Many of Clarendon’s guests jet in from Gatwick and Heathrow to work in London. They come from all corners of the globe and various different time zones. It often means that despite their best efforts, they can neglect their sleep.
Sleep is too often seen as a luxury. When work is busy, and our lives even busier, sleep tends to be the main thing we allow to slide. In fact it’s probably the most important ingredient for a happy, healthy and productive working life.
Getting some shut eye is vital if we want to be in good health, both physically and mentally. When we have a good night’s sleep on a regular basis we feel more capable of facing the next day bright eyed and bushy tailed. But when we limit our sleep because of work pressures or deadlines we tend to be stressed and cranky which can affect our health. Lack of sleep can cause stress and memory problems. We rely on sleep for our brain functions and that’s why we can feel sluggish when we’ve been sleeping poorly.
Over time we’ve become used to getting less and less sleep. Scientists say we’re now getting between one and two hours less sleep than we did a generation ago. Most researchers believe it is modern technology that is causing the most damage to our sleep schedules. The blueish light from our smartphones and tablets is at the right frequency to disrupt our body clocks. It’s often why if you read on your screen late at night you’ll have trouble falling to sleep.
The problem isn’t simply technology, we are conditioned to constantly check our email, Facebook, Twitter and various online profiles which means we’re always on the go. This continuous stimulation is addictive and it means our brains are finding it much harder to wind down and switch off.
There are plenty of sleep gurus who will offer advice and suggestions for getting a good night’s sleep. These range from switching off all electronic devices at least an hour before we go to bed and banning screens from the bedroom. This will help the body prepare for “sleep mode” and ensure you relax, making sleep more conducive. Reducing caffeine intake and alcohol intake, especially in the hours leading up to bedtime are also important.
Culturally it’s also important for us to take a step back. Technology might have made it easier for us to be “on” for longer through the day but actually this could be affecting our health and our ability to sleep. Switching phones off or instilling a culture of “no emails after six” can help employees feel as though they can legitimately ignore emails until the following morning.
At Clarendon we know the challenges our guests face when they come to stay in a serviced apartment when they’re on a business trip. When we’re away from home we can often use work to plug the gap and find ourselves beavering away even though we should be getting some rest. Just because we’re staying in an unfamiliar city we should always adhere to our regular bedtime routines and ensure we get a good night’s sleep to have a wakeful working day.