How Sleep Helps Prevent Burnout

The Latest Sleep Research

Sleep is absolutely essential for living a healthy life to which we all aspire. Sleep restores our minds and bodies literally overnight, setting us up to perform well both physically and mentally. Dr. Matthew Edlund, M.D. writes, “During rest the body rebuilds, renews, rewires, and re-creates itself.” 1

In The Sleep Manual: Training your mind and body to achieve the perfect night’s sleep, author Wilfred R. Pigeon Ph.D., says,

  • “Until relatively recently, medical science largely ignored sleep-related conditions such as insomnia. However, during the latter half of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, our understanding of the nature and consequences of disordered sleep has grown exponentially. 

  • It has become clear that good-quality sleep in adequate amounts is an essential component of balanced health.

  • Not only does poor or inadequate sleep result in the most apparent consequences of fatigue, impaired cognitive function, and reduced quality of life, but - as emerging data suggest - it may predispose to other psychological and physiological disturbances, including depression and disturbance in the cardiovascular, immune, and other biological systems.”2

Quality sleep directly affects our quality of work. Dr. Wilfred R. Pigeon, Ph.D., continues,

  • “in terms of work or school performance, chronic insomnia is associated with having less job satisfaction. It is also linked with lower performance scores and productivity. 

  • Several studies have also found significantly higher rates of absenteeism in workers with insomnia when compared with good sleepers.

  • Insomniacs report making more errors and having poorer work efficiency than sound sleepers, and workplace accidents are more common in workers with insomnia.” 3

In The Business of Sleep: How sleeping better can transform your career, author Vicki Culpin states, 

  • “On an annual basis, the UK loses 0.2 million working days a year due to insufficient sleep, and the United States loses 1.23 million working days.”4

  • “These increased mortality rates and lower productivity levels (as a result of absenteeism) cost the UK economy between #36.7 billion and $50 billion per year, and cost the United States between $280.60 billion and $411 billion per year.”5

Habits for Great Sleep

  1. Sleep rituals help us transition from wakefulness toward sleep.  Take time to relax.

  2. Have a hygiene routine including flossing and brushing your teeth, taking a shower or bathe, pull back the sheets of your bed and close the blinds.

  3. Enjoy non-stimulating activities such as reading.

  4. Stop using screens such as television, phone, and tablet at this time as the blue light coming from them is known to decrease melatonin production and therefore inhibit sleep.

  5. Keep your bedroom for sleep and sex only.

  6. Remove televisions and electronics. Move your phone, laptop, and tablet outside of the bedroom. Turn off your phone’s ringer and set the voicemail to say you are unavailable. Set up a unique ringtone for close friends or family that will ring through even when the ringer is off.

  7. If your bedroom is the only place you can have peace and quiet, then have a chair or lounge area separate from your bed.

  8. A consistent routine subconsciously tells your body to begin winding down as it associates these activities with getting sleepy.

  9. 2-4 hours before bed, write your worries in a journal that you use exclusively for this use. Write down the things that are bothering you in a few brief words.

  10. Next, write down possible solutions to the things you wrote. The solutions are what helps, creating the next step so your brain can stop processing and worrying about the challenge. This also trains your brain to think creatively and come up with solutions regularly.

  11. If worrying arises again, remind yourself of the solution and, silently or vocally, tell yourself you will look after it (in the morning, tomorrow, next week) and that it is in safe-keeping.

  12. Get physical. Move your body in a relaxing way, whether that is walking, yoga, or stretching.
    Practice mindfulness during your activity by focussing on your breath, your environment, and the beauty surrounding you.

  13. Practice mindfulness during your activity by focussing on your breath, your environment, and the beauty surrounding you.

  14. Possibly do this alongside a friend or loved one to provide yourself with social rest and connection.

Sleeping Hacks - In Bed

  • While lying in bed, tell yourself how comfortable the bed is. See it as a welcome luxury. Often the fear of not sleeping can make you unable to sleep, so luxuriating in your bed can really help.

  • Close your eyes and deep breathe, just like you practiced during the day.

  • Practice mindfulness like you practiced during the day.

  • The first phase of sleep often doesn’t feel like sleep. You may notice odd thoughts that don’t quite make sense going through your mind. This is essentially like dreaming. Tell yourself you are sleeping and then sink into it.

  • If you can’t sleep, there are a few schools of thought. Here are a couple for you to try and find what works for you.

  1. Rest. Make your goal to rest peacefully rather than sleep. With sleep as your goal, it can cause a lot of pressure. Merely choosing to rest can remove that pressure. A helpful practice is telling yourself, “it feels so good just to rest.”

  2. Get up. After a predetermined amount of time, get out of bed, and go to a quiet, peaceful place. Read quietly, pray or practice mindfulness and gratitude, then go to bed as soon when you feel sleepy.

Upon Waking

  1. How you wake up affects how you sleep. Here are a few tips to start the day off right.

  2. Set an alarm clock at a consistent time. Preferably, wake to relaxing music that sets a natural rhythm to your day. 

  3. If you wake before dawn, consider using a dawn-simulator, which gradually increasing its light for a period of time before the set alarm, resembling the rising sun.

  4. Get some sunlight as early as possible. Sunlight resets our circadian rhythm, powerfully affecting the biological clock. Outside light is best, indoors with bright light from outdoors is the next best solution, and if sunlight is not available, consider investing in a light lamp.

  5. Get moving - stretch, go for a walk or exercise even for a few minutes.

Additional Sleep Resources

  • American Insomnia Association

  • American Sleep Apnea Association

  • National Sleep Foundation

  • Canadian Sleep Society

  • World Federation of Sleep Research & Sleep Medicine Societies - www.wfsrsms.org

  • Mayo Clinic - https://www.mayoclinic.org

About Bonita Eby

Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.

References

  • 1 Edlund, Matthew. The Power of Rest: Why Sleep Alone Is Not Enough: a 30-Day Plan to Reset Your Body. New York: HarperOne, 2011. p. 10.

  • 2 Pigeon, Wilfred R., and Michael J. Sateia. Sleep Manual: Training Your Mind and Body to Achieve the Perfect Nights Sleep. Hauppague, NY: Barrons, 2010. p.6.

  • 3 Pigeon, Wilfred R., and Michael J. Sateia. Sleepmanual: Training Your Mind and Body to Achieve the Perfect Nights Sleep. Hauppague, NY: Barrons, 2010. p 97.

  • 4 Culpin, Vicki. The Business of Sleep: How Sleeping Better Can Transform Your Career. London, UK: Bloomsbury Business, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc, 2018. p. 5.

  • 5 Culpin, Vicki. The Business of Sleep: How Sleeping Better Can Transform Your Career. London, UK: Bloomsbury Business, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc, 2018. p. 5.