Success and Satisfactory Sleep

Few things are better than a good night’s sleep. Your body awakes energized, and you feel alert and capable of completing almost any task. Whether you’re at home or on the clock, a good night of sleep helps you stay productive and focused throughout the day.

Most people would probably consider it common sense that good sleep positively impacts an individual’s on-the-job performance. For those who have irregular work hours or work multiple jobs, getting enough rest is even more critical. It should surprise no one that a well-rested worker is a more productive worker, but we wanted to learn more about the important connection between sleep and workplace success.

To analyze the benefits of adequate sleep, we surveyed almost 2,500 individuals about their sleep habits. Read along as we discover how a good eight hours can make the other 16 happier and more productive.

Sleeping Well or Poorly: There’s No Middle Ground

In our survey, good sleepers slightly outnumbered bad sleepers. Those surveyed who indicated they slept “very well” or “well” accounted for 26%, while those sleeping “poorly” or “very poorly” added up to 20%. To make sure we fairly and accurately uncovered the benefits of good sleep, individuals who fell into the “sleep slightly well” and “sleep slightly poorly” categories were not included in “good sleepers” or “bad sleepers.”

If you’re hoping to make your way into our “good sleepers” category, there are plenty of small changes that can have a significant and positive impact on your nightly rest. Developing a good bedtime routine and following a regular sleep schedule are proven strategies for a better night’s rest, but sleep-improving habits aren’t just confined to bedtime. For example, healthy recreational activities offer an enormous amount of well-known benefits, and engaging in a consistent exercise routine each week can even improve your sleep.

Stay with us as we explore how those improvements to your sleep could pay off at work.

Good Sleep Can Increase Your Income

Adding to your savings obviously requires more than sleep, but good sleepers do tend to enjoy higher earnings than those who sleep poorly.

On average, good sleepers earned $46,000 annually, while bad sleepers raked in $39,500. That’s a difference of 16%!

Keeping your boss happy and doing a great job at work can certainly improve your chances of securing a pay increase at review time. Another strategy is to ask for a raise. Of the good sleepers surveyed, 29% indicated they asked for a wage increase, compared to 23% of respondents who slept poorly.

Among good sleepers who did request more money, 92% were satisfied with their bump in pay, compared to slightly less than two-thirds of bad sleepers who received a raise.

It certainly helps to be well-rested when asking for a raise, and experts also offer other suggestions on how to go about requesting a wage increase. For example, consider asking after a big accomplishment, ask personally as opposed to sending an email or message, and time your request close to your annual review.

Sleeping on a Firm Financial Foundation

Saving for a rainy day and putting money aside for retirement are two pieces of advice we often hear. Good sleepers were also much more likely to pay their bills on time and not carry the burden of living paycheck to paycheck.

Our survey revealed that good sleepers had an annual median amount of $10,000 in savings, compared to only $1,700 for bad sleepers.

The financial reality for almost half of bad sleepers wasn’t too rosy, given they had less than $1,000 stashed away. Fewer than one-quarter of good sleepers were in a similar predicament.

Sleep experts often list worry as a leading impediment to getting a sound night’s sleep. Our survey mirrored this perspective. Almost one-third of respondents who slept poorly indicated they worried every day about bills, compared to only 10% of good sleepers.

Whether it was almost every day or several times per week, bad sleepers led good sleepers in allowing financial issues to steal minutes of sleep time. Overall, financial worries impacted 67% of bad sleepers, compared to 30% of good sleepers – that’s quite a huge difference.

And when either group found themselves laid off or out of work, good sleepers reported having an easier time finding employment compared to those who slept poorly.

Success and Healthy Sleep Habits Often Go Together

What if you learned good sleepers are more successful in their careers? Would it motivate you to adopt habits that improved the quality and quantity of your sleep?

Most businesses operate in highly competitive environments, with a lot of pressure at practically every job level. Sleeping well is imperative if succeeding and performing at optimal levels is important to you.

Good sleepers were more likely to hold a management or supervisory role, and they were more focused and productive during their working hours. All of this makes sense if you come to work well-rested and eager to tackle the challenges of your job.

Sure, many of us sometimes feel overwhelmed when new projects are thrown our way and obstacles – whether expected – find their way into the workplace. Yet, many times, it’s how we handle these pressures that makes all the difference.

While 71% of bad sleepers said they felt overwhelmed at work at least once a week, only 35% of good sleepers reported the same.

Sleep’s Role in Career Contentment

No matter who you are or what you do, at some point, you’ve probably felt at least some amount of dissatisfaction with your job. But while most of us have those feelings from time to time, good sleepers are far more likely to be satisfied with their job.

Many factors can potentially contribute to finding oneself in an unenjoyable role, and when we analyzed our survey results, we quickly noticed almost three-quarters of bad sleepers said they were in their present job because they had to be, not because it was the job they desired.

Did good sleepers feel the same? Sure, some occasionally did, but only 44%. When we looked at some factors that contributed to why good sleepers were less likely to feel dissatisfied at work, the numbers were halved in practically every area.

Here are a few examples: Good sleepers were half as likely as bad sleepers to be dissatisfied with their paycheck, their collaboration with co-workers, and the tasks they performed on the job. When we looked at workload, the difference between each group was even more substantial, with a very small percentage of good sleepers feeling dissatisfied with the amount of work they performed.

Two additional advantages good sleepers have are that they’re less likely to regret their career choices or to feel “stuck” in their current career.

Good Vibes in the Workplace

Most of us who work full time devote at least half of our waking hours to performing our jobs. With that in mind, wouldn’t it be great to be in a good mood at work?

Many things can help us maintain a great attitude at work, and the benefits of being well-rested certainly fall into this category.

It stands to reason that if you start the workday well-rested and in a good mood, you can remain that way at quitting time. Over half of solid sleepers reported feeling good while on the job, compared to only 28% of poor sleepers.

When it came to giving their company a good rating, there was a 20 percentage point difference between the two groups of sleepers. If you think that good sleepers are more likely to work for good companies, then you’re correct.

Job-related anxiety and tension are issues health care professionals routinely handle in our highly pressurized society. Whether it was tiring quickly, experiencing periods of irritability, or maybe feeling extra pressure at work, 70% or more of bad sleepers admitted falling into one or more of these categories. By contrast, good sleepers experienced these feelings much less often.

Good Sleep Helps Us Juggle Life

“Work-life balance” is a phrase we hear and read about a lot these days. A plethora of advice on how to juggle our jobs, relationships, hobbies, and families awaits us each day on every social media platform. And that doesn’t take into account the words of wisdom from our friends and co-workers.

If you’re sitting on the edge of your desk chair or sofa eagerly wondering if good or bad sleepers are more equipped to find a better work-life balance, then we won’t make you wait another moment. The answer is 86% of good sleepers said their job had a positive effect on their life, while only 52% of bad sleepers reported the same.

Balancing our work with our home life means leaving the challenges of each in their own box and not allowing one to interfere with the other. To that point, only 19% of good sleepers brought work-related negativity home once a week or more often. However, 55% of bad sleepers said they loaded their messenger bags with workplace adversity at least once each week.

If you’re still not sold on the benefits of a good night’s sleep, then knowing that 79% of good sleepers had a healthy work-life balance might change your mind. Plus, 68% of the same group said they had sufficient free time.

Improve Your Sleep, Improve Your Job

After seeing the results of how a good night’s sleep can improve your job performance and increase your savings, we hope those who haven’t been resting well will be motivated to improve their sleeping hours.

For starters, finding the mattress and pillow that complements your style of sleep can make a big difference. HealthySleep.org offers insights and reviews on the latest products, all of which can help you rest comfortably while saving you the money for which you worked so hard.

We even offer the convenience of an email newsletter filled with the latest information on sleep products, reviews, and advice. Head on over, and here’s hoping our survey results help you rest well tonight.

Methodology and Limitations

We surveyed 2,494 people using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk service. 715 respondents fell into our “good sleeper” and “bad sleeper” categories, and a majority of questions were answered by these two groups of respondents only. To ensure respondents took our survey seriously, we used a carefully decoyed attention check. Among our 715 primary respondents, 388 were female, 326 were male, and one did not identify as male or female. The average age of these respondents was approximately 36 years old.

In many cases, questions and responses were rephrased for clarity or brevity. To help ensure statistical accuracy, outliers were removed where appropriate, particularly for calculations of values such as income. These data rely on self-reporting, and statistical testing has not been performed. These data are intended to be used for entertainment purposes only. Potential issues with self-reported data include but are not limited to the following: exaggeration, selective memory, and attribution errors on the part of respondents.

Fair Use Statement

Everyone deserves a good night’s sleep. If you feel your readers will enjoy the results of this survey, then please share any or some of it with them. As long as it’s for noncommercial purposes, we’re good. And if you don’t mind, please link back to this page so that those interested can read the entire article.

Sources

• https://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/causes-of-stress#1