Get Enough Sleep to Be Productive on The Job

With company cutbacks and economic uncertainty, it is no wonder there has been a jump in work-related stress sleep issues. According to MSN, one out of four adults say they are not getting the sleep they need because of their work schedule or worries. However, skipping sleep causes more than tired eyes it drastically affects your health and your performance on the job.

Dr. Nancy Collop is the director of the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Centers. She says people should think of sleep as a daily necessity like food and water. If you go a day or two without water, your body starts shutting down. The same thing happens to your body when you skip sleep, even though you may not necessarily see the damage. You will have reduced performance, learning and memory. Dr Archibald Hart, author of Sleep, It Does a Family Good, says if you shortchange yourself even one hour of sleep a night, your job performance will plummet by 40%, the same effect as being drunk. Over time, a lack of sleep boosts your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and an early death. So, how can you get enough sleep to be productive on the job?

• First, do not toss and turn all night worrying about what you have to do tomorrow. Jot down notes in a journal and then roll over! That will help clear your mind.

• Another sleep-boosting tip is to limit multi-tasking. Jumping back and forth between tasks hurts your productivity, and constantly switching gears boosts stress hormones, and that can interfere with sleep.

• Jet-lag. People tend to stay up later on the weekend, which resets your internal clock just like traveling across the country. To resolve this situation you can try to stick as closely as you can to your weekday sleep schedule.

• Lastly, if you continue to have sleep issues, see a therapist or sleep disorder clinician. You could have chronic insomnia, and you will need more than sleep medication.