The power of sleep—and how your group benefits can help you today

Jérémie Clarke, Regional Vice President, Distribution, Quebec & Atlantic, Group Solutions discusses the importance of sleep, the group benefits that can help plan members improve the quality of their rest, and why he thinks his boss, Christine Wyatt, may be a mutant

In these super tense times, taking care of our health is a great way to build resilience and maintain perspective. Diet, exercise, relaxation and sleep are called the Four Pillars of Health. I was surprised to read that some scientists say sleep has the greatest impact on our health. That’s not to say we can skip the veggies or hang up our trainers. But it may mean some of us need to pay more attention to sleep hygiene. I know I do, especially with business travel.   

Back in Montreal after a two-day team conference in Niagara-on-the-Lake, I am reminded of how much I enjoy working from home—but working together face-to-face, getting to know people over lunch and dinner, and hanging out in the evening feeds my soul. In short spurts. I find long days and late nights—especially when I spend most of my time sitting down—make it harder to get a good night’s sleep. This is not great, since I feel more mentally sharp and focused when I get a solid seven or eight hours of shut-eye.

Not so for my boss. Each morning, after staying up through the wee hours, she arrived at the breakfast table looking bright and refreshed. Her scant need for sleep has been the subject of marvelment for many years. It’s possible my boss is a mutant: about one per cent of the world’s population have gene mutations that cause them to remain awake longer and experience shorter sleep cycles. People with this rare condition—called Short Sleep Syndrome— genuinely need less sleep than most. They wake refreshed and don’t feel tired during the day.¹

For the rest of us, too little sleep can have serious health consequences.

Health consequences of too little sleep
According to experts, just one night of poor sleep can slow down our response time, reduce our ability to stay focused and pay attention, and impair our logical reasoning ability. It can also affect our mood, judgement, and emotional control.

Prolonged lack of sleep can lower our immune system’s ability to fight off disease. It can cause serious health conditions, including high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, and may also be a root cause of obesity. This is cause for concern when we consider that almost a quarter of the working-age population is not getting the recommended amount of sleep, and about 40% are suffering from poor quality sleep.²

How much sleep do you need? 
The amount of sleep we need varies by age.³ Babies, children and teens need the most.

As a dad, I make sure my two children get the sleep they need, and I’m alarmed by research such as a study by the University of Maryland⁴ that found that a lack of sleep affects brain structure. According to the study lead, Dr Ze Wang, “Children who had insufficient sleep—less than nine hours per night—at the beginning of the study had less grey matter or smaller volume in certain areas of the brain responsible for attention, memory, and inhibition control, compared to those with healthy sleep habits.” Wang says these differences persisted after two years, which speaks to the potential long-term harm that sleep deprivation may have.

Five ways group benefits can help 
The path to restorative rest doesn’t have to be a lonely one. Empire Life plan members can get solid support from the following benefits. 

Reliable, doctor-approved information
Plan members can request information on a variety of sleep-related topics from Teladoc Health. Teladoc can also provide contact details for sleep specialists in their area. This benefit is automatically included in all our group insurance plans with extended health benefits.

Professional help coping with stress, anxiety and many of the challenges of daily life that can make it hard to sleep
AssistNow Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers: (optional benefit)

• Counselling with a professional counsellor to address issues—everything from addictions, academic distress, ADHD, anxiety, bereavement/grief, career issues, child abuse, domestic violence, family and/or relationship problems and so much more
• Cancer support is available for individuals whose lives have been impacted by cancer
• Caregiver resources offer information on local services available for child or elder care. These resources help caregivers find support, including professional assistance, community programs, and practical guidance
• Financial consultation provides employees with assistance and a better understanding of general financial areas such as budgeting, savings advice, and debt management
• Health and nutrition consultation is designed to help people who want to improve their overall health. Health coaches and registered dietitians work with them to make changes in the ways they want to change—through goal setting, planning, taking action, measuring progress, motivation and support. Goals can be getting a better night’s sleep, losing weight, drinking less, eating a healthier diet, boosting energy and more
• Legal resources provide employees with general legal information in areas such as family law, bankruptcy, wills, and estate planning
• Life coaching helps employees create a meaningful, purposeful life via a safe and confidential personal exploration process focused on sustainable change and positive results
• Mindfulness programming can help employees learn how to calm their minds and bodies, let go of negative thoughts, and feel more grounded in the present moment. A counsellor will guide them step-by-step and help them learn the skills they need to reduce stress, focus on the present, and increase their overall well‑being
• Self-guided cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) provides tools and strategies to manage mental health issues such as stress and anxiety and develop healthy sleep habits, all at their own pace.

According to Empire Life data for 2024, the top five reasons plan members called AssistNow EAP were to improve their mental health or get help with anxiety, marriage or relationship issues, depression, or grief.  

A large-scale research study on EAP shows that EAPs reduce presenteeism and improve employee function. This study also found that participants reported improvements in problem resolution and productivity, resulting in an estimated return on investment to be between $5.17 and $6.47 for every dollar spent on EAP.⁵

Extended health benefits:

• A range of mental health practitioners are eligible for coverage under the Empire Life paramedical benefit. These include licensed clinical psychologists, registered clinical counsellors, Canadian certified counsellors, psychotherapists, registered professional counsellors, as well as an extensive and ever-evolving array of practitioners, therapists, counsellors, and any other certified mental health professionals belonging to an accredited association approved by Empire Life.

Help navigating the healthcare system and getting the right diagnosis

• Facing a life-changing health diagnosis can cause sleep disruption and anxiety, and navigating our healthcare system can be difficult. Teladoc Medical Experts offers group plan members access to an extensive global network of physicians covering over 450 specialties and subspecialties to get expert assistance with a diagnosis, treatment review, or help gathering medical history. (This benefit is automatically included in plans with extended health benefits)
• Mental Health Navigator is a virtual service that helps group plan members who are struggling with a mental health issue. A psychologist and/or psychiatrist will review their situation with them via a video call to establish the right diagnosis, treatment plan, and medication if needed. (This benefit is automatically included in plans with extended health benefits)
• Sometimes, comparatively minor health issues, like an ear infection or pink eye, can occur late at night, and the only way to get medical care is to go to the emergency room. With wait times at record levels, it’s easy to see how this can eat into sleep time. With telemedicine, plan members have 24/7 virtual access to licensed physicians, ensuring timely healthcare when needed. (optional benefit)

Medical supplies to treat sleep conditions
Extended health benefits offer coverage for oral devices, CPAP machines and masks to help people with sleep apnea.

Prescription drugs
Non-drug therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy, are often the first type of treatment for many sleep disorders. With that said, there are more than 90 sleep disorders,⁶ and an even larger number of diseases that can disrupt sleep. There is an ever-expanding range of drug treatments to treat these disorders, and most of these treatments are covered by group insurance drug benefits.    

Let’s recommit to healthy sleep habits 
I encourage plan sponsors to help educate their employees about the health benefits of healthy sleep habits and to take full advantage of the group insurance benefits that can help promote healthy sleep. Good sleep isn't a luxury—it's a necessity. 

¹ University of California San Francisco. 2019. After 10-Year Search, Scientists Find Second ‘Short Sleep’ Gene 
² Statistics Canada. 2022. Sleep behaviours among Canadian adults: Findings from the 2020 Canadian Community Health Survey healthy living rapid response module
³ Centre for Disease Control
⁴ National Institutes of Health. 2022. Children’s sleep linked to brain development
⁵ Beulah Joseph, Arlene Walker and Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz. Evaluating the effectiveness of employee assistance programmes: a systematic review. European Journal Of Work And Organizational Psychology, 2018
⁶ J F Pagel, Bennett L Parnes. Medications for the Treatment of Sleep Disorders: An Overview. The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2001