Recent world and national events have heightened stress, even more, bringing the total portion of stressed Americans to 80%. The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine is a domineering contributor, alongside inflation’s price increases and supply chain concerns that have damaged product availability. 

Burnout is Increasing

National surveys are beginning to reflect how hardship is negatively affecting work ethic and work and motivation. The result of this mounting stress has pushed a current 25% of Americans to identify as “approaching burnout”. A large majority, over 60% of U.S. adults concur that they “desperately need a vacation”. Additionally, 2 in 3 Americans report being “often mentally tired even when they haven’t been physically active,” revealing the holistic exhaustion that’s nagging U.S. society.

This growing stress is producing poor sleep, which negatively affects productivity, with studies revealing significant economic effects as a result. Individuals who report getting a consistent seven to eight hours of sleep per night have been proven to be 29% more productive during the day than those who sleep less than seven hours. Affecting performance on a national scale, this lost productivity results in a 2.28% American GDP decrease, and a loss of a whopping 1.2 million working days each year. Poor sleep produces poor performance.

The Benefits of Quality Sleep

A few of the myriad of benefits that good sleep brings include enhanced focus and memory, aiding both short-term and long-term memory. Work performance has been proven to receive an enhancement as well, as cognitive function is ignited and better oriented toward productivity. Emotional responses are better balanced, giving well-rested individuals the emotional intelligence to respond in both logically and emotionally appropriate manners. Lastly, the combination of these perks along with others produces more fortified and healthy relationships among those who sleep sweetly.

While there are many proclaimed keys to good sleep, two simple ones bring more Z’s via comfort. First, the color scheme of your room changes how you relax in it. Neutral and deep hues produce more relieving and soothing ambiances according to psychology, producing a wind-down environment. Blue, purple, gray, and cream tones have been shown to settle the mind. If your room doesn’t need a facelift, studies show that opting for these colors as pillowcases proves effective in augmenting better sleep. 

Research also shows that clean sheets elicit improved sleep. Washing new sheets after buying them, a step many customers skip, removes the stiffening properties added to them for display. Investing in additive-free laundry detergent helps significantly, decreasing the itchiness and skin irritability that some sheets seem to produce. Lastly, washing bedding more often has been shown to increase 73% of adults’ commitment and excitement to sleep, with clean sheets generating cleaner, more beneficial sleep.

When investing in better bedding, compare thread counts. Thread counts ranging from 200 to 800 connote softer fabrics that are longer lasting with increased durability. Using your senses, and touching sheets of various thread counts is the best way to decipher which is right for you. Additionally, switching sheets to match the outside temperature has been proven effective. Warmer fabrics, like jersey and flannel, keep sleepers warm in the winter, while light cotton sheets keep us cool and calm in the summer..

Self-care is crucial in acquiring and maintaining the healthy mental state we seek. Time is the key, as investing free time in mediation, wellness practices, and catching mindful moments throughout the day can create a world of serenity. Personal assistants, grocery delivery services, and taking more time off from work can help clear up your schedule to return more time to you. 

Charging $25 per month to manage five of your daily time-consuming tasks, personal assistants can help free up time spent on the mundane. Cloud-based personal helpers are equipped to excel in time management, ensuring that your to-dos get checked off on time by handling bill payments, notifications for scheduled calls, and scheduling due/routine appointments among other responsibilities. Grocery delivery services save time by curbing the effort put into the commute, isle surfing, list checking, and sustaining patience in long checkout lines. On average, these services cost $100 per year, excluding tips, making your only responsibility list building; and, previous lists can be resubmitted.

Opting for and inquiring about more time off is important in our hyper-productive society. A significant portion, 55% of Americans neglect their time off, failing to use all of their given time off. Many employees report increased difficulty with taking time off when working from home, as their assignments and perceived time to complete them increase. Definitively taking more of it is reinvigorating and reduces stress, making the time you do spend working upon return more productive and of higher quality.

In Conclusion

Catch your needed Z’s by taking more time for you and investing in higher quality bedding and sleep hygiene practices. Sweet dreams and learn more about the quality of sleep in the infographic below: