We’ve heard a lot about how lack of sleep can harm productivity at work. But what if work harms sleep…and all of the other things in life that rely on it?
New studies are showing that work is cutting into sleep and overall quality of life in a big way for many Americans.
As a new Huffington Post article pointed out, we are collectively experiencing “stress, decreased productivity and burnout.” Many of us feel relieved when the weekend arrives, not because we’re anticipating fun plans but because we’re utterly exhausted.
A new study by the University of Pennsylvania found that more people attributed sleep loss to working late than any other reason, and many sleep-deprived workers had long commutes. The study suggested delaying work start times because people who start their days later seem to get more sleep.
But really, if people are working too many hours either way and working late, that might not solve the problem.
The ubiquity of work as screen time is another challenge. Even if you have no commute and work from home, the temptation is strong these days to check that email just one more time before bed and keep your smartphone on you at all times—just in case.
Another study indicated that upper-level managers who used their phones after 9 p.m. got less sleep or experienced lower quality of sleep. The same study showed that various forms of screen time—laptops, tablets, etc.—can harm sleep, but smartphones seem to be the worst for employees of any level.
So many of us are “subconsciously on call” these days that it’s hard to unplug and be truly apart from work in our so-called “off” hours. It’s hard to fully let go even on vacation, because we’re worried about those piles of emails waiting upon our returns.
It’s no secret that working late, being on call or feeling the need to check emails late at night can hamper one’s ability to turn it off and relax into a good snooze.
The truth is increasingly that, not only do we work hard while we’re at work and put in long hours, we can’t leave it behind when we should be relaxing. Studies have shown that stress and insomnia are linked. We have trouble giving ourselves permission to rest–or to buy a decent mattress, for that matter.
In addition, we spend so much time either at the office, driving back and forth, or on our phones and laptops at home that we miss out on other meaningful activities. We could be spending time with friends and family or taking care of ourselves with exercise and just plain fun!
No doubt, work is important. But should it run our lives and creep into time when we should be sleeping, of all things? In 2015, let’s make it a point to think carefully about work’s rightful place in our lives and act intentionally to keep it from overstepping its boundaries.
We just might find that we can do more in fewer hours and be happier—and better rested—at the same time.
Sleep Tight, Urbanites!