How to have a good day at work: Learn the 11 golden rules for better sleep

In her regular column, founder of Neom and wellness expert Nicola Elliott looks at one thing we can all do that will make our nine-to-five feel happier and healthier

Sleep isn’t like money; you can’t pay it back into an account at the end of the week (iStock)

We all know what a big impact sleep (too much or too little) can have on us. Sleep disturbances can affect our health, increasing the risk of cancer, depression and heart problems, and when it comes to work, sleep deprivation can be a strong inhibitor of job performance, primarily by deteriorating mood and affect. 

Good sleep conversely leads to improved memory, knowledge acquisition and earning. We did a survey at the end of last year with our database of over 1 million people to get a better understanding of sleep habits and the results were pretty grim; 90 per cent of respondents said they wished for better sleep as poor sleep is the absolute enemy of a good day ahead.

Not surprising then that a lack of sleep can have a knock-on effect on career progression and can increase absenteeism, work-related accidents and behaviours.