We’ve all experienced those sleepless nights where, no matter how hard we try, our minds are unable to switch off. But what exactly is keeping us awake?
Leading sleep experts, Happy Beds, surveyed 1000, revealing that men are more likely to be kept awake at night by work-related stress. Interestingly, however, they also revealed that women need more sleep than men, 77 minutes per week to be exact.
Happy Beds have shared why men might be kept up at night due to work-related stress, providing expert tips on how to improve sleep quality for men in today’s high-pressure work environment.
1 in 6 men are kept awake by work-related stress
According to the Happy Beds study, work is a significant source of sleep disruption for men, with 1 in 6 men (17%) reporting that work-specific thoughts keep them awake at night. This is slightly higher than the 15% of women who experience the same issue.
Previous studies have indicated that there is greater pressure on women to care for the family. These societal pressures could also be reflected in this survey, with some men feeling more pressure to work to support the household.
Another study found that the prevalence of depression and anxiety within sectors such as transportation, policing, and manual occupations is much higher than in the general population, with further research finding that stress is more likely to lead to depression in the workplace for men than women.
However, a certain generation is suffering more than any other…
Millennials suffer from work-related sleep stress more than any other generation
The impact of work stress on sleep is most pronounced among millennials. A staggering 26% of men and women aged 35-44 and 22% of those aged 25-34 say that work concerns prevent them from getting a good night’s sleep.
The blurring of lines between work and home life, especially with the rise of remote working, has made it increasingly difficult for this generation to disconnect from professional pressures.
As a result, they could find it harder to relax and unwind, resulting in more nights spent tossing and turning.
But how can men take control and improve their sleep despite these challenges? Here are five expert-backed tips to help:
- Establish a routine
Establishing a bedtime routine has long been touted as a key way to improve sleep quality. To do this, you can try writing a bedtime journal. A bedtime journal helps you understand your sleep patterns better and recognise areas of your routine that might need changing.
Over time, this can help you establish the perfect routine for you. Once you’ve established a routine, the important part is to do it consistently. Start your routine one hour before bed as your body will begin to realise that this is a signal to go to sleep.
- Stop pressing snooze as it can trigger your ‘fight or flight’ response
The snooze alarm may be tempting, but it can leave you feeling more tired than if you had just woken up the first time. In those minutes you snooze, your body falls back into a sleep cycle. Disrupting this before it is complete can trigger your ‘fight or flight’ response, leaving you stressed and anxious when you wake.
By setting just one alarm, you avoid the temptation to snooze. Plus, who wants to hear THAT dreaded alarm more than once?
- Avoid drinking caffeine after 3 pm
It’s well-documented that caffeine can disrupt your sleep, but did you know that caffeine can affect your sleep up to six hours before bedtime? Caffeine stops you from sleeping by blocking adenosine, a sleep-inducing chemical in your body. When adenosine is blocked, you remain alert, which can even lead to an increase in stress.
With that in mind, if you drink any caffeine, try to drink your last cup of tea or coffee no later than 3 pm to avoid any night-time awakenings.
- Try sleep affirmations to help you sleep
Sleep affirmations are positive statements you say to yourself before sleeping. They could be as simple as ‘I am going to have a good sleep tonight’ or ‘I am going to get eight hours of sleep tonight’. Doing this can help remove anxious thoughts as you start to reprogram your brain to think positively about sleep. This also helps stop you from thinking more negative thoughts that could keep you awake.
- Above all, have a set bedtime
The key to a good night’s sleep can be described in one word: consistency. Depending on your day-to-day responsibilities, stick to a bedtime that works for you and stick to it even on weekends where possible. This will help you to feel tired at the same time each night and prevent any potential issues from crashing due to exhaustion.
