes effort to develop high-quality sleep and healthy mental wellness, monitoring both can help you enjoy a happy and productive life.
Choose a Quality Mattress
Not everything that affects your sleep quality is intrinsic. Your mattress and surroundings can also affect your sleep quality. A quality mattress supports your sleep position while providing you with proper body support when you snooze. Choosing the right local mattress size in Singapore, firmness, and material makes a difference in your sleep comfort. Buying a mattress that is too soft, for example, might feel cosy for the first few minutes but will lead to multiple body aches in the long run because of the lack of support. A hot mattress can also cause you to sweat at night, making you sticky and uncomfortable. We highly recommend assessing your sleeping needs and mattress requirements before shopping for one. The right pillow also matters.
Your Beddings Matter Too
After buying the perfect mattress for your sleeping requirements, level it up with the right bedding accessories that will keep your sleeping surface cool and comfortable. Choose breathable bed sheets, mattress protectors, and comforters to protect your mattress and improve your sleep quality. You should also pay close attention to the colours of your bedding. Subtle colours like blue can help you relax better at night, while brighter hues can make your mind more alert.
Consult Your Doctor
Aside from some lifestyle changes, we recommend visiting your doctor or a sleep expert to help you check if there are underlying health conditions that affect your sleep quality. They can help you assess your sleeping problems and plan a personalised sleep solution.
Takeaway
There is no substitute for healthy sleep. In this fast-paced world, it's difficult to juggle work tasks, personal life, and rest. This results in many people doing their thing ahead of time at night or extending their day to enjoy life after work. The result? Lack of sleep and low productivity. Just a single night without sleep significantly deteriorates your focus at work. What if you consistently experience sleep deprivation? If you want to work at your best, feel at your best, and achieve your best, pay attention to your sleep and overall health.