Why we need to take employee sleep problems more seriously

We all know how to sleep – but not all of us do it very well.

40% of UK population has sleep problems

20% of road deaths are related to fatigue

£40.2 billion is the cost to the UK economy caused by sleep deprivation

(figures from The Sleep Charity)

Sleep is not a nice to have. It is an essential. Without sleep, we would die. It is vital for the maintenance of our physical and psychological health. Poor sleep can have a negative impact on all aspects of life, at home and at work.

To help people understand more about sleep, why it matters and to help them get a better night's sleep if they are having problems, we have created a new course featuring some of the UK's leading sleep experts.

"How to get good sleep" consists of 20 films, with information split into three sections. Films are all short and easy to understand, no more than five minutes each. They is no jargon and they address most of the questions you may be asking yourself about sleep and how it can affect you.

To make these films, we’ve interviewed experts at the forefront of sleep science. We’ve then organized the material into sections to make it easy to navigate. There is additional material in the resources section.

The Mental Health Foundation is urging the Government to take the problem more seriously. Their recent report ‘Taking sleep seriously – sleep and our mental health’ found that 35% of adults felt increased anxiety as a result of poor sleep and 66% of teenagers said sleeping badly had a negative effect on their mental health.

Catherine Seymour, Head of Research at the Mental Health Foundation, said: “Our research has revealed evidence of the impact poor sleep is having on the nation’s mental health. Sleep is a vital way to protect our mental health and prevent mental health problems. But it is not always easy to achieve this. “There are many things we can do as individuals to improve our sleep. But it is essential that we take a whole-society approach if we want to tackle poor sleep in a comprehensive and effective way. That is why are asking the Government to make the prevention and treatment of sleep problems a key priority in their mental health and wellbeing strategies.”

ABOUT TEAMDOCTOR

TeamDoctor has nationally accredited courses and a substantial library of 3-5 minute films to help keep you well at work. Our 'Looking after your mental health at work' course, carries three CPD points. It is film based, interactive, consists of four half hour modules, and can be done at a time and pace to suit the individual user.

Here are just some of the subjects covered in our Keeping Well at Work library:

Stress, anxiety, depression, presenteeism, workplace relationships, management culture and structure, sleep problems, workplace environment, how do get the best diet when you're at work and building more exercise into your working day.

INFO@TEAMDOCTOR.ORG


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