Ah, career - the c-word that defines our existence. From childhood itself, we're taught not just to work hard but go the extra mile to ensure professional success. It doesn't matter whether you were the straight-A student (aka Sharmaji ka ladka), the typical average joe (aka maa ka laadla) or the rebellious last bencher (aka class ka Ganesh Gaitonde). Sooner or later, we all grow up to realize what we want from life and embark on a journey to achieve our career goals.
We reinvent ourselves with expensive, work-appropriate clothing that makes us look sharp. We 'refine' ourselves by being polite, punctual and professional. We rebrand ourselves by sharing relevant social media posts, giving 5-star reviews to our company and networking on LinkedIn.
And in the end, we reassure ourselves thinking that waiting in long queues, traveling in crowded metros, and working overtime till late night - it's all necessary for success. It's funny to see how we leave no stone unturned to achieve professional growth. When in reality, a significant factor contributing to our career lies in our very bedroom. That's right. A quality mattress could play a vital role in how we perform at work - both, physically and mentally.
The Direct Impact Mattresses Have On One’s Career
Admiringly prettier, the evolution of the human spine from its original hominid form did provide us with a survival edge. But, it was never meant to support the extensive amount of duress we pile on it every day. There's the tiring commute to work in crowded metros, followed by intermittent bouts of walking, pacing, and sitting at the office. Not to mention that hunched posture with which we stare at our laptop screens all day long. All of this only adds extra wear and tear to the fragile spinal disc.
The back is the first point of contact our body has with a mattress. And it's also where most of us feel the strain along with the leg, neck, and head. Instead of offering comfort, old mattresses that are worn out (plus ones that were never so good, to begin with) work against your body by enforcing improper sleeping positions. Pretty soon, bad posture reduces work efficiency.
Exacerbating the matters are poorly designed work areas, the nature of the work as well as the workload that together place an additional burden. Soon, we start relying on neck pillows, support belts, ergonomic chairs, and monitor stands. Now sure, these 'objects of comfort' might help battle the pain. But only a good-quality mattress can help win the war against chronic back pain, stiffness, and even herniated disks that hamper our work.
Another way a mattress impacts your productivity is by affecting metabolism. The more sleep you get and the better its quality, the better your metabolism is in the long run. This way, your body has an easier time digesting food and quickly turning it into the energy you need to cope with fast-paced environments or hectic schedules. Having the right mattress can help you feel more energized during the day, not just because you slept right, but because of the effects which sleep has on the body's metabolic rate.
But wait, there's more. Picture this. Your throat is scratchy, your eyes are watery, and you're staring in wonder at the towering pile of tissues you've used so quickly. One more sneeze and you're convinced your brain will pop out of your ears.
You can't focus on work. What is happening? Well, since you spend about a third of your life in bed, you better believe that over time, your mattress starts to collect loads of dead skin and body oils. And who loves to snack on that stuff? Yep, you guessed it right - dust mites.
The typical used mattress can house as many as 10 million of the microscopic bugs, reports a recent study. If you suffer from allergies, sleeping on an old mattress can worsen your health. It can cause sneezing, itchiness, watery eyes, coughing, runny noses and sinus pressure.
It gets worse if you have asthma; you could be at risk for difficulty breathing, chest tightness, or even trouble sleeping caused by shortness of breath. Such factors can negatively impact your workweek.
The Severity Depends On The Occupation
Not everyone spends their workdays in a cubicle, behind a computer screen, sitting on a swivel chair. From travel photography to teaching, archaeology, journalism, acting, dancing, nursing and more, some of the best professions in the world demand strenuous physical labor.
For anyone who identifies with the latter group, a good-quality mattress becomes a necessity for his or her occupation. And there's no need to highlight its impacts on blue-collar workers (construction workers, miners, plumbers, and laborers) who have low-income jobs.
Now, you might think that because you don’t have any backache or allergy, your old worn-out mattress cannot harm, right? Wrong!
How Mattresses Impact Your Career Indirectly
With so much focus on long work hours, nowadays we’ve forgotten how important it is to sleep. A hundred years ago, people would sleep nine or ten hours at night. And their schedules were quite an in sync with sunrise and sunset. Nowadays, we sleep for an average of seven hours (if we’re lucky). Research proves just how sleepless we are as a nation; a 2016 report by Fitbit, which sells fitness bands with a sleep tracking feature, said India is the world’s second-most the sleep-deprived country in the world.
But we don’t need statistics to realize this fact, now do we? After all, we’ve all experienced waking up feeling tired and groggy. We all know that the quality of sleep depends a lot on that of the mattress. Yet few actually do something to improve it. Unless you bought it within the past year, you cannot expect your malformed mattress to make up for the lost hours.
So, what happens when sleep deprivation, a common phenomenon in today’s world, joins hands with inadequate bedding? Well, it happens slowly. It happens innocently. It happens thoughtlessly. But it indeed happens. The detrimental effects catch up with you in more ways than you realize. Your brain’s motor skills aren’t as sharp as usual, and you feel there’s a fog clouding your mind.
Although you’re awake, you’re tired and stuck in a sleep-like state called sleep inertia. It is a physiological state that occurs between sleep and wakefulness, where feelings of drowsiness and disorientation persist.
Each of the REM stages within the sleep cycle reduces your blood pressure, getting it back to normal. Interrupting those cycles can severely interfere with your blood pressure, leading to potential heart issues down the road. Additionally, during sleep, the body also releases hormones which help regulate stress. Fewer shut-eye results in stress that can build up and cause a further increase in blood pressure.
So, how does this mattress-led lack of sleep hamper your work performance? Says Dr. Raj Dasgupta, the spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, “It can alter brain activity to the extent that one might face trouble making decisions, solving problems, get easily distracted and be less likely to catch mistakes.” Cognitive and motor performance impairments from sleep deprivation are comparable to those induced by alcohol consumption at or above the legal limit. You won’t be able to multitask as well as you might otherwise. You’ll be easily distracted. But again, one doesn’t need an expert opinion to accept that inadequate sleep can leave your mind feeling cloudy.
The Emotional And Psychological Effects In The Long Haul
Gone are the days where we could leave our emotions at the door when walking into the office. In today’s 24x7 hectic times, that’s not realistic. It’s important to remember that your mood will affect those around you. Not getting enough sleep due to inferior bedding can contribute to a negative frame of mind.
Someone who is sleep deprived is more likely to be sad, irritable, frustrated, stressed out or fatigued. Displaying such emotions daily can result in reduced work-life balance as well as strained workplace relationships.
But all these are short-term effects, right? Nope. In the long run, a poor-quality mattress does more than draining your mental abilities or puts your physical health at real risk. Science has linked inadequate slumber with all kinds of health problems, from weight gain to hypertension, insomnia, instability as well as a weakened immune system - all of which result in leaves for a long duration.
Looking At The Bigger Picture
Nowadays, no customer would like to enter into a business relationship with someone who isn’t available 24x7 for client servicing. How well you serve your company, the number of sick leaves you take, your workplace behavior, personality, and attitude - each of these factors influence your appraisal.
What’s more, getting a promotion takes more than just excelling at your job. To move up the career ladder, you have to prove to your seniors that you are ready for more responsibility; this takes consistent, top-notch performance, staying dedicated to your work, and more. In the end, whether you’re affected physically, mentally, emotionally or psychologically, your mattress plays a crucial role in your health and well-being and affects long-term success.
The Role Of Mattresses On Present And Future Career
For a long time, mattresses have helped people who can't commute daily work comfortably from home. There are the expectant and new mothers for whom the sack is the new office. There are the sick employees who can prop themselves up against the pillows and bash out the odd document to beat a deadline. There are also the senior citizens, the injured and the disabled who can enjoy making a living while resting. And finally, there are writers, designers, artists and freelancers who need peace and solitude - something that's hard to find in a co-working space or an open-plan office.
In the 21st century, remote work is no longer a privilege. Influenced by western culture, it's become the standard operating mode for a majority of youth-centric ventures. There’s a growing trend for flexible working that has taken over the country. From health care to software to digital marketing, each industry offers roles that can be executed from the comfort of your own home. Whether the trend reflects companies' desire to reduce expenses or to provide employees with much-desired choices, the benefits are a blessing for those dependent on quality bedding for work than ever.
Modern Mattresses For The Modern-Day Professional
We've come a long way from sleeping on the ground. Each night, when you lie down in bed, it might be noteworthy to recall how lucky you are to have a soft mattress to sleep on., and who knows where technology will lead us next. Well, the bedding industry, for one, does. From cooling technology to comfort material, today's mattresses are much more advanced than before. Modern-day manufacturers offer a wide variety of choices for the discerning professional.
Ideally, a mattress that reduces the pressure points on your body should give you a better night's sleep, experts say. Yet the ideal mattress is different for each person. There's the memory foam mattress that helps you bid adieu to back pain. There are orthopedic mattresses designed to offer a firmer sleep surface, providing targeted support for your back and joints. Then there are hypoallergenic mattresses that have got your back against your allergies. The choices are aplenty.
People often think their mattress can last for decades but in reality, your mattress ages more quickly than you may think. And, just as technology for the television, mobile and cameras has evolved, so has the technology for your beds. Contrary to what most people believe, mattresses aren’t made to be used forever. You may have come to like the way you fit into the groove you've made in that 20-year-old mattress, but it's likely not doing your career any favors.
From the above information, it should start to become somewhat apparent how detrimental a low-quality mattress can be to your career. Now, the question that arises is what are you going to do about it?