As we’ve previously reported, a rigorous study out of Stanford recently supported claims that remote work increases productivity. Now another study led by University of Minnesota sociology professor Phyllis Moen is doing the same for results-only work environments (known as ROWE) with a careful examination of Best Buy’s experiment in flexibility.

The results appear in this month’s Journal of Health and Social Behavior and are also highlighted in The Atlantic’s “Study of the Day” section. To obtain them, Moen and her colleagues compared the well-being and health-promoting behavior of 659 employees at Best Buy’s headquarters before and after ROWE was implemented there in 2006. Half of the employees participated in the program; half did not. What were the results? The researchers summed it up succinctly:

Participating in the ROWE initiative directly increases employees’ health-related behaviors of sleep and exercise, as well as the likelihood that employees will not go to the workplace when sick and will see a doctor when sick.

Those with flexibility got a half hour more sleep every night, experienced less work-family conflict and were at lower risk for some of the greatest hits of poor health: “unhealthy eating habits, obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, and hypertension.”

The takeaway for managers is simple and was neatly summed up by Moen in the news release announcing the findings: “Emphasizing actual results can create a work environment that fosters healthy behavior and well-being.” You can download the complete study by clicking here.

The results seem to clearly indicate that, compared to a traditionally structured corporate job, ROWE promotes health and happiness (and probably, by extension, productivity). But it should also be noted that farther down the scale of independence and flexibility, when work is entirely remote and professionals are fully responsible for their own schedules, there is also some evidence that freedom can increase stress and sleeplessness for a significant minority of workers. Care needs to be taken as flexibility increases, so workers get the support they need to feel in control of the demands on their schedules, according to another recent analysis from an academic at the University of Sheffield.

Do rigid schedules contribute to ill health in your experience?

Image courtesy of Flickr user Ed Yourdon.

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While it’s easy to say “get enough sleep,” it’s not always easy to achieve. Here are some ideas:

• Listen to your body. Though I was raised to believe that we should get around eight hours’ of sleep each night, the National Sleep Foundation claims that there is no “magic number.” Apparently, sleep needs vary depending on your age, gender and other factors. Though seven to nine hours is a good guideline, you need to find out what works for you.
• Sleep debt can be repaid. No matter how diligent you are, it’s possible that some days you might not get as much sleep as you need. The good news is that this “sleep debt” can be repaid. This doesn’t mean that you can sleep for  three hours during the weekdays then spend your entire Sunday sleeping as a way to make up for it. According to the this article from Scientific American, you can add an hour or two of sleep each day until your body catches up.
• Nap during the day. There might be very busy days when you’ll tire easily or need an extra jolt to get you through the rest of the day. But before you reach for that cup of coffee, know that the best way to combat tiredness is through  napping. Taking 20-minute power naps during the day is known to improve productivity and can recharge you better than caffeine. It’s also much easier for teleworking professionals to pull this off compared to their cubicle-dwelling peers.
• Sleep after learning something new. “Sleep may allow the brain to reprocess newly learned information so that memories of it stick. Research that uses technology to peer inside the brain supports this idea,” according to this article from the Society for Neuroscience. This means that the best way to commit new skills to your long-term memory is to sleep after learning new skills.
• Finally, don’t worry about it. It turns out that not everyone who feels sleep deprived is actually sleep deprived. This article suggests that our worries about sleep are affecting the quality of sleep we get. According to the author, “one of the surprising disadvantages of trying to get enough sleep is that you can be hypersensitive to those times you don’t get enough — and that the hypersensitivity alone can depress and distract you.”

What’s your sleep schedule like and how does it affect your workday?

Photo by stock.xchng user scataudo

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Sleepless nights, it seems, are becoming a regular gig. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 60 million Americans suffer from insomnia each year. And such sleeplessness can have a devastating impact on our productivity.

Brent Scott, who headed up a sleep research project at the University of Florida, found that a poor night of sleep can actually impact how satisfied workers are with their jobs. And a poll by the National Sleep Foundation concluded that 40 percent of Americans are sleeping fewer than seven hours a night during the workweek. In addition, 75 percent of those surveyed reported problems sleeping a few nights a week, often resulting in missed workdays and errors on the job, among other things.

All this lack of zzzzs will be on the minds of scientists, psychologists and sleep experts this week, as it’s National Sleep Awareness Week, an annual public education and awareness campaign from the National Sleep Foundation that runs through March 13th and coincides with the release of its yearly report on sleep. Last year’s poll results showed that 30 percent of Americans were losing sleep over the U.S. economy.

This year, the report focuses on sleep and ethnicity in America, exploring the significant differences among the sleep habits and attitudes of Asians, Blacks/African-Americans, Hispanics and Whites. It’s the organization’s first poll dedicated to exploring the sleep practices of different ethnic groups; to that end it aimed to answer the following questions:

• Do different ethnic groups sleep differently?
• Do attitudes about sleep vary among African-Americans, Whites, Hispanics and Asian-Americans?
• Do work schedules and finances impact sleep equally in all groups?
• Do sleep habits affect marital satisfaction or job performance?

“The Sleep in America™ poll is a springboard for research,” says Thomas Balkin, Ph.D., Chairman of the National Sleep Foundation. “This year’s poll, in particular, will provide compelling insights into our current beliefs and behaviors regarding sleep, health and well-being.”

As for what a sleep-deprived individual can do, many of the tried and true sleep solutions offered by such organizations as the National Sleep Foundation seem to be just what the doctor ordered for a good night’s rest.

According to the experts, here are five ways you can perk up your productivity by getting a good night’s sleep.

1. Go to sleep the same time every night. Having an established routine of going to bed and waking up at the same time each day helps your body set a natural alarm clock for falling asleep.
2. Sleep in the dark. Nightlights, open curtains, bright blue alarm screens and even laptop lights can keep you up. Your body has the best chance of getting and staying asleep in relatively total darkness.
3. Don’t drink before bed. Drinking caffeinated coffee, tea or soft drinks late in the day can cause a delay in getting to sleep.
4. Avoid certain foods after 8 p.m. Stay away from sugary foods later in the evening and, instead, try foods that have the amino acid tryptophan in them, such as bananas, sunflower seeds and low-fat yogurt.
5. Try a little white noise or waterfalls. Many people find the sound of nature (waves lapping, birds singing, rain falling) a soothing way to fall asleep. White noise has also been known to lull many a cranky web worker into a restful state.

While the gremlins of your problems may have you tossing and turning from time to time, regular sound sleep can often be achieved by developing good habits both in and out of bed. Tonight, turn off the TV, grab yourself a glass of warm milk, listen to a soothing CD, close the curtains and get yourself a good night’s rest.

Share your tips for getting a better night’s sleep below.

Photo by Flickr user kaibara87, licensed under CC BY 2.0

Getting adequate sleep is foundational to being successful in today’s world.  Consider the following important factors regarding sleep:

• Staying healthy – to remain in good health and avoid illness, your immune system requires you to get enough sleep each night.  In fact, trying to “catch up” on sleep by sleeping extra can actually cause additional harm to your body.
• Being a effective employee – in order to remain sharp, we must be alert and capable of learning and applying new knowledge.  Plus, being able to deal with stressful situations requires brain capacity and emotional intelligence, which is enhanced by sleep.
• Participating in social situations – Who wants to carry on a conversation with someone who is constantly sleeping and who acts un-interested in your topic?  Also, in the podcast, Dr. Breus said that most sexual issues he comes across with couples are related to at least one of the partners not getting adequate sleep.

Contrary to the popular belief that we all need to get 8 hours of sleep each night, Dr. Breus tells us that 6.5 to 7 hours of sleep is best for most people, depending on your individual needs.  He heavily discourages the use of a snooze button as it promotes a very ‘negative’ type of sleep.  Also, in terms of naps, the good doctor says that a 20 minute power nap is the most effective.  His way of power napping includes slugging a lukewarm cup of coffee, then napping for 20 minutes, then “you’ll be good to go for another 3 or 4 hours.”

Do you feel you get enough sleep to be effective in your day-to-day life?

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