When my girls were little, I forced myself to live by the motto, “sleep when the babies sleep.” I became skilled in the art of the catnap, grabbing 15 minutes when I could. I even napped in my car a few times, maneuvering around my hectic schedule as best I could. It wasn’t an option. On the days it didn’t happen, I suffered, as did my family. The struggle was real. As anyone knows, sleep deprivation in working moms is a huge issue.
Now that they’re older, this requirement has evolved. When the family is home, we take at least one hour for an afternoon retreat to our separate rooms with the option of napping. Otherwise, my girls are encouraged to watch their iPad, color, write, or draw—anything quiet.
What I’ve realized through this journey is that the rest I need isn’t necessarily about physical sleep. Further, as an empath, feeling people’s energy and emotions sometimes wears me out just as much, if not more, than lack of sleep. Other times, it’s just the lack of noise needed; still again, a reduction in socialization is what I need to collect my energy.
And I’m not the only one noticing the importance of prioritizing rest.
Recent SleepScore Labs research shows that nearly 7 out of 10 American adults are sleeping less than the recommended 7 hours per night at an average 54-minute deficit per night. This costs $74 billion hours per year and a hit to our economy of up to $411 billion. The unidentified costs in lost opportunity, creativity, and motivation are undoubtedly much greater.
Leaders, such as Jeff Bezos, are starting to recognize the importance of prioritizing sleep. In an interview with David Rubenstein, Bezos commented, “As a senior executive, you get paid to make a small number of high-quality decisions. Your job is not to make thousands of decisions every day. Is that really worth it if the quality of those decisions might be lower because you’re tired or grouchy?”
Thus, the companies that encourage and support the rest of their people greatly succeed. Gone are the days when “burning the midnight oil” created professional upward mobility. Furthermore, recent studies indicate that high-demand tasks that require intense, constant concentration can lead to build-up of a potentially toxic chemical called glutamate. But things are looking up.
Corporate wellness programs are increasingly available to help drive awareness. In fact, a recent CDC study showed that nearly half of workplaces now offer some kind of health and wellness program, with one in four businesses offering sleep-specific programs, which is very encouraging.
One sleep trend gaining traction is sleep tourism.
Traveling the World to Find Rest
Sleep tourism has been growing in popularity for a number of years, with an increasing amount of sleep-focused stays popping up in hotels and resorts across the globe. Unsurprisingly, the pandemic appears to have played a huge part in this. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that 40% of the more than 2,500 adults surveyed reported a reduction in their sleep quality since the start of the pandemic.
With this in mind, a number of high-profile establishments are focusing their attention on those suffering from sleep-deprivation, including establishments opened by the Park Hyatt, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, and other sleep tourism locations in Portugal, Sweden, London, and New York, among others.
Rooms are equipped with sleep-enhancing amenities, such as innovative soundproofing and acoustics, plus a sleep-inducing meditation recording, a pillow menu, the option of a weighted blanket, a bedtime tea, and a scented pillow mist. Some hotels have even created “Sleep Concierges” to facilitate specific needs of their guests. Sounds pretty great, right? But research is also embracing a more advanced concept of not just physical sleep, but a host of other types of rest.
7 Types of Rest
Based on Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith's book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, a viral Twitter trend spearheaded by Ben Meer of System Sunday, has arisen. It encourages people to better embrace just WHAT type of rest is best to recharge, given the type of fatigue they’re feeling. So impassioned are people by this concept, that a rest quiz was created. It’s a lengthy, comprehensive take on daily life that helps you better pinpoint how to identify what type of rest you need.
So what are the 7 types of rest and how can leaders better identify and address the specific needs of their employees?
Physical Rest - Not much to say here, beyond the obvious: really great sleep is beyond valuable. Encourage this in your employees’ lives. It should also be noted that a calming routine prior to bed is also considered part of the physical rest routine. Companies would benefit from bringing in experts in stretching and other winding-down activities to coach work teams.
Mental Rest - Turning off your brain is difficult for most people. But by adopting tactics to help quiet the cerebral hamster on the wheel, people can learn to rest their brain. Writing down your to-dos, creating reference checklists (packing, groceries, etc.), implementing a shutdown ritual to separate work and life, taking a break from problem-solving—all beneficial suggestions. Even a few minutes of meditation is conducive to mental rest.
Social Rest - Anyone even slightly introverted benefits from this form of rest, myself included. I have found that I typically require downtime after socializing—I enjoy socializing in the moment, but it wears me out. Learning to embrace your own personal social rhythms will ensure a more restful social outlook.
Spiritual Rest - As Ben Meer stated on the original Twitter feed, “Be part of something bigger than yourself.” I love that. Depending on your belief system, this can mean church, but it can also mean volunteering for a cause you believe in, or more purpose-driven work. I’ve benefited from numerous corporate off-site volunteer opportunities. However, never before did I identify the benefit I received in this spiritual rest capacity.
Sensory Rest - This one is a no-brainer, but still difficult for most people to embrace: PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE. The stats say it all: according to a recent study, 47% of Americans admit they’re addicted to their phones, with the average American checking their smartphone 352 times per day. Plus, more than 7 out of 10 people spend more time on their phone than with their romantic partner. This rest helps not only your brain, but your personal relationships as well.
Emotional Rest - Emotional rest deficit occurs when you feel like you can't be authentic. Inauthenticity, understandably, is exhausting in itself. Take time to be with colleagues and loved ones that you identify as people who know—and embrace—your true self.
Creative Rest - Creative problem solving and ideation make your brain work in overdrive. A great professional example is the rest needed after a brainstorm session or client planning meeting. Perhaps this is when you suggest colleagues take a walk outside or grab a coffee to decompress.
At the end of the day, a content and in-synch workforce needs these types of human touches to succeed. Leaders should encourage teams to connect with these 7 types of rest and act upon them when needed. Moreover, great leaders should embrace the differences in their workforces’ personalities to help them identify what they really need.
One last anecdote: my sister recently took a regional marketing position with a high-profile, global nonprofit organization. Interestingly, if she takes a 30-minute lunch break, she needs to work an extra 30 minutes at the end of the day. I find this rule preposterous, as does she—it flies in the face of everything I just wrote…maybe once she’s better established she can share this blog with them…
Happy resting, everyone.
Great tips! Thanks