Marketers spend over an hour worrying about work instead of sleeping
Marketing professionals are amongst the most sleep deprived workers in the UK, new research from Travelodge has found, sleeping an average of six hours and 36 minutes each night.
The research of 2,000 Brits found that marketers on average spend one hour and nine minutes awake worrying about work when in bed: longer that people in both the HR and retail industries.
Overall, marketers are amongst the most likely of all to be kept awake by work anxiety, with heavy workloads and job security cited as the two most common reasons for not being able to switch off and sleep.
Stevie Williams from the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, said: “Research shows that frequently not getting enough sleep has strong negative effects on health and performance. Relaxation techniques such as meditating or having long showers or baths, as well as avoiding caffeine and winding down just before bed by staying away from high intensity interactive technology can all help aid stress management, making it easier to fall asleep and maintain that sleep.
“Having a sleep environment that is quiet, dark, away from TV, videogames and computers, well ventilated and cool will help. However, there are some people who are simply “owls”, that is, more nocturnal than their “lark” colleagues, who find it difficult to fit in to a 9-5 lifestyle. On top of this, there are many varieties of sleep disorders.”
In addition to not getting enough sleep during the week, nearly half of workers (48 per cent) suggest that they don’t have time in their busy schedule for a weekend lie-in any more.
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge spokeswoman said: “There is an expectation in today's society to fit more into our lives. The struggle to maintain a work life balance is causing too many of us to trade in precious sleeping time in a bid to ensure we complete all of the jobs that we believe are expected of us.
“Taking work stresses to our beds can seriously impact our ability to get a good night's sleep, and it can soon become a vicious cycle where a lack of quality rest exacerbates these problems.
“Whatever your working situation, it's important to try and set aside some downtime before bed, so that you can switch off and attain quality sleep. In the long run it will help you to perform better at work and this should bring stress levels down."
Sleeping image via Shutterstock.