Sleep well to avoid sick leaves

Zee Media Bureau/R Nandini

London: Is taking a lot of sick leaves tarnishing your image at work? Following a good sleep hygiene can lower the risk of falling sick that often, says a new fascinating study.

The study has found that those who maintained an optimum sleep duration of seven to eight hours every night, fell ill considerably less.

Researchers in their further analysis have found that the optimal sleep duration should not be less than six hours or more than nine hours per night. A further break up reveals it to be seven hours, 38 minutes for women and seven hours, 46 minutes for men.

The study was based on a survey of 3,760 men and women in the age group of 30-64 in Finland.

According to Tea Lallukka from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, insomnia symptoms should be detected early to help prevent absence due to sickness and deterioration of health, well-being and functioning.

Successful prevention of insomnia not only promotes health and work ability among employees, but it can also lead to notable savings in reduced sickness absence costs, Lallukka concluded.

The study appeared in the journal Sleep.

With Agency Inputs