This is a legacy version of the WELL Building Standard. Please check the latest version here.

Healthy sleep policy

High quality sleep is essential to good health. Adequate sleep improves mental health, is necessary for maintaining sustained mental and physical performance throughout the day and can help prevent unhealthy weight gain. Insufficient sleep, on the other hand, has been associated with a higher risk of depression, diabetes, heart attack, hypertension and stroke. Adopting this feature demonstrates that the organization values sleep quality and understands its impact on overall worker productivity and well-being.

Part 1: Non-Workplace Sleep Support

The following requirements are met:

a. For non-shift work, introduce organizational cap at midnight for late night work and communications.
b. Provide employees with a 50% subsidy on software and/or applications that monitor daytime sleep-related behavior patterns such as activity levels, caffeine and alcohol intake, and eating habits.
Part 2: Delayed Start

The following requirement is met for middle and high schools:

a.142 The school day starts no earlier than 8:30 am.
Cardiovascular
Muscular
Immune
Endocrine

Applicability Matrix

Core & Shell New & Existing Buildings New & Existing Interiors
Part 1: Non-Workplace Sleep Support - O O
Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
Part 1: Non-Workplace Sleep Support - O - O O
Part 2: Delayed Start - O - - -

Verification Methods Matrix

Letters of Assurance Annotated Documents On-Site Checks
Part 1: Non-Workplace Sleep Support Policy Document
Part 2: Delayed Start Policy Document
142

American Academy of Pediatrics. School Start Times for Adolescents. Pediatrics. 2014.

90.2.a

The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that school start times earlier than 8:30 am contribute to insufficient sleep and circadian disruption, and urges middle schools and high schools to consider school start times that allow for optimal sleep levels.