Improve your sleep quality: Free training for workers and supervisors

Portland, OR — An “evidence-based program designed to help supervisors support their employees’ work-life balance and sleep health” is available from the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences.

“Sleep is vital to sustain the physical and mental abilities necessary for success in daily life,” the institute’s Center for Supportive Leadership says. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 out of 3 adults don’t get the recommended minimum of seven hours of sleep a night.

Leslie Hammer, co-director of the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center at the institute, developed the free training. It includes a one-hour online educational program and a two-week behavior-tracking exercise for supervisors, as well as sleep-tracking and goal-setting exercises for all workers.

Tips to form healthy sleep behaviors include:

• Begin to wind down 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime, and avoid stimulating or stressful activities during this time.
• Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
• Keep your bedroom cool and dark.
• Try not to dwell on sleep issues or lay in bed worrying.
• Get out of bed if you can’t sleep, then listen to music or do something else relaxing.
• Eat nutritious meals and limit caffeine intake during the day.
• Exercise regularly, stopping a few hours before bedtime.