When life gets hectic and something’s got to go, sleep is often the first thing eaten up by your busy schedule. But that’s a bad idea. In fact, adequate sleep is so important that The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has declared insufficient sleep a public health problem. Proper sleep patterns are especially important for work performance, which usually requires increased concentration. Business owners can actually decrease liability risks by encouraging good sleep habits, and employees can enhance productivity by getting enough shut eye.
Your wakeup call
Not getting enough sleep is nothing to play with. Even if you don’t hurt anyone by making mistakes at your job, most everyone drives to work. According to drowsydriving.org, a wing of the National Sleep Foundation, drowsy driving “results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses” every year. In addition, your work will suffer. Even if you manage to do good work, the time it takes increases and productivity decreases.
The benefits of getting your beauty sleep.
No sleep can hurt you, but the right sleep will supercharge you. Benefits of good sleeping habits include: fewer distractions, improved memory, better decision making, increased energy, and a better mood.
Too much sleep is bad, too
Lack of sleep is bad, but the Rip Van Winkle act is no good either. Too much sleep can have adverse effects on your health. According to WebMD, oversleeping can increase your likelihood of a number of health problems. Diabetes, obesity, depression, and heart disease are all medical conditions linked to oversleeping. Getting too much sleep can also cause headaches and back pain. In the end, it’s up to each person to find a sleep schedule that works for them. Take stock in your sleep habits and improve your work performance.
For more information
Learn more about the importance of sleep on the National Sleep Foundation website. Visit the Front Porch blog on grinnellmutual.com for more health and safety tips.