What does sleep have to do with home insurance?
In addition to affecting weight gain, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even motivation, sleep deprivation can impact your home as well.
According to a study by Harvard Medical School, a lack of adequate sleep can increase the risk of severe accidents and injury resulting from the following side effects:
Impaired Decision-Making and Judgment
“I’ll just go fold the laundry while this pot is waiting to boil on the stove” and then you forget about it, or “I’ll take a shower and leave the candles burning in the bedroom for the scent,” only to come out of the bathroom to smoke all around you.
Diminished Hand-to-Eye Coordination
An expensive vase doesn’t quite make it to the shelf when you are trying to put it away and it shatters on the floor, or you knock over an open can of paint on your newly-restored hardwood floors.
Short-term memory Problems
Did you remember to unplug the iron? Did you lock the back door before you left? Did you start to draw a bath but go to answer the phone without turning off the water? You know the potential consequences here.
Poor Concentration
You accidentally leave a potholder or pizza box on a hot cook top or leave a dish in foil when putting it into the microwave, causing a fire.
Statistics on Sleep Deprivation
According to Consumer Reports, 68% of Americans report struggling to sleep at least once a week. The CDC says that 36.5% of U.S. workers receive less than the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Sleepless in America puts it even more simply: 40% of Americans are sleep-deprived.
To put it in financial terms, Rand reports that sleep deprivation causes $411 billion annually in damages – the same amount as cybercrime. It also states that if people who sleep under 6 hours per night slept for an additional 60-90 minutes, it would add up to $226.4 billion back into the U.S. economy. The American Psychological Association says this added sleep would also make us happier and healthier.
In Virginia, accidents are the third leading cause of death, with unintentional household injuries making up 75% of these deaths. The remaining 25% are from motor vehicle accidents. In other words, accidental household deaths are three times more likely than deaths from car crashes.
According to a study by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, most Americans do not realize that fatigue can have similar effects on the brain as alcohol use does. Just think of the damage you could be doing to your home if you were walking around intoxicated all of the time.
What You Can Do To Improve Your Sleep
There are many home remedies for help falling asleep, from drinking a glass of warm milk to counting sheep. One of the techniques recommended most often was developed by the U.S. Army to help soldiers fall asleep in even the most uncomfortable circumstances. It is reported to work for 96% of the people who tried it in a recent 6-week study. Here’s how it works:
The Quick Sleep Technique
Sit on the side of your bed. Make sure only your bedside light is on, your phone is silenced, and your alarm is set for the morning.
Now, tighten up your facial muscles in a wincing motion, then slowly let your muscles naturally loosen. Let your tongue fall any which way in your mouth.
Start noticing your breathing. Listen to the sound of your breath as you inhale and exhale.
As you continue breathing, letting your chest relax at the same time, focus on your shoulders. Let gravity naturally pull them toward the ground. Move your focus down your arms and let them dangle (one side at a time helps).
Continue to listen to your breathing and move your focus to your thighs and lower legs. Feel gravity relax them and pull them naturally downward.
When you feel your whole body has relaxed, try to clear your mind for 10 seconds. If thoughts come, let them pass. Keep your body loose and limp.
If you are good at visualization, picture yourself lying in a canoe in a calm lake with clear blue skies above you. You could also see yourself in a comfortable hammock, gently swaying in a soft breeze. If you aren’t good at visualization, chant softly, “Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think” for 10 seconds instead.
Now, you should be fully relaxed and ready to sleep. Turn off the bedroom light, lie down, and, ideally, you’ll drift off to sleep within a few minutes.
It may take up to one or two weeks for this to begin working consistently for you, but don’t get discouraged. The benefits to your health and safety are well worth the effort.
Another Quick Way To Quiet Your Brain
Another effective and quick way to quiet your thoughts which may be preventing you from relaxing enough to fall asleep is to ask yourself this simple question:
"What will my next thought be?"
Keep asking this question until you find you don't think of anything. It frequently works the first time you ask, and your body's tension quickly subsides along with your overthinking.
Additional Sleep Facts
Humans are the only animals that delay sleep.
The average person takes 7 minutes to fall asleep (unless you are a chronic over-thinker).
The sleep average in the U.S. is 7 hours and 6 minutes.
More than 50% of the U.S. population takes naps during the week.
50% of your dreams are forgotten in the first five minutes of waking up. 95% is lost by the time you roll out of bed.
65% of our dreams are filled with sadness and anger, while 20% contain happiness and excitement.
Men have dreams featuring other men 70% of the time. Women dream about women and men equally.
The sleep technology market is expected to hit $84.9 billion in 2021.
If you find you are more forgetful or tend to stumble or drop objects more frequently, take a look at your sleep patterns. You may find the number of accidents in your home goes down.
Sources: CDC, CFHA,
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