The COVID-19 pandemic caused great stress to everyone — but health professionals undoubtedly experienced the biggest toll on their work-life balance. Research conducted by The Physician Wellness Academic Consortium revealed that medical professionals suffered from a lack of sleep, since in-hospital physicians and telehealth professionals had to work extensive hours during the medical crisis. Recognizing that burnout is already becoming an occupational hazard among health workers, experts are calling for large-scale strategies so that health professionals can get some rest and enjoy a proper work-life balance. As heroes of the pandemic, telehealth professionals are deserving of a great sleep every night. With the aid of a weighted blanket, they can improve the quality of their sleep and reduce any work-related burnout. The State of Telehealth Professionals During the Pandemic Telehealth platforms have been available for a long time, but the COVID-19 pandemic underscored its importance in increasing the accessibility of healthcare services. Both medical professionals and their patients can save time, money, and energy by conducting consultations through a virtual platform. Though numerous telehealth workers recognized the role of the platform in dealing with health crises, no one anticipated the demand caused by the pandemic. The medical director of UCHealth Virtual Health, Dr. Chris Davis, stated that the growth in their virtual urgent care grew by as much as 900% in ten days. Despite going through stressful experiences as an emergency physician, Dr. Davis admits that he felt more overwhelmed and had to hire more providers so their team could meet the staggering demand for virtual healthcare. As if clinical medicine wasn’t already stressful enough, telehealth platform Wheel reports that 42% of physicians experienced burnout in 2020 due to their specialty areas and their lack of work-life balance. Since telehealth professionals had to work longer hours or be on-call 24/7 during the pandemic, they had to give up more of their rest hours to accommodate more patients. How Can Weighted Blankets Help Telehealth Professionals? Now that the pandemic is easing up, telehealth professionals need to improve their work-life balance by prioritizing their sleep. The Conversation reports that insomnia is a condition that is common among healthcare workers. A weighted blanket in this case will help as the AASM reports that they decrease insomnia severity by up to 50%. Dr. Mats Adler notes that “the calming and sleep-promoting effect is the pressure that the chain blanket applies on different points on the body, stimulating the sensation of touch and the sense of muscles and joints, similar to acupressure and massage." Healthcare is one of the world’s most stressful jobs and it can be hard for professionals to turn off. The good news is that there is a way telehealth professionals can fight fatigue and ease their mind: a Moxie weighted blanket. Our blankets provide deep touch pressure stimulation (DTPS) to encourage the body to release more serotonin and reduce cortisol levels. Through the grounding weight of the blankets, users can ease themselves into a state of relaxation and indulge in a stress-reducing sleep. Since these blankets distribute an even amount of pressure on the body, they can soothe the fight-or-flight response and nervous system. This sense of comfort and security can ease anxiety, which is why many people diagnosed with anxiety and depression prefer sleeping with them. A weighted blanket is an investment that will benefit telehealth professionals. Telehealth work is no easy feat, which is why professionals have to reward themselves by practicing proper self-care. They can boost their happy hormones and reduce their stress hormones as they sleep with the help of a weighted blanket.
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