We do it every day, it’s free and it doesn’t have negative side effects. It is so important for our metal and physical health, yet for many, it is still not a priority. Sleep as a pillar of health is so undervalued. Living the typical 21st century lifestyle, we often put sleep to the end of our to do list, the least of our priorities, however because of this so many of us are sleep deprived. The ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ approach, or viewing sleep as lazy needs to be corrected, along with the opinion that it is something we can live healthily lacking. Our body needs rest and the good news is, poor sleep or lack of sleep can be controlled by making some small lifestyle changes.
Firstly, consider:
- How many hours of sleep do you have per night?
- Do you wake up feeling refreshed?
So, what is sleep?
When we close our eyes to drift off; our brain’s activity changes. We cycle through 5 sleep stages on average 4-5 times per night, each loop taking a little longer. Stages 1-4 focus on physical rest, repair and growth. Stage 5 is called REM (rapid eye movement), and during this stage our brain is almost as active as when we are awake. REM sleep focuses on psychological and emotional rest, helps to consolidate memories, playing a part in our ability to learn and our mood. Once stage 5 is complete, the cycle begins again.
Getting out of the wrong side of the bed
Think about how we feel when we have had a bad night sleep. We wake up feeling tired and stressed and because of this we are less patient with our partner, family members or work colleagues. Small stresses eg. traffic, become bigger stresses and we can often struggle to concentrate/ make decisions at work. We are less likely to eat healthily and have little motivation to exercise. Often, we reach for caffeine as energy to get us through the day and then alcohol on an evening in order to wind down. The impact of this has a negative effect on our sleep quality and so the cycle continues.
Sleep has an image problem. Think about it, generally we are happy to share our contribution to other healthy activities with our friends or colleagues; telling them about the nutritious dinner we made the night before, or what time we got up for the gym that morning. But, how often do you share the details of your early night?
Why is it important?
• Makes it more likely for us to make healthy diet and lifestyle choices
• Gives our body the opportunity to rest and actively recover after a busy day
• Helps us to think more clearly and works to boost our mood
• Supports physical health and immune function – our body needs rest, without it our immunity defences lower
• Means better memory. Good quality sleep helps us to make new nerve cells, allowing us to store new memories and getting rid of thoughts we don’t need.
• Reduces risk of Alzheimers, chronic stress and weight gain
Without it…
There is an increased chance of weight gain due to:
• 6 hours sleep or less causing us to eat on average 200-300 more calories per day
• Our body producing more of our appetite hormone ghrelin, stimulating hunger and less of our ‘feeing full’ hormone leptin, causing the potential to overeat
And, when we do manage to stick to eating well, 70% of weight loss which occurs when in sleep deprived state comes from lean muscle mass as our body doesn’t want to give up fat.
Lack of sleep also:
• Increases our stress hormone cortisol, making us feel more nervous or anxious
When we are infected/ill, the infection indicates to the immune system we’re under attack – this sends signals to the brain that we need more sleep. Sleep specialist Matthew Walker refers to this as ‘Our body is trying to ‘sleep us well.’’
How much do we need?
When possible, working to get between 7-9 hours of sleep per night is important. Listen to your body, understand its personal needs and learn what works for you. Remember – we don’t always fall asleep as soon as our head hits the pillow; give yourself a longer sleeping window to make up for lost time getting to sleep. If you are struggling to get to sleep after approx 30 minutes of being in bed, there could be something in your lifestyle that you need to address. eg. stress levels, caffeine, time of food/ exercise.
We are just like babies; we need food, water, love and rest. When one of these things are lacking it can cause a problem.
Sleep Well Tips:
Get outside into natural light on a morning
Enjoy your caffeine in moderation and before noon
Limit Alcohol
Alcohol disrupts sleep. You may think having a ‘night cap’ could help to send you off to sleep more quickly, however it reduces the quality of your REM sleep, making you wake through the night more regularly even if you don’t remember. A disrupted night sleep calls for more coffee the next day and so the cycle continues.
Block blue light and avoid light after dark
Choose night time TV wisely
Develop a bedtime routine
Create a peaceful sleeping environment
Be strict with your bedtime
If you struggle with this, set an alarm!
Getting to sleep
• Try the ‘Calm’ app for some relaxing guided meditation or sleep stories, or a Yoga Nidra app before bed
• Try not to get anxious, work through a gentle breathing exercise to help you to relax
• Try a sleep diary. After 1 week or so, see if you can notice a pattern with sleep quality eg. eating too late/ coffee in the afternoon/ working late.
‘Forgive yourself each night and recommit each morning.’ Anon.