Dozing off at work? Develop a bedtime routine, stay off devices for a good night's sleep

Sleep plays an important role in your physical health and mental well-being. It’s as important as eating healthy and exercising. Regular, good quality sleep is important for brain functioning and work performance.

Wakefit.co, a sleep solutions startup based in Bengaluru, in its Great Indian Sleep Scorecard 2019, reveals that 80% of people feel sleepy at work one-three days a week due to lack of proper sleep at night.

It says sleep has a significant effect on maintaining workplace wellness and ultimately impacts mood and productivity. The survey also shows that an alarming 59% of people sleep after 11:00 pm, far exceeding the ideal sleep time of 10:30 pm recommended by sleep experts.


Here are more findings from the survey.

Sleep patterns:

29% - People get only 6-7 hours of sleep
59% - Sleep after 11:00 pm, exceeding the ideal time of 10:30 pm
44% - Of people under 18 years in tier-1 cities suffer from back pain
31% - Millennials in tier-1 cities feel tired in the morning on waking up
28% - Millennials in tier-2 cities feel tired when they wake up
75% - Between ages 25-30 feel sleepy at work at least 1-3 days/week

What keeps people up at night
16% - Working on bed with laptops/smartphones
19% - Looking at social media feeds
21% - Worrying about work/finances
27% - Watching shows on laptops/smartphones
7% - Spouse/partner’s sleeping habits (snoring, tossing and turning)

The millennial conundrum
30% - Millennials wake up feeling tired in the morning
27% - Millennials stay up at night streaming shows and binge-watching
10% - Increase in addiction to binge-watching over the past year

Workplace wellness
51% - People go to bed between 11:00 pm & 1:00 am on working days
37% - People are up at night working on laptops and smartphones or worrying about work and finances

What's changed from 2018 to 2019?
7% - Increase in people going to bed between 12:00 am and 1:00 am
2% - Decrease in people complaining of back pain over the last year
10% - People believe that avoiding laptops and smartphones before sleeping can improve their quality of sleep
8% - Increase in people feeling sleepy at work everyday

Type of respondents
Male - 80%
Female - 20%
Aged between 25-40 form 80% of respondent

The top 7 cities of Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai form 69% of respondents. Around 69,000 respondents took the Sleep Scorecard Survey 2019.

What's giving India sleepless nights?
47% - People who sleep on their stomachs or on their side (Experts opine that the ideal sleeping position is to lie down on your back)
25% - Couples who go to bed together feel rested when they get up
17% - People find hogging the mattress or blanket the most annoying habit about their partners
(Experts recommend an ambient atmosphere with decibel levels below 40 and a lux of less than 60 in lighting, which provides restful sleep and a healthy relationship)

Love your sleep
The quality of your sleep directly affects your mental, physical health and the quality of your work life including your productivity, emotional balances, brain and heart health, immune system, creativity, viability and weight. Sleep oversees the biological maintenance so that your body runs in top condition. Sleep requirement varies from person to person but about seven-nine hours of sleep per night is ideal.

Try these for restful sleep
Cultivate a good sleep routine. Try to stick to a regular sleep schedule so that you go to bed every night and wake up every morning at fixed times. Your bedroom should be your sanctuary, keep it clutter-free and use warm light. You can develop a bedtime routine like taking a warm bath or reading before you sleep, which signals to your mind that it is time for bed.

A habit that is causing much harm to our sleeping patterns is the use of gadgets before going to sleep. Ensure you stay off mobiles and other devices at least an hour before you hit the bed.

A healthy lifestyle can help you get good-quality sleep
- Exercise regularly
- Eat light for dinner
- Avoid caffeine
- Manage your stress

If you have trouble getting sleep despite acting on your problem, it is wise to seek medical help and get tested for medical disorders like diabetic neuropathy or sleep apnea - Dr Shylaja Shyamsunder, Consultant, Internal Medicine, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital, Bengaluru.

With millennial health, workplace wellness and general mood and vigour all being affected by the lack of sleep, we need to find ways of making the limited number of sleeping hours count. We believe there is a dire need for innovation in sleep to not just cater to the top 1% but also impact the masses Ankit Garg, CEO, Wakefit.co.