Sleep plays a major role in health, well-being and productivity. It is considered one of the four pillars of health alongside nutrition, physical fitness and emotional balance. Though we differ in our sleep needs, studies have shown that most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night. During sleep, many processes that are crucial for our health and well-being take place in our body and brain. Without sufficient quality sleep, many of these processes simply go awry, making us more prone to being ill and to suffer from chronic health issues. Yet, one in three US adults don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis, and more than 70 million suffer from sleep issues. It’s not surprising thus that sleep has a huge impact on our health and well-being, also while at work. Because of that, sleep problems are also a significant predictor of job satisfaction, absenteeism, reduced productivity and job performance. Furthermore, sleep and co-occurring health issues have been linked to significantly increased healthcare utilization. In the US, an estimated 23 million working days are lost annually due to sleep deprivation. Moreover, 76 percent of Americans report they are tired at work, and over 43 percent indicate being too tired to adequately perform at work, according to a National Safety Council survey. The annual cost of reduced productivity due to fatigue is up to $3,100 per employee. Meanwhile, the average cost of traditional insomnia treatment ranges from about $200 a year for medication up to $1,200 for behavioral therapy. Today, digitally-based sleep treatments are revolutionizing the market by offering available and effective ways to improve sleep and productivity and to reduce costs. In total, inadequate sleep costs the US economy $411 billion per year (in GDP terms), and a report by the World Economic Forum identifies sleep as one of the eight major employee behaviors that employers should invest resources in, if they wish to both increase productivity and significantly reduce healthcare costs. So how can employees get a good night’s sleep and full daytime alertness? It mostly depends on adopting habits that are conducive to sleep, like limiting daily caffeine consumption, keeping a regular sleep schedule, avoiding watching screens before bedtime, exercising regularly, practicing relaxation, optimizing the sleep space and more. Moreover, there are designated apps to help individuals reach a state of mind that will promote better sleep, like Headspace and Calm. Luckily, there are various actions that can be taken at the workplace to help your employees sustain well-rested, productive minds and bodies. Simply generating a conversation about the importance of sleep and alertness in and outside of the workplace and supporting work-life balance might be beneficial. Today, digital sleep solutions are revolutionizing the market by offering effective ways to improve sleep and productivity and reduce associated costs. If looking for comprehensive, science-backed services, employers can now provide their employees with digital sleep training programs. Dayzz Sleep App is using scientifically-based methods and technologies to help its users unravel their sleep needs, track their sleep habits, and provide them with a personalized, data-driven sleep-plan. Employers receive periodic overview reports presenting aggregated data about their employees’ sleep status to help them better understand how to further improve employee experience and performance. Whatever solution you choose for your employees, we wish them success on their journey towards a better night’s sleep!
This blog post was written by Dayzz, a next-generation app that provides employees with personalized sleep improvement programs. Dayzz is a platinum sponsor of the 7th Annual Emerging Trends in Wellness Conference. Sources
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National Institutes of Health (NIH). National Institutes of Health State of the Science Conference statement on manifestations and management of chronic insomnia in adults, June 13-15, 2005. Sleep 28, 1049–1057 (2005). #sleep #insomnia #sleephealth #sleepissues #sleepproblems #fatigue #sleephabits