Find the Work-Life Balance This National Workaholics Day

Did you know there is an actual holiday dedicated to workaholics? Contrary to what you might think, this day is not intended to celebrate workaholism; it is designed to encourage workaholics to make lifestyle changes to improve their work-life balance. At Down Etc, that means helping workaholics find ways to increase the amount and quality of their sleep. We’re talking specifically to the workaholics who worked through the July 4^th holiday!

Workaholics’ addiction to work can result in the same negative physical, mental, and emotional consequences suffered by those deprived of sufficient quality sleep. The two are often connected, causing overlapping problems and a cycle that’s hard to break. Even a modest amount of sleep loss can be detrimental to your health and lead to a wide variety of disorders.

We previously detailed the 8 Ways Your Immune System and Health Suffer from Lack of Sleep. The bottom line is that lack of sleep due to workaholism can increase your chances of getting sick, worsen your risk for cardiovascular disease, cause weight gain, and make you more prone to workplace accidents and motor vehicle crashes.

Celebrate this National Workaholics Day by focusing on your sleep and your immune system by making sleep a priority. It’s not as hard as you might think. Here are three simple actions you can take tonight:

1. Turn your digital clock face down so you can’t see the display at night. Watching the time and fretting about not falling asleep can lead to an inability to fall asleep. Don’t fall into that trap.
2. Wait until you feel sleepy before climbing into bed.
3. If you can’t sleep, get out of bed, and do something calming like curling up with a book until you feel sleepy. Leave the lights as low as possible and avoid turning to screens until you’re ready to get back into bed.

These may seem like low-tech options, but they were suggested by sleep experts, and we’ve found they work. Read more of our 8 Ways to Improve Your Sleep and Your Immune System for more simple suggestions on how to calm down at the end of the day and to encourage sleep.