Crossing out points in the to-do list is what motivates me and helps me stay productive during the day.
You, too, must have a bunch of your own hacks on how to improve productivity.
But is changing your mattress among them? What if I tell you that this alone can boost your office performance quite significantly?
I bet you will be at least shocked.
Keep reading, and I will tell you how your bed can either increase or ruin your productivity.
What Makes a Good Mattress?
A comfortable mattress is a key to a restorative sleep, which, in turn, is a key to productivity.
But what is a comfortable mattress, actually?
In brief, your bed is great for you if it offers you the following:
- cradling and close conforming to your body in any position;
- pressure points relief;
- excessive heat and moisture removal;
- correct spine alignment and even support across the whole surface.
These are the essentials. But of course, each of us could add a few points more, as we all have individual preferences.
Now, your mattress may not be the best fit for you if:
- you’ve been sleeping on it for more than 8 years already (since natural wear and tear reduce the ability of a mattress to perform its functions properly);
- it’s saggy and you can feel the lumps in the upper layers;
- you toss and turn a lot before falling asleep;
- you wake up with a stuffy nose or troubled breathing.
“Science says that not getting enough sleep can weaken your immune system. So, if you often ask your boss for sick leave, you may want to make sure it’s not because of your mattress.”
How Can Your Mattress Prevent You from Reaching Your Work Goals?
Your mattress can certainly wreck your achievements.
That’s a fact.
There actually are numerous studies that confirm the connection between the quality of sleep and work efficiency. Most of them indicate that an uncomfortable mattress can cause not only sleep deprivation but also a number of sleep-related problems. And this, in turn, directly affects how you will do at work and behave in a team.
Let’s dig a little deeper.
Sleep deprivation
Shortly speaking, sleep deprivation is a lack of quality sleep. And your mattress may be the cause for this condition if:
- you’re struggling to find a comfortable position, thus delaying your sleep time;
- you sleep hot;
- you can hear and feel your partner’s every move due to high motion transfer.
How can it affect you?
It’s no secret that sleep is important for the brain. In particular, good rest helps us better perform the following tasks:
- remembering information;
- generating ideas (your boss will certainly appreciate this during brainstorming);
- resisting stress;
- adapting to the changes in work conditions (this one is crucial for deadlines).
Now, sleep deprivation, especially when it becomes chronic, can significantly aggravate your brain’s ability to perform some of its very important functions (including but not limited to the aforementioned ones). Which will impact your productivity in a negative way.
“Your brain sees a lack of sleep as a stressful situation, which leads to an increase in the production of cortisol. As a result, you may become excessively anxious or forgetful. And these are certainly not the qualities of a good employee.”
Sleep-Related Problems
By sleep-related problems, we usually mean conditions that occur regularly and prevent a person from getting enough sleep. These may be, for example:
- insomnia;
- sleep apnea;
- restless legs syndrome;
- daytime sleepiness;
How can it affect you?
The situation is the same here as with sleep deprivation. Your brain doesn’t get to recharge during sleep and starts failing to do its job properly. Thus, you do not get enough energy to work effectively, become irritable and cannot survive the day without coffee. At the end of the working day, you scold yourself for laziness, worry about work efficiency and, as a result, can not fall asleep normally.
It’s important to understand here that not all sleep-related problems are caused by a wrong mattress. The thing is, a wrong mattress can make the existing issues worse. So, if you’re already struggling with some sleep-related conditions, choosing a suitable mattress becomes even more important.
Lower Back Pain
It’s that stiff and cringy feeling that becomes part of your routine right after waking up and may haunt you all day.
An unsupportive mattress puts your spine in a rather awkward position, which mayoverstretch the deep muscles in the lumbar areaof your body and cause you pain.
How can it affect you?
Well, this is some kind of vicious cycle.
With a sore lower back after sleeping in an uncomfortable position, you go to the office where you probably spend another 8 hours in an uncomfortable position. Would you be able to stay focused and productive?
I doubt it.
Lower back pain can very quickly turn into a chronic condition, so if you’re already experiencing these symptoms, it is better to consult a doctor. And be sure to replace your mattress. If you don’t know where to start, I suggest you check out this list of good mattresses from Happysleepyhead.
Headache
A tension headache and a heavy head often come together and are described as feeling like a tight band is compressing one’s head. They can affect all types of sleepers whose combination of a mattress and a pillow doesn’t support their cervical spine properly.
How can it affect you?
Obviously, you can’t be productive when your head is splitting.
Plus, if your work requires you to spend most of the day staring at the monitor, your cervical spine can become affected even more. The muscles and ligaments in that area might become overstretched, and you’ll get a sore neck in addition to a headache. It is called tech neck syndrome.
Allergies
According to studies, almost 30% of Americans suffer from different allergies. The most common home allergens are dust mites. These insects live in every home, and their favorite places are carpets and furniture.
Your mattress is full of these creatures, too, if it’s old or if you don’t take proper care of it.
Now, you are probably allergic to dust mites if you wake up with these symptoms:
- stuffy nose, runny nose, or sneezing;
- watery, red eyes;
- sore throat;
- coughing;
- itching or rash.
In addition, dust mites can trigger asthma if you already suffer from this condition. In this case, you may experience chest pain, wheezing cough, and troubled breathing.
How can it affect you?
The severity of allergic reactions can vary, but they undoubtedly affect your work productivity.
Watery eyes can make it almost impossible to look at the screen, and a runny nose will make you search for paper napkins every couple of minutes, which will distract you from doing your job.
If you think you can easily alleviate the symptoms by taking some pills, note that many antihistamine medications cause drowsiness and make it difficult to keep your concentration at a high level.