Is Rest Getting Trendy?

Over the last few weeks, we here at SleepBetter have noticed more and more articles espousing rest, relaxation, and sleep.  From businesses to football teams, everyone seems to realize that being more rested could be the ticket to raised productivity.

The latest was an Op-Ed this week in the New York Times by Tony Schwartz, who runs a company that helps other companies raise productivity.  This article has been quoted all over the web since its publication.  Here’s an excerpt:

More and more of us find ourselves unable to juggle overwhelming demands and maintain a seemingly unsustainable pace. Paradoxically, the best way to get more done may be to spend more time doing less. A new and growing body of multidisciplinary research shows that strategic renewal — including daytime workouts, short afternoon naps, longer sleep hours, more time away from the office and longer, more frequent vacations — boosts productivity, job performance and, of course, health.

None of this is new information, of course, for regular SleepBetter readers, and we’re certainly not accusing any of the organizations in the examples above of jumping on a bandwagon.  Their assumptions and obviously well thought out, and have the benefit of being correct.  However, the sheer volume of the recent discussion of rest, sleep and productivity leads us to hope that we’re seeing the beginning of a very beneficial trend.

So, what can YOU do to jump on the rest and relaxation trend before all of your friends find out about it? Here are some ideas:

• If you’re the type to work at home even after you left the office, or your home IS your office, set a stop time, after which you will not work except in cases of emergency or urgency.
• Use your vacation time. Leaving days off unused is only leaving you less productive during the time that you’re working.
• While you’re on vacation … rest, don’t work.
• If you find yourself becoming less productive at work, try going for a short walk or, if allowed, a short workout.
• Try to get at least seven hours of sleep each night. You’re more productive when you’re not sleep deprived.
• Sleep productively by having the right equipment.  Make sure your pillow isn’t more than a year-and-a-half old.  If your mattress is uncomfortable, consider a high quality mattress topper to eliminate some of its faults.

Keep an eye out for this potential trend, and let us know if you hear more about it!