An article on the BBC news website on the 30th June told the story of an American insurance company called Aetna that is paying its employees up to £225 a year to get a good night’s sleep. The bonus works by rewarding them to the tune of $20 if they sleep for seven hours a night for twenty nights, up to a limit of $300 in every twelve months.
The scheme was set up because of the company’s concern over what sleep deprivation was doing to their staff and about 12,000 of the firm’s employees took part last year.
It’s well known that not sleeping properly affects our performance, and while that may be crucial for high performing athletes or those balancing multi million pound budgets, does it really make a difference to the rest of us?
Well the answer seems to be an overwhelming ‘Yes’! Our productivity and capacity to deal with stressful situations is affected by how well we sleep. Less than seven hours a night and our ability to make decisions is adversely affected. And if we sleep less than six hours a night we are four times more likely to catch a cold when exposed to the virus according to a study last year by the University of California.
Lack of sleep is also linked to depression, and it’s said that people with insomnia are five times more likely to suffer depressive episodes.
So let’s agree, sleep is really really important! There is lots of advice to be found about ensuring that the bedroom is a calm and peaceful place. There should be no televisions, telephones or computers. I have a notebook at the side of my bed and as soon as I settle myself down I write down all the things that are still bothering me about the day. Somehow that settles my mind and off to sleep I go.
At Abaca we are passionate in the belief that cleaning up your environment by ensuring that there are no chemicals in your bedroom is equal in importance in ensuring a good night’s sleep. Our lovely mattresses will help you do that, do give us a ring on 01269 598 491 for more information.
