How Well Do You Sleep?

This week we have got some tips for how you can help improve your sleep.

1 in 3 Brits confess to having sleeping issues!  Now more than ever, encouraging a healthy sleep routine is at the foundation of your health.  In the short term, better sleep can give us better energy levels in the long term it can help improve our immune system, maintain a healthy weight and improve our metal health. 

Why do we need sleep?

We have two types of sleep, one is Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. Throughout our sleep we alternate between these two types of sleep, in 90 minute cycles. During REM sleep (deep sleep), the brain goes through a “cleaning” cycle where toxins are removed.  By getting enough adequate deep sleep, it stimulates the areas of your brain that are essential in learning and making or retaining memories. Research has shown a link between enough sleep and improved mental health as REM sleep helps create good connections in your brain that are key to mental health and overall wellbeing. 

What happens if we don’t get enough sleep?

On average, we are getting 15-20% less sleep than we did 100 years ago. Studies have suggested that the optimal amount of sleep is 7-9 hours. However, on average in the UK we are only getting 6 hours 49 sleep per night and in the US just 6 hours 32 minutes. Once you get below 7 hours of sleep, this is classed as partial sleep deprivation, if this happens recurringly then it is classed as total sleep deprivation. 

A lack of sleep can have seriously detrimental effects. In recent studies, sleep deprivation has been linked to several types of cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, obesity, heart disease and strokes.  

How do I improve my sleep?

There are some things we can do in the daytime to improve our sleep:

1. Keep A Consistent Routine – help your body’s natural body clock by getting up at the same time every day of the week
2. Get Some Morning Light – when you get up in the morning, help your body clock adapt to the morning by getting some light
3. Exercise In The Daytime – weather its walking, running, yoga, cycling, move your body everyday even if it’s only for 5 minutes!
4. Avoid Caffeine Late In The Day – drinking caffeine artificially stimulates your body to being awake, making you less receptive to your body’s signal that you need to sleep

There are some things we can do in the before bed to improve our sleep:

1. Keep A Regular Bedtime – just like in your morning routine, by creating a regular bedtime helps your body create a strong sleep-wake cycle
2. Unwind Before Bed – allow yourself to unwind 1 hour before bed by avoiding screens as the light (even dim light) from the electronic devices interfere with your body clock
3. Minimise Your Alcohol Intake – while alcohol can help some people fall asleep, it interferes with the quality and reduces the benefits of your sleep and can create sleep problems later down the line
4. Create A Comfortable Sleep Environment – create a space that is cool, dark and quiet, and that is completely separate from any home office space

For more information about sleep and why it is so important, we would thoroughly recommend the book Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. This is where we got all our information about research and studies from!