Getting proper sleep

Getting proper sleep is important to your mental and physical health. Employees that do not get the proper amount of rest tend to be drowsy at least one time during the workday and this causes the productivity to decrease. When a person gets proper sleep, they have more patience, better efficiency, better reaction time, less stress, and improved health. The proper amount of sleep is 8-10 hours of sleep each night. The average adult is only getting 6 hours of sleep each night. Studies have found that a person that gets fewer than 6 hours of sleep will triple the risk of car accidents because their judgment is impaired. It is almost worse than being a drunk driver.

Employers are also noticing that their employees that do not get the proper amount of sleep each night also have little motivation to do their jobs. Many of them experience burn out, stress, aggressive behaviors, and moodiness. So what can employers do to reduce the office bickering? One of the best things you can do for your employees is to start having an afternoon nap time. Studies have found that 20 minutes of sleep in the afternoon provides more rest to the body than sleeping in an extra 20 minutes in the morning. Our bodies naturally become tired in the afternoon and this is because they need power naps.

A good amount of rest for the afternoon is 15-30 minutes. If you sleep longer, you will fall into a deep stage of sleep and this can be hard to awaken from, it also makes it hard for the body to wake up and get back into the daily routine of work. Sleeping too long will make it more difficult to sleep during the night, which can cause even more problems for a person.

Studies have found that individuals that get less than 6 hours of sleep a night have an increased chance of 27% towards obesity. This percentage increases to 50% for individuals who sleep less than 5 hours a night and continues to increase to a 73% chance when individuals sleep less than four hours a night.

Reports have identified that lack of sleep can be totaled to about $100 billion per year in costs to businesses! With such a high number, it makes sense to offer nap time and save yourself some lost production costs, even if you have to shut down in the afternoon for a few minutes.

Set aside a room in the office where employees can go to get a power nap in. This room must be void of light and comfortable for the employee. Try to provide some comfortable furniture for the employees to rest on. Martha Stewart has designed a power nap pillow. You basically lie down on a triangular-shaped bed (your feet are in the air) and you should remain on the pillow for the duration of your power nap. This pillow helps to promote blood flow to the brain and it can help your brain become more alert when you awaken from your nap. Don't forget to include alarm clocks in the room so your employees know when their 20 minutes is up.

Even closing your eyes for 5 minutes a day can give you a break from stress and it allows the body to relax. You will get a little more energy to complete the rest of your daily tasks. Encourage your employees to drink more water and avoid caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant and it actually disrupts sleep and stays in the system for at least 6 hours. This is a big reason why many of your employees are unable to get to bed earlier or why they are unable to fall to sleep faster.