Headspace offers cognitive behavioral therapy to help workers sleep better

Did you get enough sleep last night to be productive today? 

For 43% of workers, accomplishing tasks and goals after a poor night of sleep is a struggle, according to data from meditation app Headspace. A newly-launched offering from the company, however, aims to unlock the secrets to a good night's sleep. Headspace now offers sleep support, integrating approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy, which works to change negative or harmful thought patterns and behaviors. Going beyond soothing podcasts or white noise, Headspace wants to help users build healthier routines and habits throughout the day that lead to a restful night of sleep.

"If someone is struggling with poor sleep, they're often doing something like getting into bed when they're not ready to sleep," says Michelle Davis, clinical psychologist and product manager at Headspace. "If someone's lying in bed and unable to sleep, really getting out of bed is the best thing you can do. Because if not, the brain is associating being in bed with being awake."

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These mistakes go beyond just doom-scrolling before bed or drinking caffeinated beverages at night, she says. Other common mistakes include not getting sunlight first thing in the morning when possible, and exercising too late in the day. Headspace's platform features mindfulness exercises that help make the user aware of what's contributing to their poor sleep, as well as instructional audio courses on how to change certain behaviors. For example, if a user often worries a lot before bed, they can try setting what Davis calls a "worry time," where users pick a time and place away from their bed and bedtime to reflect on their anxieties. This helps ensure that users don't associate their bed with stress. 

Davis notes that workers have plenty to worry about given the events of the last four years, whether it's potential layoffs, inflation, COVID and chronic health conditions or caregiving responsibilities — and those worries trickle into one's sleep and into the next workday, she says.

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"Sleep is our body's way of repairing itself and resetting for the next days," says Davis. "If you don't get a good night's sleep, it can make you feel more irritable with less resilience to face obstacles. It slows you down cognitively and makes it difficult to process and make decisions. Sleep is important from a biological and mental health perspective."

Headspace's research found that 60% of workers report that bad sleep makes them feel distracted, and 25% said it has led them to call in sick. Davis emphasizes that sleep is vital to employee productivity and engagement. While the issue of sleep may seem out of employer purview, it's a main pillar of wellness. 

She encourages employers to consider whether their mental health benefits offer any resources on sleep health, or if their culture is contributing to poor sleep. Employers aren't truly getting the best out of their workforce if they aren't getting a good night's rest.

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"People who are getting good sleep generally have better emotional well-being and are more productive," says Davis. "Addressing sleep health means getting the most bang for your buck."