Well-Being Recharge 2022

Stress Management and Good Sleep Are Integral to Your Health

Published January 19, 2022

Welcome to Week 3 of SchoolCare's 2022 Well-Being Recharge. This week focuses on stress management and getting enough sleep for good holistic health. Watch the video to hear more from Group Relations Specialist Jana Dalton about ways your employee assistance program can help.

*And don’t forget to register for this week’s raffle! We have eight (8) gift cards to the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord and five (5) $100 Barnes & Noble gift cards! Details and code word clue in the image below. Raffle registration is open until Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, at noon.

We are living through a remarkably challenging time and the health impacts of extended periods of stress are profound. Studies show that lack of sleep or poor sleep quality and prolonged stress are contributors to some of the most common health problems – high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and depression, and can suppress your immune system. What’s more, lack of sleep is both a symptom and a cause of stress. So, how can you manage stress and improve sleep for better health?

Get the Sleep Your Body Needs

Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep a night, while teenagers should be getting nine to ten hours. School-aged children should get ten or more hours of sleep. Getting enough sleep is important, but so is the quality of sleep you are getting. If you are getting plenty of sleep but still feel tired throughout the day, talking to your doctor can help rule out serious underlying health conditions. Check out these tips for better sleep from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

Managing Chronic Stress for Good Health

While some “good stress” is important for balanced mental health, prolonged or chronic stress should be managed for holistic health. Common short-term effects of stress on the body include headache, restlessness, fatigue, and lack of motivation or focus, among many others.

Check out these tips for healthy ways for you to cope or to help others in your family cope with stress.

SchoolCare Benefits to Improve Sleep and Manage Stress

As part of your SchoolCare benefits, you have numerous resources for helping you manage stress.

MDLive is SchoolCare’s virtual medical and behavioral health care provider. With licensed therapists and board-certified physicians, MD Live offers in-office quality with at-home privacy and convenience for behavioral and medical care 24/7. MD Live provides great care options at the same price of an in-office visit. Learn more.

Other virtual mental health support includes:

• Ginger
• Talkspace
• Happify and iPrevail

There are numerous resources on the Employee Assistance Program page at myCigna.com (watch the video above to learn more). This includes access to home/life support, legal and financial assistance, emotional health and family support and much more.

Earn Incentives for Healthy Habits

As always, SchoolCare’s Good For You! Well-Being Program provides different ways to earn cash incentives for improving stress and sleep.

Telephonic Health Coaching ($350/year)

Earn $100 for making progress toward managing a chronic health conditions, and $25 for making progress toward a goal

Online Health Coaching ($250/year)

Engage in four-week programs to monitor your mood and feel happier, or track and control your stress levels. Earn $50 for each program completed.

Apps & Activities ($400/year)

Set a sleep goal and mindfulness goals through Apps & Activities. Earn stars toward your reward each time you complete your goal and earn a $50 incentive (up to eight per year) when you reach 20 stars.

 Healthy Events ($300/year)

There are many ways to take advantage of the healthy events incentive ($25/three per quarter). One great way is to watch webinars from Cigna’s Wellness Webcasts series. Watch live or pre-recorded webinars and record them as healthy events.

Coming up we recommend:

• Finding Your Resilience on Jan. 26, 2022
• Stress Less: Mind and Body Strategies on Feb. 9, 2022

Flyers:

Apps & Activities with Rewards Flyer

Apps & Activities How-To Guide

Healthy Events Flyer

Receive the remaining weeks of the Well-Being Recharge in your inbox, and stay up-to-date with your benefits year round by subscribing to SchoolCare's email newsletters. For even more, follow SchoolCare on Facebook.

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