Drooping eyelids, heavy limbs and befuddled brain: there’s nothing more exhausting than having to work when you’ve had a restless night. Yet many of us have trouble getting a good night’s kip: one in three people are regularly affected by insomnia.
Sleep also influences your career. According to research, having more shut-eye can lead to a higher salary, with just one hour extra sleep boosting your pay packet by 4.9%. Another study found that sleeping six hours or less per night produces “performance deficits” – which impact your ability to complete cognitive tasks.
So if sleeping soundly is best for your career, what’s the best way to get more rest? Professor Richard Wiseman, author of Night School: Wake up to the power of sleep, advises distracting your mind before bed.
“Research suggests you will fall asleep quickly if you tire your mind. Try counting backwards from 100 in threes. Or, if you’re not good with numbers, think of a category and then come up with an example of that category for each letter of the alphabet,” he says. Regular exercise, mindfulness meditation and switching off electronic devices before bedtime have also been shown to help.
So, if you often struggle to fall sleep and are looking for more tips on how to get a good night’s rest, join us on Wednesday 26 July from 1–2.30pm BST for a live chat with our expert panel. We’ll be discussing:
- Tips to help you fall asleep.
- Ways to beat insomnia or broken sleep.
- How sleep affects your work.
The Q&A takes place in the comments section below this article. Taking part is easier than ever: create a free Guardian account or log in using your Twitter or Facebook profile to comment. Alternatively, you can tweet us @GuardianCareers or email your questions to charlotte.seager@theguardian.com who can post them for you.
Panel
Dr Guy Meadows is the founder of The Sleep School, an organisation dedicated to the non-drug based treatment of chronic insomnia. He pioneers the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness treatment for insomnia and runs workshop and clinics in Central London.
Sammy Margo is a physiotherapist, sleep expert and author of The Good Sleep Guide. Margo specialises in sleep techniques and is a spokesperson for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy as a sleep expert, appearing regularly on radio and television.
Christine Hansen is a holistic health practitioner with a focus on sleep and fertility. As a certified sleep coach she combines emotional, lifestyle and biochemical stress management in her programmes. Her expertise has been quoted in numerous international publications, such as Reader’s Digest, Huffington Post and others. She is also a bestselling author and host of the podcast Sleep Like A Boss.
Maryanne Taylor is a founder and sleep consultant at The Sleep Works. Taylor works with adults, children and families to beat insomnia. She writes extensively about sleep, contributes to radio phone-in sleep programmes, and has appeared on a Channel 4 show as a sleep consultant.
Dr Paul Miller is is a senior psychiatrist specialising in general adult and old-age psychiatry. Miller has over 20 years’ experience of treating sleep disorders and mental health; having worked both in the NHS and private sectors.
Annie Crabtree is senior information officer at Mind, the mental health charity. She has written and researched a wide range of information about mental health and is currently developing new information for Mind around anxiety. Mind has also recently developed new guidance on coping with sleep problems.
Dr Alanna Hare is a consultant in sleep and ventilation at Royal Brompton Hospital, with responsibility for specialist clinics in sleep disorders and domiciliary ventilation.
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