When it comes to issues of sleep, we will fully admit we have a problem of not sleeping enough. Too many people are suffering in silence, because there is a perception that more sleeping means there is something wrong – you could have used those hours to be productive.
However, does this mentality help you stay productive? Not really. A recent study found that every six in seven Americans struggles with sleep disorders, and they have poor productivity at work or school because of it. Lack of sleep eventually leads to dismal work performance, whether you like it or not.
The groggier you are, the more irritable you become even while working and it isnever enjoyable to sit at your desk trying to concentrate while your head feels like it iscompletely stuffed by sleep.You might turn to coffee to help you wake up and stimulate your energy levels, but this is not necessarily a fool proof way of staying productive.
While getting a comfortable bed helps in sleeping better, the solution involves more than that. Here are some suggestions you can implement to guarantee better productivity during the day at your workplace.
Improve your bedtime routines
While this is not necessarily the biggest of surprises, it plays a major role in determining how well you eventually sleep and wake up energized. The best way to deal with sleep inefficiencies is not by sleeping more and ‘making up for lost sleep’, but by establishing a sleep routine and create a conducive resting environment.
You can do this through:
- Going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time every day (even on weekends)
- Turning down your thermostat and the lights
- Reducing your intake of caffeine and alcohol
- Having a bedtime ritual like a warm bath
- Avoiding looking at screens just before getting into bed
If you snore, seek medical help
You might have the best nighttime routine and best helix mattress quality in the world to create a conducive sleep environment, but all your efforts will be void when you are struggling with snoring. Snoring will always interfere with your sleep cycle as the night progresses, which makes it very challenging for your body to effectively complete all its REM cycles – and that explains why snorers are always tired during the normal waking hours.
There is a range of strategies you can use if this condition is part of your life. These range from losing weight, strengthening your throat muscles, and even use of some special devices for anti-snoring.
Stop snoozing your alarm
Snoozing is literally the worst enemy of circadian rhythms. While you might think getting a few minutes is nice for you, the truth is your body will begin another sleep cycle once you fall back asleep and disrupt the internal body clock when the alarm sounds off again. In actual fact, snoozing will always leave you worse off than when the alarm went off the first time.
If this is a major problem for you, you are not alone. Invest in an app or clock that gradually wakes you up, or get out of bed as soon as the alarm sounds.
Give yourself sufficient preparation time
As much as you want to get up early, it will not help when you are in a mad dash to get to work at the fastest time possible. Make sure to set youralarm early enough to allow you to prepare yourself adequately at your own pace. However, you must also avoid activities that will stress you as you prepare for work, like checking your emails – honestly, that can wait until you get to the office. You can do things that will help you get in the right frame of mind, such as working out, meditation, and reading a book.
Go outside
Exposure to light affects the body clock in numerous ways, and the greater the light is, the more awake you will feel. It gives you a greater energy boost, especially if you stay outside for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Taking a morning walk also helps to boost your mental energy and alertness.
On your morning walk, you might want to think about bringing along a pre-made breakfast such as overnight oats or a fruit bowl, so you can keep yourself going without the horrible feeling of hunger pangs that people get when they go straight into exercising. In addition to this, a green tea energy drink might be a good idea as well to keep yourself hydrated and awake so you can have a good outdoor ramble.
Improving your breakfast intake
In the morning, the priority is to get your system up and running – and you can do this through the food you take. Well-balanced breakfasts will ensure you stay productive throughout the working hours, and you will not need to struggle with cravings later in the day.
If you cannot take breakfast at that point, then prioritize drinking water in the morning. This is because brain fog increases sharply when you are dehydrated, and you can even develop headaches or difficulties in concentrating on your work.
Removing the things or habits that are interfering with your sleep
Sometimes, lack of sleep is due to bad habits that we have – whether knowingly or unknowingly. It is not enough to wrap yourself in your blankets and shut your eyes for you to sleep – it is important to eliminate these bad habits that are interfering with the quality of your sleep.
Most of the time, the major culprits behind poor sleeping patterns are alcohol and caffeine. Caffeine’s effects are out there in the public realm, although you might not know that they last for about four to seven hours. On the other hand, alcohol tricks your brain into ‘falling asleep’, but it interferes with the quality because it fragments your sleep cycle.
For some people, certain medication can also interfere with the quality of sleep. If this is your case, you can talk to your doctor to find out if there are alternatives or switch the time you take the medication.
Final thoughts
While all these methods might seem basic and not have much to them,the simplicity is the point. The increase of healthy habits begins when you consciously make healthy choices and start in simple ways. It is important to maintain this consistently, whether you work from home, run a small business, or head out to your workplace, so that you continue feeling refreshed.
