Why Sleep Management is important for Corporate Employees

Why Sleep Management is important for Corporate Employees

Poor sleep quality impacts the health of employees and the quality of work.

But, what connections are there between a good night’s sleep and your team’s daily performance?

Well, Sleep Deprivation can have very negative consequences for the individual, from loss of concentration and productivity to more severe diseases such as Hypertension and Heart Disease.

I recently read a super interesting article about a company that paid its employees to sleep better. That’s right! An American health insurance company, Aetna, decided to reward employees who sleep at least seven hours a night. Employees can earn up to $300 more in their yearly salary just to get a good night’s sleep. The program was created in 2009 due to the company’s concern about the impact of lack of sleep on employee performance. Each year the number of participants only grows, and in 2015, almost half of Aetna’s employees (12 thousand people) had already joined the program.

So, how sleep management will improve productivity at work?

With the arrival of adulthood, many people prioritize professional development, often sacrificing nights of sleep. However, many are unaware that sleeping well helps at work and can even improve performance and creativity.

The growing demands of modern life have led people to increasingly value career advancement. However, this can be a very dangerous practice, directly harming aspects such as health, affective life and even development at work.

Improvements in mood, reduced stress, and increased creativity are some of the areas of life that benefit when we understand the value of a night’s rest.

Below I explain how rest can impact your performance and bring better results at work.

Increased productivity and creativity

It is very difficult to maintain focus and motivation when you are tired, and in these conditions, it is common for people to stop paying attention to what is happening around them. In the face of exhaustion scenarios, minor errors usually occur.

Although many believe that sacrificing a night’s rest to finish a job is a professional advantage, studies show that sleep deprivation decreases people’s ability to process information and solve problems.

So remember that, to be the professional that the market is looking for, sleeping and allowing your brain to have the deserved rest will be essential.

Decreased stress

It is common for people to have difficulty “disconnecting” from the problems and demands of work, which can lead to a decrease in rest hours. However, repeated nights of sleep deprivation can increase anxiety, stress and irritability.

With the job market increasingly demanding, people live under a high level of professional pressure. But, just like leisure time, rest at night is the key to replenishing mental energy and improving motivation at work.

Improvements in mood

Did you know that sleeping poorly directly affects our ability to relate to people? Now, think how important it is to be able to interact with co-workers easily as a professional.

In addition to being invigorating, valuing a night’s sleep will help you live in harmony with the different profiles of people in your professional environment.

Coming back to the main topic – why should companies care about the sleep management of their employees?

The formula for good performance at work includes a cheap activity: sleeping. Quality sleep is critical to maintaining productivity. However, this important daily task is being neglected by many professionals.

How did you sleep last night? It may sound like a weird question, but studies prove that sleep is one of the most significant factors influencing how you’ll work – and perform – today and throughout your life.

In recent years, an increasing number of companies have been concerned about the quality of sleep of their employees, and different actions have been adopted to work on this issue in organizations. Johnson & Johnson, for example, offers employees a digital coaching program to combat insomnia, which involves an online sleep diary and mobile relaxation videos. And of course, I couldn’t forget to mention Google, with the initiative called Sleeposium, which are informative symposia that reveal the benefits of good sleep and give practical tips to help employees sleep better.

The fact is that poor sleep quality affects productivity and health costs for the employee. For example, a Harvard survey estimated that the average worker misses 11.3 workdays a year due to lack of sleep. This is estimated to amount to an annual loss of $63.2 billion to the US economy.

Investing in your team’s quality of life can bring an invaluable return, as it not only affects the company financially but also promotes more health and well-being for your team.

We believe in collaborative relationship-based care where our Ayurvedic Doctors, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Ayurvedic Supplement Brands, Ayurvedic Nutritionists & Chefs, Yoga, and Meditation Trainers are in sync. Contact the team who passionately works together to hold your hand in this healing journey.

6 Ways to have Mindfulness at Work

6 Ways to have Mindfulness at Work

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us, however big or small. Individuals who practice mindfulness are aware of minute actions and their surroundings, be it typing on the keypad or light emanating from the laptop. To put it simply, Mindfulness is about being fully present in the current moment.
In this age of Attention Economy, when human beings’ mindspace is commoditized, Mindfulness is slowly becoming an essential life skill, be it at work or home. The renowned Buddhist teacher Thich Nath Hahn reminds us that almost half of our lives are spent at work. Therefore the quality of what we bring to our work – despite what we do – has deep resonance in the rest of our lives. According to him, our work can be a great nourishment and the cause of a lot of our suffering. Here are a few simple exercises to practice Mindfulness at work:

Pay attention: It’s hard to slow down and notice things in a busy world. Try to take the time to experience your environment with all of your senses — touch, sound, sight, smell and taste.

Live in the moment: Try to intentionally bring an open, accepting and discerning attention to everything you do. Find joy in simple pleasures.

Accept yourself: Treat yourself the way you would treat a good friend.

Focus on your breathing: When you have negative thoughts, try to sit down, take a deep breath and close your eyes. Focus on your breath as it moves in and out of your body. Sitting and breathing for even just a minute can help.

Check Email Less: A constantly pinging inbox can be a constant source of distraction, while taking you away from higher-priority tasks. If your job allows it, disable your push notifications and only check your email when you actually have uninterrupted time to concentrate fully on it.

Practice gratitude: Having a bad day at work? Use those days as an opportunity to cultivate mindfulness at work. Try meditation and write down all the reasons you like your job to remind yourself why you chose this job to begin with. Remind yourself it’s a bad day not a bad job.

Drawing boundaries after work: Whether you are working from home or an office it’s important to unplug at the end of the workday and set boundaries, so you can be truly present after. Here’s one way to do it: turn off your phone, laptop, audio book, and any other distractions, and simply be — noticing things around you and focusing on the breath. If thoughts about work issues and stress arise, simply acknowledge them and let them go.

How ASHAexperience can help you practice Mindfulness at Work

At ASHAexperience, we have experienced Yogis and Meditation experts who can help our patrons cultivate the art of Mindfulness in everyday life. Our teachers are available for a 1:1 virtual consultation to help the corporate workforce reduce stress and fatigue.

At ASHAexperience, we also host Corporate Wellness Workshops in USA and Europe which includes Ayurvedic Wellness and Yoga & Meditation Workshops for the corporate sector. With this program, we strive to bring healthier and happier employees to the workplace.

We believe in collaborative relationship-based care where our Ayurvedic Doctors, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Ayurvedic Supplement Brands, Ayurvedic Nutritionists & Chefs, Yoga, and Meditation Trainers are in sync. Contact the team who passionately works together to hold your hand in this healing journey.