Making this change to your post-work routine could help you get a better night's sleep - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Life Making this change to your post-work routine could help you get a better night’ s sleep By You Magazine - May 2, 2018 A bad night’s sleep is something that happens to everyone from time to time – but if you’re finding yourself tossing and turning on a regular basis, it might be time to make a change to your daily schedule. New research published in the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Occupational Health has shown that there’s one simple thing you can do after a busy day at work that will help you switch off: taking a ‘mental break’, and planning an activity between clocking off and going to sleep. Okay, so it sounds obvious, but it’s something that far too many of us struggle to make time for. Between long hours at the office, taking care of our families and trying to get to bed at a reasonable hour, it’s not always easy to clear a slot to simply enjoy ourselves and unwind – and this study provides a crucial reminder of why it’s so important. Getty Images The team conducting the survey questioned just under 700 workers from the US Forest Service on factors such as their environment at work, how they thought of their jobs, the number of children they had at home and what they usually did in the evening, as well as any existing sleep problems they’d been struggling with. Unsurprisingly, they found that those who had experienced negative behaviour at work, or who had negative thoughts about the role, showed a stronger link to symptoms of insomnia, as well as an increased chance of waking up during the night. Meanwhile, those who had decompressed with a relaxing pursuit such as yoga or listening to music after their shift got a better night’s sleep. MORE: This bumblebee breath trick could be the key to a good night’s sleep ‘Sleep quality is crucial because sleep plays a major role in how employees perform and behave at work,’ explained lead author Caitlin Demsky, PhD, of Oakland University. ‘In our fast-paced, competitive professional world, it is more important than ever that workers are in the best condition to succeed, and getting a good night’s sleep is key to that.’ ‘Incivility in the workplace takes a toll on sleep quality,’ she continued. ‘It does so in part by making people repeatedly think about their negative work experiences. Those who can take mental breaks from this fare better and do not lose as much sleep as those who are less capable of letting go.’ So, hands up if you’ll be planning a extra little me-time into your working week from now on? RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Everything we know about The Crown season 5 Aldi s exercise equipment is on sale with up to 50% off The best Halloween events for 2022 across the UK Popular in Life The You magazine team reveal their New Year s resolutions December 31, 2021 Susannah Taylor The TLC tools your body will love January 23, 2022 How to stop living in fear February 6, 2022 Susannah Taylor My pick of the fittest leggings February 27, 2022 Women’ s Prize for Fiction 2022 winner announced June 17, 2022 These BBC dramas are returning for a second series June 30, 2022 Susannah Taylor gives the lowdown on nature s little helper – CBD April 17, 2022 The baby names that are banned across the world April 27, 2022 The Queen has released her own emojis May 26, 2022 Sally Brompton horoscopes 27th June-3rd July 2022 June 26, 2022 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved