October Health – 2025 Report

Sleep in Eswatini

Leading cause (population-level) of sleep stress in Eswatini: Economic hardship—poverty and unemployment—driving financial stress and worry that disrupt sleep. Compounding factors: The high HIV/AIDS burden with caregiving demands; and infrastructure challenges like electricity outages and water scarcity that disturb sleep. Workplace action: Consider using October’s digital group sessions, assessments, and sleep-health content to support employee sleep and stress management.

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Sleep Prevalence
21.99%
Affected people
12,094,500

Impact on the people of Eswatini

Effects of high sleep stress on health and personal life

Health effects

  • Physical: higher risk of hypertension, heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes; weakened immune function.
  • Mental: increased anxiety, mood swings, and risk of depression.
  • Cognitive: poorer attention, memory, decision-making, and slower reaction times.

Personal life effects

  • Mood and relationships: more irritability, conflicts with partners and family.
  • Parenting and social life: less patience with children; reduced enjoyment of social activities.
  • Sexual health: decreased libido or sexual function.

Workplace implications (relevant if applicable)

  • Productivity: reduced focus and efficiency; more mistakes; higher burnout risk.

Coping strategies (practical)

  • Sleep routine: keep consistent bed and wake times; create a dark, cool, quiet sleep environment.
  • Pre-sleep habits: limit caffeine and alcohol; avoid screens at least 1 hour before bed.
  • Daytime practices: exposure to natural light; brief mindfulness or breathing exercises.
  • Short naps: if needed, keep to 20–30 minutes earlier in the day.

When to seek help

  • Sleep problems persist for several weeks and impair daytime functioning; consider talking to a healthcare professional or employee assistance program.

Resources

  • October can support with sleep-focused group sessions, assessments, and content to help manage sleep stress. If appropriate, request a sleep health module through your workplace wellness program. (Particularly relevant in Eswatini workplaces where access to mental health resources may vary.)

Impact on the Eswatini Economy

Economic impacts of high sleep stress

  • Lower productivity and cognitive performance, reducing output per worker.
  • Increased absenteeism and presenteeism, plus higher staff turnover.
  • Higher healthcare costs and strain on public health and social services.
  • Safety and accident risks in driving, manufacturing, and other high-risk tasks, leading to costs and productivity losses.

Relevance for Eswatini workplaces

  • Impacts both formal and informal sectors; road safety and access to healthcare can amplify costs.

What employers can do

  • Implement sleep-friendly policies: flexible schedules, better shift design, and limits on excessive overtime.
  • Provide sleep health resources: sleep hygiene education, assess sleep problems, and offer evidence-based programs (e.g., CBT-I) via digital platforms.
  • Offer supportive services: employee assistance programs, virtual group sessions, and monitoring for sleep-related concerns.

How October can help

  • Digital group sessions, assessments, and content on sleep health and stress management to support employees.

What can government do to assist?

  • Power reliability and night lighting: Improve electricity stability and minimize disruptive night lighting to reduce wake-ups and sleep disruption.
  • Work hours and flexible scheduling: Enforce reasonable weekly hours, limit overnight shifts, and promote flexible work arrangements to protect employees’ sleep.
  • Public sleep health education and screening: Run national campaigns on sleep hygiene and integrate routine sleep assessments into primary care; consider digital tools for accessible group sessions.
  • Noise and light pollution control: Strengthen policies to reduce nighttime noise and intrusive lighting in homes and urban areas.
  • Youth sleep-friendly school policies: Delay start times for adolescents and structure school routines to support adequate sleep.
  • Digital tools for sleep health: Use platforms like October to provide sleep-focused group sessions and sleep health assessments in workplaces and communities.

What can businesses do to assist their employees?

  • Policy and culture: Protect sleep windows by limiting after-hours work and non-urgent meetings; train managers to model healthy boundaries and avoid pressuring employees to respond at night.
  • Sleep hygiene education: Offer short, practical sessions on sleep hygiene and circadian health (regular bed/wake times, caffeine and screen-time limits, wind-down routines) in multiple local languages if possible.
  • Flexible workloads and scheduling: Provide flexible start/end times, remote options, and realistic deadlines; cap overtime and redistribute tasks to prevent chronic sleep debt.
  • Sleep-support tools: Give employees access to October digital group sessions, sleep assessments, and educational content; link with EAP services and ensure support is accessible in relevant languages.
  • Workplace environment and structure: Create quiet/rest spaces and ensure climate control; address outages with backup lighting and predictable schedules to minimize sleep disruption; encourage short, restorative breaks and daylight exposure when feasible.