Sleeping: It matters for work

Wanna work stronger, think smarter and live longer – sleep well. In modern days lifestyle, majority of working age people barely get time to repose and rest.? Sleeping irregularity, sleep deprivations and total sleeplessness are getting common in our society. Getting sound sleep as circadian rhyme is precious and rare these days. The undeniable importance of a good snooze in our health matrix like the rest of them as - the best cleanliness, the best exercises, the best warmth and the best food. Sleep well so that you can live well, live well so that you can work well. Sleep for your own self, sleep for the shake of none other of yourself, sleep so that you can be who you truly meant to be.

“How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads, to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams.” — Bram Stoker

Personally, I am a very much morning person and have always been so ever since my early childhood. I have inherited sleeping early in night and rising early in the morning from grandparents and parents. They would always rise very early for pre-dawn prayers as habit (?alāt al-Fajr ???? ?????) and being awake till late night has never been in our culture. Hence, we have healthy sleeping habits in our gene.

Sleeping is the natural, easily reversible periodic state of humans and other living beings that is marked by the absence of wakefulness and by the loss of consciousness of one's surroundings, is accompanied by a typical body posture (such as lying down with the eyes closed), the occurrence of dreaming, and changes in brain activity and physiological functioning, is made up of cycles of?non-REM sleep?and?REM sleep, and is considered as essential to the restoration and recovery of vital bodily and mental functions.

With advancement in science, technology and research findings in human psychology – we have learned many vital things about sleep. The more we know about sleep, the more we keep on discovering about the direct impact of sleep on our health, happiness and happenings in life. Sound deep sleep heals, while unhealthy sleeping habits lead to serious illness, fatigue, depressions and performance at work, studies and physical activities.

Sleep loss may have serious negative consequences, such as fatigue, mood changes, slower reaction time, and hallucinations. In rare and individual cases, it may be life threatening. Par experiment, the longest recorded duration without sleep is about 264 hours (over 11 consecutive days). Albeit, this is not established so far, exactly how long humans can survive without sleep, it isn't long before the effects of sleep deprivations start to show up. Rather, after only three to four nights continued without sleep, one can start to hallucinate.

In this article let us highlight the importance of sleep for our health, wellness and workplace efficiency.

Chew your worries, swallow your pride, eat your successes, digest your achievements, and, sleep your peace!

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The sleep and our biology

Sleep is a critical element of health and wellness, as other factors like diet, physical exercise, personal hygiene and emotions. Sleep directly impacts our brain performances, moods, and overall wellness. Sleeping enough is good, sleeping less is morbid and sleeping excess is useless. Sometimes, sleep can be overwhelming, and the thought of getting our eight hours cycle can make us even more restless. Regularly sleeping less than one needs at night can put severe health and safety at risk, which is why it’s essential that one prioritizes and protects his/er daily intake of sleep. A healthy sleeping pattern of eight to nine hours in a day is critical for wellness and longevity.

Sleep plays a vital role in good health and overall well-being throughout our life. The way we feel while we are awake depends in part on what happens while we are asleep. During sleep, our body is working to support healthy brain functionality and keep working to rest and recover to maintain our physical health. It's important to understand how sleep affects our heart and fluids circulatory system, metabolism, respiratory system, and immune system.

Another topic of debate, discussion and discourse is the duration of sleeping. This varies for differential age group, for neonatal babies – the hourly span of sleeping is the most, for adolescents the recommended hours are 11-12 hours, while for teenagers the minimum is 10-11 hours, and for rest youths a minimum of 8-9 hours.? For young children and teens, sleep helps support growth and development organs; bone and muscle formations. In general, getting inadequate sleep over time can raise the risks for chronic (long-term) health complications and disorder of vital organs in our biological ecosystem. Sleep deprivation affect how well we think, process information, act & react, work & perform, learn & adapt, and get along with system, people & process around us.

Sleep has proven and well established to improve concentration and productivity. Cognition, concentration, productivity, and performance are all negatively affected by sleep deprivation. In a research study conducted in the 2020, involving overworked physicians provides a reality benchmarking. It revealed that medico doctors with moderate, high, and very high sleep-related impairment were 54%, 96%, and 97%, respectively, more likely to report clinically significant medical errors. Here, I recall an Irish Proveb on sleep worth quoting “A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.”? The basic is, getting enough sleep can improve academic performance in children, adolescents, and young adults. Good sleep has been shown to improve problem-solving skills and performance in both children and adults of all age groups.

Sleep helps with learning and the formation of long-term memories. Not getting enough sleep or enough high-quality sleep can lead to problems focusing on tasks and thinking clearly. Lack of sleep affects performance of daily activities, performance at workplace, driving in traffic, studies, learning and even things of personal life.

The wise words by Arianna Huffington on sleep is remarkable, “The way to a more productive, more inspired, more joyful life is getting enough sleep.” Productivity isn't just linked to inputs of energy and resources. Cognitive abilities are very critical aspects, as well. And, as it happens, sleep is an important input. As The Sleep Foundation has to opine in this context: “People who are sleep deprived are also more likely to make errors and omissions, partially due to increased reaction times.”

The sleep and our health (Rest, Repair, Recover Cycle)

Sleep isn’t a luxury and privilege abut an absolute biological necessity, same as breathing, eating and showering. We got to change our mindset that sleep is just a down time – as when human brain gets tired, that needs rest. However, in reality, while a human sleeps his/er brain yet keeps working. Sleep helps prepare brain to create, remember, learn and unlearn.

Nedergaard et al. discovered that the human brain has a drainage system that removes toxins during sleep. “When we sleep, the brain totally changes function,” she explains. “It becomes almost like a kidney, removing waste from the system.” Her team found in mice that the drainage system removes some of the proteins linked with Alzheimer’s disease. These toxins were removed twice as fast from the brain during sleep.

Everything from blood vessels to the?immune system?uses sleep as a time for repair, says Dr. Kenneth Wright, Jr., a sleep researcher at the University of Colorado. “There are certain repair processes that occur in the body mostly, or most effectively, during sleep,” he explains. “If you don’t get enough sleep, those processes are going to be disturbed.”

The health and wellness are based on sound sleep, as said by Francesca Annis, “The minute anyone’s getting anxious I say, ‘You must eat and you must sleep.’ They are the two vital elements for a healthy life.” Eat right, sleep tight so that you can fight, as classic wisdom learnt in our family and society.

The sleep and our work (productivity, energy & efficiency)

Research based data reveals that issued related to sleep affect workers around the world, with?an estimated 1/3RD of Americans is getting insufficient sleep, similar numbers are found in Europe, while the findings in Asia is event worst as the Asian workers sleep even less.??

Numerous research and studies have found that a well-rested individual is more engaged, energetic and efficient at work. Basis a study report in Australia related to sleep shows that “people who are sleep deprived report increases in negative moods (anger, frustration, irritability, sadness) and decreases in positive moods. And sleeplessness is often a symptom of mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety. It can also raise the risk of, and even contribute to, developing some mood disorders.”?In the same report, that shows that, a rested employee is more likely to be in better mood, more energized and more engaged with their work.?

When we hit the bed and our head rest on pillow, our body can go through multiple stages of sleep. Sleep can be technically categorized into three stages: "We basically divide sleep into wake, non-REM — three types?— and REM sleep," says?Dr. Lois Krahn, a Mayo Clinic sleep medicine specialist. Dr. Krahn says the three types of non-REM, which stands for rapid eye movement, include level one, which is light sleep; level two, intermediate sleep; and level three, deep sleep. "When we are in deep sleep, our heart rate and our breathing really slows down," says Dr. Krahn. "And that just allows the body a chance to recover from the busy day." The final stage is REM sleep, which is typically when you dream. "Things speed up except a person cannot move," says Dr. Krahn. "They're paralyzed, and that's actually felt probably to be a rinsing function?— to clear the brain of toxins and byproducts that have collected during the waking day."

Dr. Krahn says not everyone goes through all of the stages. Some may skip one or two. But, in general, people alternate among several different levels of non-REM and REM sleep every night. "The longer you spend in deeper sleep, the more refreshed you'll feel in the morning," she says. The final stage of sleep of which (commonly referred to as “deep sleep”) is established to be the most important in relation to energy restoration and health preservation – a minimum of four hours of uninterrupted deep sleep is essential.?As described by the Harvard Health Publishing, “deep sleep enhances your ability to make ATP, the body's energy molecule”.??

A good night’s sleep provides individuals with the appropriate physical energy and cognitive function to carry out the day’s tasks.?As The Sleep Foundation gets direct on this, “People who are sleep deprived are also more likely to make errors and omissions, partially due to increased reaction times. In some professions, impaired reaction times may mean missing an important phone call or not responding quickly in conversation. In other professions – like doctors, first responders, and truck drivers – slow reaction times can be dangerous.”?

At the other end of the spectrum, daytime sleepiness has led?to documented cases of task mistakes and injuries in the workplace. Sleep and wellness have a long-documented correlation.??As?The Mayo Clinic report shows, “infection-fighting antibodies and cells are reduced during periods when you don't get enough sleep”, making individuals more vulnerable to everyday illnesses.??

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The sleep and good habit (Tips for best practice)

Experts and clinical practicians in the domain of sleeping science are in strong opinion that a regular good sleeping habit is critical for our health, wellness and longevity. Here are few recommended tips to improve sleeping and forming a stable good habit of sleeping.

Never force to sleep:

Forcing to get asleep does not work and that is rather a bad practice, as per latest research-based data and discoveries in the domain of science of sleep. If you are lying awake and unable to sleep, do no not try to forcefully get asleep. Sleep is a natural occurrence, once you are tired, enjoy resting and gradually close your eyes to fall asleep. Easy sleeping is a good habit that needs practice to develop, preserve and protect.

But if you cannot sleep, get up and sit in a comfortable place, do something relaxing, for example, like reading a book or listening to slow, shooting & quiet music and recalling something out of your memory. Go back to your sleeping bed when you feel sleepier.

Maintain consistency of routine:

Out of all best practices for healthy sleep habit, nothing is more important than to maintain consistence of time and clock hours. In order to have sound, strong and tight sleep, having regular routine is critical. That is known as ‘sleep hygiene’. A good sleep routine that includes having a set time to start winding down – and a way to retire, relax, recover and refresh is very important. Sleeping in the right posture heals, sleeping in a bad position harms.

Going to bed and getting up at fixed times is the best practice of good sleeping habit. The key is to go to bed at the very same time, even during holidays and weekends. Remember your wellness is more important than your entertainments.

Practice mindfulness:

Worrying about something, overthinking about many things, keeping yourself stressed and anxious would not help. Anxieties, worries and stresses can affect how well we sleep. In modern days advancement of science and medicine, there are some techniques which help and can aid to sleep better.

For example, there are things you can do daily to help manage your worries, like talking to someone whom you entrust, writing your diary, about your thoughts and concerns. If you often lie awake worrying, set aside time before bed to make a to-do list for the next day – this can be a good way to put your mind at rest. Using proven techniques like reframing unhelpful thoughts might also help, which we cover in our?self-help CBT techniques?section along with other tips.

Talk to yourself and repeat that nothing is more important than your own self, your health & wellness and for that your sleep is important.

Good diets and physical exercises:

This is proven that your dietary intake and physical conditions impact the way you can sleep. A good diet and regular physical exercise can help us to relax and get better sleep. Conversely, an unhealthy diet and lack of physical exercise may disrupt us from sleeping well.

The good practice is to avoid any stimulants one to two hours before bed. Stimulants are a common cause of?sleep problems. Avoid eating large meals close to bedtime (ideally within two hours of sleeping time). Say no to any caffeine (like coffee, tea, soda etc.), alcohol and, or nicotine if you can, because these are stimulants that make us more alert and not let us sleep.

Regular physical exercises help with sleep, but avoid anything too energetic in the 90 minutes before bedtime if you find it stops you from sleeping. Light to medium exercises, in the evening, like walking, light free hand exercise is beneficial for the body to get faster and sound sleep.

Unwind, disconnect and shut down:

The best and easy way is to switch off your devices, shut down your entertainment and get into complete unwind mode. Avoid electronic devices at least an hour before bed, as mobiles, tablets and computers all throw out blue light that stops sleep.

Remember, our sleep routine starts before we actually get into bed, so build in time every evening to relax.

The good habit before bed like reading, listening to a podcast, sleep meditation can all surely help if you have trouble sleeping.

You have to stop to recharge, refresh, reenergize, repair and recover – that is only possible when you sleep.

Create and maintain right environment:

Creating and maintaining right environment is stringently important to fall asleep. ?This is easier to drop off when it's quiet, dark, cool & peaceful – although the right sleep environment is too personalized and variable from individual to individual. Silence is golden when it comes to sleep for many of us. Good curtains or blinds can help to keep a room dark and avoid unwanted lights by keeping clocks out of view and phones facing down.

Make sure your room is the right temperature for you and well ventilated, as a cool room is usually better to sleep in than a hot or stuffy one. Some people also find it helpful to listen to music for sleep, such as ambient sounds like rainfall, gentle music, white noise, jazz or even waterfall and wind blowing.

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