Getting sufficient sleep is a need that every human on the planet shares, but, for most of us, the ability to do that is increasingly under assault. Whether it’s the changing nature of work or your always-on technology, life’s stressors and distractions get in the way of your good night’s sleep – but they’re the exact reasons you need sleep in the first place! Sleep is vital for emotional health and your overall wellbeing, but this is something we often overlook.
In the three-legged stool of good health, nutrition and exercise are constantly discussed, while sleep has so far come up short. There is a mountain of evidence about the incidence and costs of sleeplessness, and the efficacy of various interventions, and so changing your attitude towards sleep could change your life for the better. But why stop with your attitude? How can we get everyone sleeping better, so that relational wellness improves?
First, we need to influence the influencers. As it stands, scriptwriters and directors portray people operating on no sleep as models of machismo and dedication, but no real person can function that way. We also need to get the tech community involved, as new apps, for example, could nudge people toward more healthful behaviour. The healthcare and education sectors have a huge amount of influence, as these are made up of the trusted professionals with whom you already interact about health and informed behaviour. How could we make sleep a more prominent topic in these conversations?
However, as you spend the majority of your week at work, perhaps its time to generate better attitudes towards sleep and mental health in the workplace. Your company would stand to benefit directly from a greater awareness of the importance of sleep, as it makes all the difference to productivity and healthcare costs. Plus, if your company understood the importance of sleep, this may translate into a better working environment for all. The office can be the primary reason you don’t get enough sleep, whether it’s because of a hypercompetitive culture or a level of pressure that leaves decision-makers lying awake at night, so it makes sense to pull more businesses into the movement to change attitudes and behaviours toward sleep.