We all know that sleep is important, but do we understand just how important it is? Do employers understand how much the quality of sleep their employees get can affect their bottom line? Do they realize how much they can do to improve it?
I recently attended a Michigan Wellness Council event, The Business of Sleep, presented by Martin Rawls-Meeah, the CEO of Reverie Mattress. I had been waiting a couple of months to attend this event so that I could combine information from the presentation with sleep consequences of tobacco use.
This presentation was a refreshing approach to employee wellness, and I was impressed with the creative marketing by this company to penetrate the Corporate Wellness space. Click here for a copy of the slides that Martin used for his presentation.
After making a case for quality, a discussion about strategies to improve quality sleep should follow. This is where tobacco use enters the conversation.
Many smokers reach for a cigarette just before turning in for the night. It may be the result of a physical desire for nicotine (addiction), part of a bedtime ritual (habit) or a combination of both. If the rush of nicotine (stimulant) doesn’t interfere with falling asleep, then the lack of nicotine (withdrawal) will interfere with remaining asleep. In either event, it can lead to sleep deprivation.
The relaxed feeling people experience when smoking (at bedtime) is actual relief, not relaxation. The sensation is the addicted brain normalizing from a period of deprivation. This is only a temporary state of balance, and the next alert for nicotine may come in the middle of the night, causing a person to awaken.
Click here to read more about how nicotine use affects your sleep and about strategies for improving your sleep.
On the flip side of this conversation is how quitting smoking can interfere (short-term) with quality sleep in some people. Logically, a sudden drop in a stimulant circulating your bloodstream should improve sleep. This is not always the case in a highly dependent nicotine user. In these people, the sudden drop in a substance (nicotine) on which he/she is dependent, will cause uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms that interfere with quality sleep.
If you are a tobacco user who has been unsuccessful with quitting in the past due to an inability to get a good nights’ rest when quitting, it will be important to address this issue before your next quit attempt. Have you discussed this obstacle with your physician? Have you researched alternative ways to improve your sleep?
We cannot make direct claims about how our program can reduce the short-term sleep issues when quitting, but we do know that nicotine users suffer from quality sleep and in the end will benefit greatly from quitting.
