The document is a newsletter from the CEO of Sykes Enterprises thanking employees for their contributions in 2015 and wishing them a healthy holiday season. It focuses on healthy topics like the benefits of sleep and how the body repairs itself after quitting smoking. It provides information on how getting sufficient sleep improves health, weight, thinking and longevity. It also details the short and long-term health benefits of quitting smoking such as improved circulation, lung function, and decreased health risks within a few weeks to 15 years.

1. Volume 4 Winter 2015
In this issue:
A Message from Chuck Sykes
The Benefits of Sleep
Stop Smoking, Start Healing
Dear Valued Team Member:
As we close the year, I want to take this
opportunity to thank you for your hard work and
dedication in making the year a success.
Your contributions are vital to the health
of SYKES, and I appreciate all that you do.
I hope you have found the 2015 HealthySYKES
wellness newsletter series helpful because taking care
of our health and the health of our families should be
a priority. In this issue of HealthySYKES, we’re focusing
on free and easy things you and your family can do to
significantly improve overall health and well-being. You’ll learn
the benefits of getting enough sleep and ways in which the body
repairs itself when a person quits smoking.
Once again, we appreciate your ideas for the HealthySYKES
newsletter series and all the great feedback received from
employees around the world. Please keep sharing your ideas to
help us create a healthier workplace. You can send
your ideas to wellness@sykes.com.
I hope you and your family have a restful,
peaceful and healthy holiday season. On behalf of
the SYKES’ senior leadership team, thank you for
your many contributions to the company this year.
I look forward to all that 2016 brings, and wish the
best to you and yours.
Sincerely,
Chuck Sykes
CEO, Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated
A good laugh and a
long sleep are the
two best cures for
anything.
(Irish Proverb)
THE BENEFITS
SLEEPof
HealthySYKES | Volume 4, Winter 2015 | Join SYKES on our journey to wellness and well-being.
Stick to a sleep schedule of the same
bedtime and wake up time, even on the
weekends. This helps to regulate your
body's clock and could help you fall
asleep and stay asleep for the night.
The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention states that more
than one-quarter of the U.S. population reports occasionally not
getting enough sleep, while nearly 10 percent experience chronic
insomnia. Insufficient sleep is also one of the many causes
behind motor vehicle and machinery-related injuries each year.
Getting the right amount of sleep is critical to one’s health and
productivity. Ample shut-eye is not a luxury—it’s a necessity.
The health advantages of enough sleep:
Sleep more, weigh less. Maintaining an adequate amount of
sleep can prevent additional pounds to your waistline.
Science reveals that sleep deprivation can lead to
unhealthy behaviors, including poor food choices and lack
of exercise—the perfect recipe for weight gain.
Live Longer. A 2010 study of women ages 50 to 79 found that
more deaths occurred in women who received fewer than
five hours of sleep per night.
Improve Thinking. Forgetful? A lack of sleep may be the cause.
Studies show that people who don’t get the right amount
of sleep have less cognitive function than they would when
they’re well-rested. Sleep deprivation affects your ability to
think clearly and make sound decisions.
Sleep is just as important as diet and exercise. In
general, most healthy adults need seven to nine
hours of sleep a night.
How do I get
a good night’s
sleep?
• Avoid napping
and sleeping
during the day.
• Reduce your
daily caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol intake. These
substances make it harder to fall and stay asleep.
• Engage in regular exercise. Vigorous excercise in the
morning or late afternoon promotes a healthy sleep pattern.
Practicing exercises that are relaxing like yoga can also help
ensure a good night’s sleep.
• Avoid eating close to bed time. Certain foods and large
meals before bed can disrupt sleep. Remember to avoid
chocolate because it contains caffeine.
• Spend more time outside. Exposure to natural light helps
the body maintain a healthy sleep-wake cycle.
• Maintain a favorable sleep environment. A 2011
National Sleep Foundation poll found that nearly 95
percent of people surveyed used an electronic device (TV,
cell phones and computers) in the hour before bed a few
nights a week. Light exposure from digital devices can
disrupt body rhythms and the release of melatonin, a
hormone that encourages sleep.
*CDC. “Sleep and Sleep Disorders”. March 2015.
*National Sleep Foundation. “Sleep Hygiene”. Thorpy, Michael. Spring 2003
*National Sleep Foundation. “2011 Poll, Technology and Sleep”. 2011
Please share this vital health information from SYKES with those you love.

2. HealthySYKES | Volume 4, Winter 2015 | Join SYKES on our journey to wellness and well-being.
SYKES complies with generally accepted health information and privacy standards. This wellness newsletter does not replace health insurance coverage, provided medical care
or advice, or recommend treatment. Please consult with your physician for an assessment of your health status and treatment options. ©2015, Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated.
20Minutes
Your heart rate returns
back to normal.
1
15
Year
Your risk of heart attack
drops sharply.
Years
Your risk of coronary
heart disease drops to
that of a non-smoker.
STOP SMOKING
START HEALING
All tobacco products are harmful to the body. Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000
chemicals, including 43 known cancer-causing (carcinogenic) compounds and 400 other
toxins. When burned, they create and release 7,000 chemicals. These cigarette ingredients
include nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide, as well as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen
cyanide, arsenic, and DDT. And, nicotine is highly addictive.
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. Tobacco use is also the cause of nearly 6
million deaths worldwide. In addition to causing cancer, smoking can lead to heart disease,
lung disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and more.
1
1
3
4
5
6
The tobacco
industry spends about
$1 million per day on
advertising.
True or False?
See the bottom of the page for the
answer.
Take the
entire quiz
http://www.eiu.edu/herc/tobacco_facts.php
False. It's much more than
a million a day. The tobacco
industry spends $12 million
per day and over $5 billion a
year to promote cigarettes.
Body vital signs begin to regulate back to healthy levels. Your heart rate and blood
pressure, which are abnormally high while smoking, begin to return to normal.
Less carbon monoxide. Within a few hours, the level of carbon monoxide in the blood
begins to decline. (Carbon monoxide reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.)
Smoking-related symptoms decrease.Within a few weeks of quitting smoking,
circulation improves, and phlegm production declines along with coughing and wheezing.
Improved breathing. Within several months of quitting, lung function improves
dramatically.
Lower health risks. Within a few years of quitting, people will have lower risks of cancer,
heart disease, and other chronic diseases than if they had continued to smoke.
Taste & smell better. After quitting smoking, your senses of smell and taste are intensified.
2
*CDC. “Within 20 Minutes of Quitting”. 2004
*American Lung Association
E-Cigarettes
Are e-cigarettes or “vaping” safe?
Many people have turned to this
option as an alternative to smoking
traditional cigarettes.
More long-term, in-depth studies
are needed to determine the safety
of e-cigarettes, but here are some
quick facts:
*WebMD. “E Cigarettes 101.” Griffin, Morgan R. 2015
Safe?
Are
The nicotine in the e-cigarette
is addictive, just like a normal
cigarette*.
Instead of smoke, the by-product
comes out as “vapor.”
E-cigarettes and other related
products are currently not
regulated by the United States
Food & Drug Administration.
Many may contain cancer-causing
chemicals, such as formaldehyde
and other substances.
The Benefits of Quitting
How the body repairs itself
Despite popular belief, you are never too old to quit smoking. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention reports that there are instant and valuable health benefits of quitting smoking: