Put Sleep Problems to Bed

What goes on in your employees’ bedroom might actually be your business.

We’re talking about sleep, of course, that often-elusive but vital component of a healthy lifestyle.

And if your employees are like almost a third of American workers, according to the National Sleep Foundation, excessive sleepiness interferes with their daily activities at least a few times each month.

Often hardest hit by sleep problems are shift workers, whose sleep patterns can be disrupted by a world that is generally up and at ‘em while they’re attempting to get their required shuteye after a night on the job.

Whether insomnia, shift work disorder, or just not getting enough, sleep problems can lead to a laundry list of other issues, affecting everything from physical and mental health to productivity and job performance.

Workers suffering from sleep deprivation may experience any or all of the following, according to WebMD:

When their chronic sleep problems become bad for their health and your business, it’s time to assist them in getting a handle on better sleep.

Encourage your employees to get evaluated by their primary care physician to diagnose any treatable medical conditions.

Provide them with information about the importance of and how to improve sleeping habits on their own. Sometimes certain lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity or cutting out caffeine and alcohol, are all that’s needed to help them get more Z’s.

If more specialized care is needed, direct employees toward a sleep specialist, which can be found through the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s Web site.