We know a good night’s sleep plays an important role in regulating your mood and productivity the following day. However, even after a good night’s sleep to set up your day, some careers can still push people into a repetitive cycle of tired at work but awake at night.
The sector you work in, as well as the role you have can have a massive impact on your stress levels, subsequently causing you to sleep a lot less than the recommended 7-9 hours.
Many of us make the mistake of taking our work home with us, and this lack of separation between work and home can cause us to lack relaxation at home. Dr Nerina, Silentnight’s sleep expert, tells us that being able to relax at home is essential for being able to get a better night’s sleep. Separating our work and home lives can be difficult but a few small steps could help us make the most of the regenerative properties of sleep.
Dr Nerina recommends making a ‘to do list’ before you leave work. This organisation of your thoughts and preparation for the next day, can help you leave any stress at work behind. This forward planning puts you in good stead for the next day and allows for you to be able to head home and have some downtime knowing you can face tomorrow feeling organised.
Leaving work on time can also play a role in ensuring you can get home in time to prepare for a better night’s sleep. A lot of people find themselves staying behind after work to catch up with work or ensuring things are finished. Although this can be beneficial to your work life, trying to leave the office on time for at least 3 nights a week could help boost productivity levels. This makes time to allow for 3-4 early nights a week, which Dr Nerina recommends for placing your body into a deeper stage of sleep.
Dr Nerina’s also highlights the sleep complications of shift workers. People who work outside of the usual 9-5 are more likely to have a ‘broken’ circadian’ timer. This results in people having issues getting to sleep, and staying asleep, following an event or change in lifestyle.
Dr Nerina found that working against your body clock is detrimental to your health and disrupts your regular body cycle, resulting in poor sleep and ultimately taking its toll on your energy, the following day.
So, for those who feel like they’re burning the candle at both ends and don’t have a balanced work to lifestyle ratio, there’s help at hand with more insight on getting a good night’s sleep here.
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