Our sleep patterns are being disrupted by the stress of living in lockdown and dealing with the new world reality.
According to estimates, one-third of British citizens suffer from sleep problems on a daily basis. Bad quality sleep can affect your brain’s ability to react, concentrate, remember, and make decisions. This is a common problem that affects many people, and it could be the most significant problem in your company.
According to the NHS, adults should sleep at least 7-8 hours each night. However, working adults typically get only 6.5 hours per day. Sleep deprivation can lead to lower productivity at work, as well as a host health problems like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, reduced fertility, immunity, and a shorter life expectancy.
Recent research has shown that the brain clears out the waste proteins it has accumulated during the day during sleep. This is a vital function to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and for imprinting new memories, skills and abilities that you have learned during the day.
It is important to realize that everyone is different and has different needs when it come to shutting off their eyes. It is important to remember that everyone has different needs and will need to shut off their phone more often in this busy world.
CIRCADIAN RHYTHM – SLEEP
Their “circadian rhythm” is the most important difference between sleepers. The body’s 24-hour rhythm is simply a set of physical, mental, and behavioral changes. People are most alert around mid-morning. They then become tired at about 3pm and are completely alert again by 6pm. A person’s “chronotype” is the variation in the times these tiredness peaks and troughs occur. This determines when they are most productive.
Some people have earlier cycles than others, dividing the population into night owls and morning larks. It is not easy to alter one’s circadian rhythm. If you’ve ever experienced jetlag, you’ll know what I mean. It could be detrimental for both owls and larks to try to force them to follow the same schedule. This invisible threat can be countered by allowing for individual flexibility.
FLEXITIME
It doesn’t mean that you have to allow people to come and go as they wish, but some flexibility can be a big help. People can choose their own working hours. They can start between 8-10am, and leave between 4-6pm. This allows them to match their natural rhythm. This will encourage healthy Work-Life Balance, making people happier and more productive in the office.
SET REALISTIC OBJECTIVES
Unrealistic expectations can make it difficult for employees to sleep at night. We are more connected than ever to our coworkers and our personal lives are becoming more intertwined with work. You can improve the quality of sleep by setting achievable goals , and disallowing people to work in their designated times off.
ENCOURAGE
People who work long hours are less likely to exercise. According to the Health and Safety Executive, 30 minutes of exercise per night is sufficient to improve sleep quality. Encourage your employees to get active, whether they are working or not, and you might see an improvement in their work quality.
KEEP REGULAR SHIFT PATTERNS
We have already discussed how difficult it can be to alter your circadian rhythm. This is especially important for shift workers. Try to keep your shift work as consistent as possible by setting consistent start times. It is better to wait until Monday to move someone to a night shift if you have to. Give them time to adjust.
This style of management may require a slight perception shift. Managers often assume that larks have more motivation and are better performers than their nocturnal counterparts. However, the reverse may also be true. This is a result of the old saying “the early bird catches he worm.” But we now know that we aren’t birds; we are humans. Worms also exist at night.
It is time to treat our employees as people. Give them time off and allow them to enjoy a fulfilled life outside the office. It will improve their productivity and their physical health, as I have seen it firsthand.