Helen's blog: The business of sleep

In an earlier blog, I shared my resolutions to adopt a little of our daughter’s natural curiosity and join her more in play and discovery.  We’ve ticked various mini-adventures off our list, with one glaring exception – camping overnight in the garden.  The reason? Shamefully, I admit I couldn’t sacrifice a half-decent night’s sleep.

A good night’s sleep has turned into an obsession for me.   Yet I consistently fail to achieve it. Why?  We’re past the baby years and our daughter sleeps soundly. We live in a sleepy rural hamlet so there are no street lights or noise to complain of, beyond the occasional hooting owl or throaty frog.   Yes, I rise early but not as early as many commuters I know.

I confess I’ve only got myself to blame. The evening is the only part of my day that isn’t filled with parenting or my day job (and I know how lucky I am to be able to say that).  So it’s my chance to catch up on overdue domestic or personal matters, from wrapping presents to paying bills.  I’m unfailingly overambitious about how much I can achieve in 2 hours, which, combined with a lack of self-discipline, means I’m still pottering around downstairs far later than I’d like.  I take my smartphone to bed as a surrogate watch and alarm clock, but ‘checking the time’ frequently morphs into pointless browsing of social media or news that I won’t remember in the morning.  

The end result is consistently fewer hours’ sleep than I’d like, of generally poor quality.  Maybe others function capably on sub-optimal levels of sleep, but I certainly don’t.  The signs are all too evident, from a persistent, mild sore throat to alarming memory blanks and a noticeable lack of patience. 

Turns out I’m not alone in failing to prioritise a good night’s sleep.  Our WorkLife Central seminar on ‘Super Sleep’ for adults in July was full of members with similar sleep woes.   And a study out last week reported that sleep deprivation costs the UK economy £40 billion a year as a result of reduced productivity or absence by employees.  This amounts to 200,000 lost working days a year.  Even more depressingly, those sleeping less than 6 hours a night are deemed 13% more likely to die earlier than those enjoying 7-9 hours a night.  Eek.

Small wonder then that sleep as a business opportunity is a fast-growing area.  Solutions on offer range from state-of-the-art mattresses (has anyone tried these?) to ‘sleep enhancing’ beauty products.  Arianna Huffington recently launched a global community centred on getting decent quality sleep. 

These enticingly packaged solutions are tempting, but I’ve decided to tackle the real issues head on.  Top of my Christmas list is a new watch and alarm clock so I can leave my smartphone downstairs at night. (I might as well practice positive role-modelling ready for the teenage years).  I plan to drastically cut my ambitions for evening admin and replace this with dedicated ‘winding down’ time, so I can properly nod off when my head hits the pillow.  New ear plugs and an eye mask are on order.

If I can turn these into regular habits by next summer, hopefully I’ll feel more up for that night of camping.  Along with the owls, frogs and who knows what else….. 

Helen Beedham is Head of Corporate Affairs at WorkLife Central and a member of the Citymothers and Cityfathers Network Committee. She previously worked in management consulting in London for 15 years.  She is married with two step-children aged 20 and 22 and a daughter aged 5 and lives in rural Kent.