People of all ages need a good night’s sleep in order to be refreshed in the morning. When adults aren’t receiving the recommended amount of sleep, it can negatively impact their daily life and potentially increase stress levels.

Workplace Stress

Every day, 1 million Americans miss work due to workplace stress. According to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 40% of people working in the United States stated that they experienced a considerable amount of stress at work.

Furthermore, 2/3 of these men and women indicated that their jobs impacted their stress levels significantly, according to NIOSH. The study also showed that 1 out of 4 workers had taken a “mental health day” or called in sick as a result of this stress.

Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation

Given these stress levels, it’s not surprising that roughly 60 million people in the United States have a sleep disorder or are otherwise deprived of sleep. Even though the recommended amount of sleep is usually 7 to 9 hours a night, 42% of adults tend to fall short of this.

It’s been shown that many adults only have 6.8 hours of sleep a night, which is much less than during earlier decades. In 1942, for example, adults tended to average a full 8 hours a sleep every night.

Solutions for a Good Night’s Sleep

Since the Mayo Clinic reports that agonizing over falling asleep can be counter-productive and cause stress, it’s better to get out of bed when unable to fall asleep after 15 minutes or so. They also recommend that doing something relaxing may assist people with falling asleep. This might include listening to music, taking a bath, doing yoga, or meditating.

Another solution was revealed by the National Sleep Foundation’s “2012 Bedroom Poll.” The individuals that participated in this poll indicated that clean, fresh-scented sheets made a difference with them. Over 3/4 of the participants stated that they were more excited to go to bed when their sheets had a fresh scent, and approximately 3/4 stated they experienced a more comfortable night’s sleep when their sheets were freshly-scented.

The “2012 Bedroom Poll” also revealed that 85% of the participants believed comfortable sheets and bedding were important to having a good night’s sleep. This included having a comfortable mattress and pillows for 9 out of 10 of the participants.

Using essential oils may also help people to relax and otherwise improve their quality of sleep. Lavender, in particular, has been shown to have a calming effect and contains properties that are able to enhance sleep. For almost 6,000 years, lavender and other essential oils have been used for therapeutic and other purposes by the ancient Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Indians, and Romans.

Using a heated back wrap may also assist people with relaxation. Since heat is known to relax muscles, this can be soothing even when someone isn’t experiencing pain. A lavender scented heat wrap, a lavender scented neck heat wrap, or a microwave heat pad, may be just what is needed to assist someone with drifting off to asleep.

When adults are able to have the recommended 8 hours of sleep every night, it tends to make a positive impact on their state-of-mind and overall well-being. Creating a relaxing bedtime ritual, putting fresh-scented sheets and comfortable covers on the bed, then applying a heated back wrap may all work together to reduce stress levels and enhance sleep.

Many adults may be able to alleviate the stress of the day when applying a heated back wrap, an extra long neck heat pad, or a lavender heat wrap when they return home from work. As a result of using this heated back wrap, they will be more relaxed throughout the evening. This can make a positive impact on their state-of-mind and emotions when it’s time to go to sleep.