Too little sleep is bad as we can awake feeling tired and irritable and recent studies show that a lack of sleep can contribute to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. We know that six-eight hours sleep a night is what our bodies need.
New research shows that erratic and disruptive behaviour at work can be caused by even a single night’s loss of sleep and, say the researchers, lack of sleep does not only mean tired workers but can also cause ‘unwanted’ activity, which it links to lower levels of self-control.
The study, published by the Rotterdam School of Management, says that such sleep-related disruption can cost billions in lost productivity, the BBC reports and the study shows sleeplessness can cause a ‘destructive cycle’ in work.
“Unwanted behaviour in the workplace often stems from selfish impulses that are not kept in check by self-control,” said researcher Laura Giurge of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, in the Netherlands. She added that this could be anything from being rude to someone else in the office or increasing the likelihood of workplace theft.
But the study suggests that lack of sleep, even for a single night, can be a powerful influence over people who would otherwise not behave that way.
“This study shows that the display of unwanted behaviour is not a fixed character trait,” she added as it ‘can vary from day to day, even within the same person’. The study argues that lack of sleep can reduce people’s sense of self-control and ‘regulate their impulses’ – so that they behave in a way that they would not do normally.
Such tiredness can also make it more difficult for people at work to overcome feelings of failure, says the study, and this can cause unwanted stress and anxiety.
Stress is the enemy of sleep. In bed, our mind is left free to wander, and feeling anxious about getting enough sleep will only make it worse. But clinical hypnotherapy can help solve this problem and lead to a good night’s sleep.
The National Council for Hypnotherapy has almost 2,000 highly-trained therapists across the UK on its register who can help people achieve a good night of rest and ease their anxieties, worries and stress.
“Hypnotherapy and hypnosis can help us overcome patterns of sleep disturbance which have become embedded in our subconscious mind after long periods of unsatisfactory sleep,” says the NCH, adding that through hypnotherapy people can experience fast and effective changes.
The NCH states that insomniacs generally respond well to hypnosis and a hypnotherapist will create a programme of personalised treatment that identifies sleeping patterns and teaches self-management techniques which make a big difference to both the length of time we sleep and the quality of sleep.
So what is hypnotherapy? Says the NCH: “It’s similar to drifting off to sleep at night, that stage when you are not quite awake and not quite asleep. You may feel a sense of weightlessness or you may feel heaviness as all your muscles relax. Everyone experiences it differently, and your therapist will be able to reassure you and help you relax and enjoy the experience.”
If you need help correcting your sleep patterns and are seeking a healthier lifestyle, contact an NCH hypnotherapist near you by using their directory. Don’t sleep on it, do it now!