Don’t hit snooze on healthy sleep

Learn practical, affordable steps families can take to reset their sleep routine for better health.

Most days, Daniel Lofland is up before the sun. He showers, makes coffee and enjoys a rare quiet hour before helping his two kids get ready for school. The Oklahoma Electric Cooperative employee’s workdays can vary wildly. By mid-morning, he might be verifying energy-efficiency rebates across the co-op’s service territory. By afternoon, he might be answering member questions, prepping a safety demonstration trailer or recording an episode of his electric cooperative’s podcast.

It’s a full day, but the routine is predictable. And that predictability, Lofland says, is why sleep works for him.

“I wake up early, so I try to be in bed by 10 p.m.,” says Lofland, an OEC energy efficiency and solutions specialist who also spent nearly a decade as a lineman. “We prioritize sleep in our house, especially since we’ve got kids. In order to be successful in your day, you’ve got to be rested.”

In the electric cooperative world, alertness isn’t optional. Whether it’s driving rural roads, responding to outages or making decisions around live power, being well rested matters. But across rural America, intentionality around sleep is increasingly hard to come by. Shift work, long commutes, caregiving responsibilities and screen time are quietly eroding sleep.

Rural sleep under pressure

For Curtis Chlouber, a construction foreman at Cimarron Electric Cooperative, routine is also important for quality sleep, especially in his line of work where safety is crucial.

“When you’re dragging the day after not getting good sleep, you miss little things. You’re forgetting to grab a certain tool, and you’re just not as focused” he says. “Every day is a little different, so you have to be ready to adapt and be alert even if it’s something you’ve done a hundred times.”

Chlouber wakes at 5:30 a.m. and is on the job by 7. Some weeks, his job means long drives to distant parts of the system before the real work even begins. After finishing his workday around 4:30 p.m., he heads straight to the gym, then home to help with dinner, baths, homework and bedtime for his three young children. Most nights, he’s in bed by 9 or 10. But once a week, he’s also on call, which can disrupt his routine.

“The hardest thing is getting called in the middle of the night after you’ve been sleeping for a few hours,” Chlouber says. “I take precautions and don’t hesitate to pull over just to walk laps around my car and wake myself up.”

Mikala Jordan is the sleep lab supervisor for Mercy Health. She says that kind of disruption is common in rural occupations, and it interrupts the body’s natural sleep rhythm.

“The main issue with shift workers is they’re not getting that natural sunlight at the normal hours of the day,” she says. “As a shift worker, you might be jumping back and forth between schedules. Or if you’re on your last shift of the week and you come home, instead of going to sleep, you make yourself stay awake to spend time with family or do other things. But having a set schedule and sticking to it is super helpful to avoid negative long-term effects.”

Add in potentially long commutes, seasonal workloads, financial stress and caregiving responsibilities, and quality sleep becomes even harder to protect.

Taryn Edwards is an executive assistant for Great Plains Sleep Specialist and a sleep lab supervisor for Oklahoma State University’s sleep center. She said sleep disorders are often underdiagnosed in rural areas.

“People just don’t realize that their symptoms are medical issues, or they might not have access to sleep specialists,” she said.

The cost of poor sleep

Experts warn that the cost of poor sleep is much greater than people may think. Over time, chronic sleep loss is linked to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, depression, obesity and cognitive decline, according to the National Institutes of Health. Harvard Medical School research also found it also raises the likelihood of workplace errors leading to injuries and motor vehicle accidents.

Edwards says lack of sleep also affects people mentally and emotionally, even if they might not realize it’s sleep-related.

“People might be more irritable, forgetful, they can’t think straight or focus,” she says. “Sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s a basic health need. When sleep disorders go untreated, they also affect someone’s family, workplace or school and even other people on the road.”

“Thankfully, sleep disorders are very treatable. They just rarely get better on their own, so the earlier people address them, the better the outcome.”

A sleep reset

Mercy Health’s Mikala Jordan emphasized that there are simple ways to improve your sleep without expensive or unrealistic means. Small, practical changes can make a measurable difference.

• Protect your schedule. One of the biggest things to improve sleep quality is having a schedule that you’re sticking to as much as possible. Consistency matters more than perfection, so going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time helps reset the body’s internal clock. If you’re on call and get an unexpected wake-up call, Jordan recommends going back to the normal routine as soon as possible.
• Mind your lighting. Bright, cool-toned bulbs and screens in the evening signal the brain to stay alert, so avoid them if possible. Ideally, that means no TV or phone time 30-60 minutes before bed.
• Create a sleep sanctuary. To improve sleep, your room should be dark and cool with a comfortable mattress and pillow. Jordan also recommends some sort of white noise and only using your bedroom to sleep. That means, you’re not watching TV while you’re in your bed.

“Your circadian rhythm takes a while to reset. If you’re consistent with the changes, I’d say give it about a week before you might start to notice improvements,” Jordan says. “If you’re still experiencing a lot of sleep issues after making consistent changes, I would definitely seek additional help to make sure there aren’t any underlying issues.”

When and how to ask for help

Sometimes, sleep problems aren’t just about habits. Experts warn that underlying conditions could include things like narcolepsy and restless leg syndrome. However, one of the most prevalent sleep disorders is sleep apnea. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, sleep apnea affects nearly 30 million Americans, and an estimated 80% of cases remain undiagnosed.

“Sleep apnea is incredibly common, especially among men,” Jordan says. “And many people put off testing because they don’t want to deal with a CPAP machine which is the gold standard for treatment.”

But not addressing a potential sleep disorder could lead to worse health outcomes down the road, and today, testing options are more accessible than ever. Patients can complete a home sleep study, picking up a small device to wear overnight and returning it the next day. Follow-up care and monitoring are often available through telehealth.

“If something feels off, talk to your primary care provider,” Jordan says. “Write symptoms down. Bring a partner who’s noticed changes. Your doctor is there to help, not judge.”

Rest is a community resource

At home, Daniel Lofland and his wife are intentional about sleep, especially for their kids. That decision grew out of her time as a substitute teacher where she realized firsthand how much of her students’ days and attitudes were affected after nights of poor sleep.

“Getting a good night’s sleep became priority No. 1,” Lofland says. “It sets us up for the next day. When we’re rested, we can stay focused and stay on task.”

Electric cooperatives are built on the idea that shared resources strengthen communities. Sleep works the same way. Well-rested linemen respond more safely and efficiently to outages. Alert drivers make roads much safer. Focused parents and caregivers strengthen families. And focused individuals help communities thrive.

Sleep better, and use less energy

• Lower the thermostat at night. Temperatures at 68 degrees and lower support better sleep.
• Use fans. Ceiling or box fans improve air circulation and lower the need for air conditioning. In cooler months, remember to reverse ceiling fan direction to distribute warm air.
• Dim the lights. Dimming the lights after sunset supports natural sleep rhythms and uses less electricity. Warmer light bulbs are also better for supporting sleep.
• Keep it dark. A dark, cool bedroom is ideal for better sleep, and it often means less lights, appliances and systems running overnight.
• Block disruptions out. Blackout curtains or thick shades keep outdoor light out and help regulate room temperature, keeping bedrooms darker, cooler and more comfortable.