Does your job make you sleepless?

A new Swedish study by the TCO shows there may indeed be a connection... 

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  Does your job make you sleepless? 5 tips for better night’s sleep: If you plan to drink alcohol, be sure to do so no less than 5 hours before your bedtime. Turn of your mobile phone and do something relaxing before you go to bed. Do not bring the computer into the bedroom. Drink your last cup of coffee in the daytime. Do not look at the clock when trying to fall asleep.

• Every fourth woman and every fifth man lies sleepless at night. Why? Could it be because of work-related issues? TCO (the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees) has produced a new study showing that there’s indeed a connection. The results show that at least 25% of all women and 20% of all men experience work-related sleeplessness. These numbers come back in different studies, according to professor and sleep researcher Torbjörn Åkerstedt:
  “Many are in a situation where they worry or get tense over something. It may be too high demands on the individual or uncertain goals,” he said to daily Aftonbladet. According to Åkerstedt, it is more common among civil servants to be affected by sleeplessness than for instance so-called blue-collar workers. To get a relief from the problem, Åkerstedt suggests leaving thoughts about work at work.
  “You have to deal with it in a reasonable way and be open to saying no. Studies show that if employers learn to recognize signs and are sympathetic, the work place gets better.”

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  One of the illnesses that's affected by sleep, as pointed out by Karolinska and also, in the U.S. by the CDC (which claims 1/3 of Americans don't get enough sleep) is diabetes. Think about it: too little sleep is bound to have an effect on our immune system and overall capacity.

• For more info, see TCO - Tjänstemännens CentralOrganisation (In Swedish only)