Quality sleep is vital for business owners and their employees but achieving it requires proactivity and specific approaches
By: Taís Araújo, Psychologist and Clinical Director at HALEO
Are late nights and early mornings consuming your life as a small and medium business owner? Your sleep is crucial for productivity, decision-making, and overall health and well-being, yet SME owners and their employees often find it challenging to get the rest they need.
In Canada, it is estimated that about 25% of adults are dissatisfied with their sleep, and 10% to 15% report symptoms of insomnia. These symptoms can arise significantly in the entrepreneurial world, where the demands of running a business can be intense and multifaceted. Chronic stress, financial pressures, uncertainties, lifestyle changes and underlying medical conditions, such as anxiety and depression, are not uncommon among entrepreneurs and can contribute to insomnia symptoms.
For SME owners, the consequences of sleep deprivation extend beyond mere physical and mental health concerns. Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with heightened stress levels, irritability, fatigue-related errors, and decreased resilience – all of which impact overall job satisfaction and have the potential to lead to project delays and increased costs.
As a psychologist specializing in sleep and sleep disorders for over 15 years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the toll that inadequate sleep can take on SMEs. However, I’ve also witnessed the increasing acknowledgment of the importance of addressing sleep disorders and the development of evidence-based treatment options within this community.
How do you unlock your best rest
Recognizing the importance of addressing sleep difficulties among SME owners and employees is the first step toward a better and restful sleep. Here are tailored strategies to optimize sleep to help you, and your staff, unlock your full potential:
- Recognize your sleep difficulties: Here are some red flags: struggling to fall asleep, stay asleep or experiencing early awakenings without falling back asleep; depending on alcohol, drugs, or medication to fall or stay asleep; feeling worried about not sleeping enough, being unable to sleep or feeling too tired; having frequent nightmares, or feeling sleepy during work time and dozing off when you shouldn’t.
- Maintain a consistent sleep schedule: Build a consistent sleep-wake schedule to optimize your internal biological clock.
- Optimize your sleep environment: Ensure your sleeping environment is dark, silent, and cool, minimizing disruptions that may interfere with sleep quality.
- Establish a relaxing routine: Use a truly relaxing sleep routine to unwind. You need time to relax even when you arrive home late after a full workday, but not too much time so that you do not cut on sleep time.
- Reduce clock watching: Lose the clock during nighttime awakenings as looking at the time when you are not able to sleep will stress you out more than it will help.
- Nap strategically: Take short naps of 20-30 minutes between 12noon and 3:00 p.m. to gain a quick energy boost.
- Mindful nutrition and hydration: Be mindful of your eating and drinking habits, particularly before bedtime. Avoid heavy meals and caffeine close to bedtime as well as too much water right before bed.
- Manage stress effectively: Incorporate stress-reduction techniques (e.g., mindfulness, deep breathing) into your daily routine to promote relaxation and mental clarity.
- Foster a supportive work environment: Be proactive and discuss sleep with your peers. By starting conversations, you might realize the extent of the problem and feel less alone. You could also become an attentive ear for someone struggling and may be able to help by redirecting them to the right resources.
If you implement these approaches and feel you’re still unable to manage your sleep, seek help from those trained in this area of wellness. There are many types of digital sleep counselling and app-based supports. If your budget allows it, consider seeking a personal sleep counsellor or a cognitive behavioural therapist (CBT) both of which can be highly effective in helping you improve your sleep behaviours. Remember, investing in your sleep is investing in your ability to be an effective business owner.
There is a long list of priorities when you are an SME owner but by putting sleep near the top, you might have a true positive ripple effect in your life and work.
The post Unlock Your Best Rest: Strategies for Enhanced Sleep for SME Owners appeared first on CanadianSME Small Business Magazine.