MENTAL HEALTH, STRESS & WELLBEING THE BIG ZZZZZZZ John O’Reilly is a European-accredited expert Sleep Specialist and a


member of SleepHubs. Here, he uncovers the importance of a good night ’s rest on our productivity levels.


At any one time, only 35% of a company’s workforce is getting good, regular sleep. As a nation we are sleeping less and over 30% of the population is only sleeping five-to-six hours per night.


Less than five hours sleep is equivalent to being drunk with alcohol intoxication in a driving simulator. In law, driving after being awake for 19 hours may therefore be considered to be reckless.


“Less than five hours sleep is equivalent to


being drunk with alcohol intoxication in a driving simulator.”


Sleep apnoea is associated with a seven-fold increase in road accidents, often at high speed and fatal due to brief spells of loss of attention or consciousness. Drivers may not later recall these ‘micro-sleeps’ but sometimes show sleepy behaviours including yawning, opening windows or playing loud music.


Sleep is vital to our health, wellbeing and productivity. Around 200,000 working days are lost each year due to insufficient sleep.


It is estimated to cost the UK


economy over £30bn a year, equivalent to almost 2% of GDP.


Yet, it is simple to monitor the quantity and quality of your workforce’s sleep. A one-minute online assessment will give employers a viable insight into their staff’s sleep. Then they can address whether they need to simply improve the quality of their sleep or they require a diagnosis and treatment pathway.


Sleephubs are assisting companies across the UK with anything from bespoke 24-day programmes encouraging good sleep habits to treating insomnia, sleep apnoea and restless legs, for which specific help and treatment is readily available.


One organisation, in as little as two weeks, improved quality of sleep achieved by its staff by 10%. All were getting an extra half an hour of sleep each night, feeling better and improving their sleep quality without spending more time in bed. Some people achieved an extra hour per night or more.


Participation was very simple taking only a few minutes each day, with each participant submitting a quick and simple sleep diary every morning. This was


30


assessed by a sleep expert who identified the main issues and then a sleep coach discussed with the participant what ‘tweak’ they need to adopt as routine, followed by a fortnight of practise.


FACTS ABOUT SLEEP Sleep deprivation interferes with the normal functions of sleep, which involve general housekeeping functions in the brain and body. Lack of sleep has been associated with emotional instability and decreased pain tolerance.


Ideally, we need between seven and eight hours sleep in several cycles of deep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep to maintain normal thinking and decision making. During deep sleep the lymphatic system washes the brain clean of waste products which build up in the day.


Deep sleep maintains normal body functions including removal of metabolic wastes and toxins as well as maintenance of normal metabolic function and development of growth and anabolic hormone secretion.


While in deep sleep, redundant memories acquired during the day are pruned and important memories and learning are retained and consolidated into long- term memory during REM sleep.


Sleep has anti-oxidant functions and is important for wound healing and strengthened immunity.


COMMON SLEEP DISORDERS The most common, insomnia, prevents people getting off to sleep or returning to sleep after waking, and is often associated with anxiety or depression. A course of CBT for insomnia can address this.


Sleep apnoea causes disturbed sleep with repeated breathing obstructions in the throat, leading to snoring, pauses in breathing, frequent visits to the bathroom and daytime sleepiness.


Restless legs syndrome affects about 10% of the population, with a feeling of discomfort in the legs or arms, associated with an urge to move, and relief after movement.


It is simple to monitor the quality and quantity of an entire workforce’s sleep


Employers can help improve productivity and satisfaction at work by educational initiatives to help workers identify sleep problems and improve time management and sleep hygiene (e.g. TweakSleep Challenge).


www.sleephubs.com www.tomorrowshs.com


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