Eye pad: Your sleep pattern can determine how you work
For most people, the 9-to-5 grind is accompanied by another set of numbers: the 11 p.m. bedtime and the 6 a.m. wake-up call. Or maybe it’s the 2 a.m. bedtime and the 7:30 a.m. wake-up call. Regardless of the hours, people settle into a sleep pattern that they stick with for years. But what happens when the hour-long commute is no longer part of your routine? Do most people stick with their established sleep schedule or do they alter things to accommodate their new lifestyle? And more importantly, is it even possible?
“It’s possible to switch your sleeping patterns but it depends on your former schedule,” says Beverly Beuermann-King, a stress and wellness expert for Work Smart Live Smart in Toronto, Ontario. “If someone worked a night shift for years, they may have a hard time adjusting to a regular pattern of being awake during the day and asleep at night although some people can make that adjustment immediately. What’s interesting is that even a slight shift, maybe going to sleep an hour or two later, can be a difficult adjustment, not only for the body but also for the mind.”
Feel the rhythm
According to the National Institute of General Medical Science, the circadian rhythm is present in most living things and includes the physical, mental and behavioral changes within a 24-hour cycle with an emphasis on responses to light and darkness. And a person’s sleep cycle changes dramatically throughout his or her life. Changes in the circadian rhythm mirror changes in a person’s physical, social, psychological and biological makeup. At approximately the age of 13, a person’s need for sleep peaks and begins to decrease about 14 minutes per year until they reach the age of 20. After that, the sleep requirements are fairly similar as people age, usually six to eight hours per night, although adults 65 and older may be able to gain the positive effects of sleep with as little as five hours per night. Still, it’s important to get the proper amount of sleep. Even limited sleep deprivation can result in cognitive challenges, psychological problems, hallucinations and delusions — not exactly the words you want to be associated with your workday.