Day 2 focused on the importance of sleep, its impact on our health, society and our economy. Sleeping should be serious business, with a Deloitte report showing an economic cost to Australia in 2019 – 20 financial year to be $14.4 billion.
Geoff Brearley did a great job of highlighting the need for sleep hygiene to set you up for better sleep. Some additional points I wanted to add. Firstly, is the crucial role exercise having in sleep. We are mostly sitting throughout the day that continues after work, yes, we are mentally fatigued after a long day at the office, but physically we have not expended much energy at all! The process of sleep is to recharge our physical and mental batteries, so completing some regular movement throughout the day will promote better sleep.
Secondly, the use of guided meditation is a great tool for those that struggle to quiet the mind before sleep. There are plenty of free apps and great resources in this area, so try one that works for you.
Lastly, the strategic use of naps should become possible for workers throughout the day. Crazy idea, well Nike and Google already utilise sleep pods for their teams to recharge throughout the day. The optimal time is 20 minutes to revitilise without compromising sleep quality. Nappers are more focused, energised and productive after 20 minutes. Instead of struggling through the day, maybe organisations need to think differently about what they can do to power wellbeing at work.
Let’s all think differently about sleep, make it a priority and enjoy the many benefits for our mental and physical health.
