In Part 1 of this series, “Lack of emphasis on well-being is killing our design professionals,” I discussed work-life balance challenges in the A&D community. I shared my personal experiences with burnout and strategies for maintaining a healthier quality of life, examining the connection between organizational success and employee well-being. In the second installment of this two-part series, I explore the crucial link between sleep and mental health.
Research reveals that one in three adults is sleep deprived, with anxiety being the first casualty of insufficient rest. Today, an estimated 50% of the population experiences some degree of anxiety—a condition so prevalent that medical organizations now recommend anxiety screening as part of routine checkups for patients under 65.
Sleep is a biological imperative for a reason, and the relationship between sleep deprivation, anxiety and depression is clearly laid out in our physiology. Sleep deprivation causes elevated levels of the hormone and neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which raises blood pressure, blood sugar and heart rate. Since the nervous system is getting 80% of its information from the physical body, this dysregulated physiology triggers anxiety. How do we expect workplaces—let alone society—to function when one-third of the population is walking around in a sub-optimal mental state?
Many of these conditions could be mitigated simply by getting adequate sleep and recognizing that rest is equally vital to performance as active work. While professional athletes are expected to prioritize rest and recovery, this principle should extend to anyone whose work demands sustained high performance, creativity and innovation—especially given that creative work rarely follows a linear timeline.
Dr. Kibibi Springs, who has presented to my “Well-being by Design Vitality Circle,” supports this approach. Her dissertation posits that we should treat work like athletics, where rest and recovery are essential to individual sustainability and career longevity.
The World Health Organization has declared sleep deprivation an epidemic in all industrialized nations. This crisis manifests in workplace “presenteeism”—where employees log long hours but with diminishing returns. During my time at a German manufacturing and design company, I witnessed an effective counter to this problem. The company instituted mandatory breaks throughout the workday, ensuring engineers never worked more than two consecutive hours without rest. This practice, now trending in startups, was ahead of its time in recognizing human performance limits.
Evolving workplace culture
Organizations that thrive long-term embrace a growth mindset focused on total well-being—not just business metrics but the health of everyone affiliated with the company. The cost of burnout-driven turnover, both in recruitment and training, is substantial and preventable.
Experts in this field believe small changes can make a big impact.
Just by getting a little bit more adequate sleep, you can create a kinder, healthier you, a more harmonious workplace and a much more sane world.
Megan Mazzocco is author of “The Sleep System: 28 Days to Better Sleep.” Her practice, Wellbeing X Design, helps guide individuals and organizations to design their lives within their parameters to thrive through executive and integrative coaching services.
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