A new University of South Florida-led study has found that practicing mindfulness and managing emotions effectively can lead to better sleep and reduced work-related stress. The findings provide valuable insights into how employees and employers can work together to create a healthier, more productive work environment.
The researchers studied 144 nurses over two weeks, examining their ability to stay focused on the present moment and how often they fixated on negative thoughts. The nurses completed surveys three times a day and reported their sleep quality the following morning.
Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, and Sleep Quality
The study sheds light on the connection between mindfulness, emotion regulation, and sleep quality. Claire Smith, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of psychology at USF, emphasized the importance of adding nuance to the discussion of mindfulness as a stress-reduction tool.
“Mindfulness is often seen as a magical cure-all for employee stress,” Smith said. “The way it’s often spoken about makes it seem as if staying grounded in and accepting of the present moment means you will never be stressed. To me, it’s crucial to add more nuance.”
The study found that mindfulness helped nurses experience fewer negative emotions and less rumination, or repetitive negative thinking. “For instance, if you got a negative performance review at work, you might choose to shift your focus from negative thoughts of how you have failed and are incompetent to positive thoughts of what you did right and how you can grow,” Smith explained.
Implications for Employers and Employee Well-being
The findings could help employers make better decisions about implementing strategies to boost their workers’ health. Popular employer interventions include mindfulness-based stress reduction programs, along with yoga, meditation, tai chi, and therapy. These programs have been shown to help employees manage stress and improve their overall well-being.
“Mindfulness is a hot topic, but we need to understand why it works,” Smith said. “Our research is about going back to the drawing board to understand the reasons behind the benefits of mindfulness at work.”
The authors acknowledge the need for further studies to explore the best methods for reducing work-related stress across different occupations, including more traditional office settings outside of health care.
The study was published recently in the journal Health Psychology and was conducted by a team of researchers from the University of South Florida and Penn State.
