Sleep tight to tackle work stress

If your job stresses you no end, try having a good night’s sleep. Sleep at least for 7-8 hours at night. Yes, you read it right. Sound sleep at night is a good anti-dote to combating the work stress you face during the day. In addition, it will also prevent you from indulging in unhealthy eating.

This fact came to the fore following a study done by Michigan State University, published in an online journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, recently. The study investigates the relation between stress at work and eating behaviour.

The study found that people who have a stressful workday often end up eating junk food, and in quantity that is more than the usual. However, if these people have slept well the night before, they take the workday stress in their stride and are more conscious about what they eat. This shows that health behaviours are inter-related.

Apart from having a good night’s sleep, there are certain other steps that you can take to relieve yourself of work stress during the day while you are still in office. These include deep breathing, meditation, and walking.

Walking is great for stress relief, so walk as much as you can, as many times as is possible. As an example, get up to have a cup of tea/coffee rather than asking the peon to get you one, stand up and move around when you answer a phone call and be sure to take a quick stroll after lunch. Walking gives your body a chance to use different sets of muscles and interrupts any build-up of tension.

Once you reach home, take a shower and change to comfortable clothing. And just like you have a schedule for your work day, have a schedule for the time you spend at home after a work day too. After each day, you must have some alone time at home. Ponder about your day, and be grateful for the job you have. Those who have plants at home tend to them and water them. Gardening is a great stress buster.