Recommendations and Resources

Devices

Tracking your sleep is an important way to determine the quantity and quality of your sleep and identify areas for improvement. How you track your sleep is up to you and different devices/methods work better for different people.

For those who prefer wearable devices, Apple, FitBit, and Garmin are popular makers of higher end smart watches with full functionality while more affordable options are available with limited capabilities. If you would like to wear a device somewhere other than your wrist, you can choose from rings, necklaces, and clips.

For those who prefer not to wear a device all day, there are still plenty of options. You can wear a ring or headband, use a sleep tracking mat, place a device next to your bed, or put your smartphone on your mattress.

We do not endorse any specific device or product, these are simply examples of the types of trackers available. We recommend choosing one that fits your needs and budget. If you would prefer to use a sleep log instead, we have provided information below.

Devices

sleep log

One easy and cost-effective method to track your sleep is by keeping a sleep log, where you note when you go to bed and wake up each day. Set up your sleep log by tracking the following items and try to fill out your log book as soon as you wake up:

Today’s date:
- Write the date of the morning you are filling out the log.

Last night, what time did you turn the lights off to go to sleep?
- Do your best to accurately track this.

Today, what time did you get out of bed?
- Do your best to accurately track this.

How would you rate last night’s sleep quality overall?
- This is your personal rating

Did you wake up in the middle of the night or early morning, before you meant to? Yes or No
- Prior to your alarm or predetermined waking time

How long did it take you to fall asleep?
- Your estimate in minutes

Did you nap today? Yes or No
- If yes, what time did your nap start and end?

Additional notes
- This is a space for you to keep additional notes on how you are feeling and log anything that you don’t feel was captured in the questions above.

We have included a printable version of these instructions and sample sleep logs under the Resources heading below.

Once you have tracked your sleep for 2 weeks and identified areas for improvement, set a goal for improving either sleep quality or sleep quantity and commit to 2 healthy sleep behaviors.

Reassess your progress in 2 weeks to see if you need to make any changes. It can help to have an accountability buddy to share goals with or to have rewards for when your goals are met.

GO TO SLEEP GOALS

Sleep Log

RESOURCES

Family and Sleep Support Behaviors

This reference guide explains specific supportive supervisor behaviors that can help support the well-being of employees. These concepts are covered in the Sleep Support online training for all levels of leadership.

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Goals and Behaviors for Healthy Sleep

A key method to stay ahead of sleep-related impairments is to set realistic sleep quantity and sleep quality goals. This reference guide outlines simple goals and specific behaviors that all employees can adopt to support healthy sleep.

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Sleep under Challenging Circumstances

Our environment is not always conducive to restful sleep. This companion guide to Goals and Behaviors for Healthy Sleep outlines positive sleep behaviors that employees can adopt under more challenging circumstances.

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Creating a Sleep Log

The first step towards building healthy sleep habits is to identify areas for improvement. For anyone who would prefer not to use a digital device, this worksheet helps employees to manually track their sleep and set their sleep goals.

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Downloads

Sleep

The National Sleep Foundation is dedicated to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its partners work to heighten awareness of the impact of sleep health on the public’s health and safety.

This Healthy Sleep resource developed in conjunction by OHSU and Harvard Medical School is relevant to sleep disorder information and provides links to videos and interactives helpful to getting quality sleep.

Phone Sleep Apps (Apple and Android compatible)

The Tactical Breather app available on Android or iOS can be used to gain control over physiological and psychological responses to stress. Through practice you can learn to gain control of your heart rate, emotions, concentration, and other physiological & psychological responses.

Breathe2Relax on Android and iOS is a portable stress management tool; a hands-on diaphragmatic breathing exercise. Breathing exercises have been shown to decrease stress responses, help with mood stabilization, anger control, anxiety management, and wind down before bedtime.

CBT-i Coach is for people who have experienced symptoms of insomnia and would like to improve their sleep habits. The app will guide users through the process of learning about sleep, developing positive sleep routines, and improving their sleep.

Sleepbot is a sleep application that includes: motion and sound graphs, sleep debt log, statistics, trend graphs (averages, sleep/wake times, patterns), multiple custom alarms, resources to help you fall asleep and stay awake and is free. Available on Android or iOS.

White Noise Lite features ambient sounds of the environment that will help you relax during the day and sleep at night. It generates sounds over a wide range of frequencies, masking noise interruptions, so you can fall asleep. Available on Android or iOS.

Sleep and the Workplace

The Family Supportive Supervisor Behaviors (FSSB) manual has ways to teach supervisors how to provide family and personal support as well as performance support to their employees.

World at Work is a nonprofit association for HR professionals and organizations. In their Resource Center, they have a number of resources related to compensation, benefits, work-life effectiveness and flexible work arrangements.

The When Work Works Flexibility Toolkit includes case studies, survey research, the business case for flexibility, and some tip sheets for employers and employees.

The Oregon Healthy Workforce Center – a NIOSH Center of Excellence – has online tools and toolkits that can help improve safety, health and well-being at work.

Circadian 24/7 Workforce Solutions

https://www.circadian.com/solutions-services/corporate-sleep-programs.html

Specific programs for pilots, long-haul drivers, miners… 24/7 occupations

dayZz

https://www.dayzz.com/for-employers/

In-app sleep tracker, daily sleep score, goals marked complete as achieved, personal and professional use, light sensors from phone sensing OnePager

nsc

https://www.nsc.org/workplace/safety-topics/fatigue/fatigue-what-can-employees-do

fitbit

https://healthsolutions.fitbit.com/blog/promoting-healthy-sleep-workplace-productivity/

discusses how tracking sleep works and how to understand

Forward Thinking