Getting a good night’s sleep

Written by Catherine A Connors – Editor of De-Stress 4 Life Magazine

As a holistic therapist and Stress Consultant I always advise my clients of the importance of having a good night’s sleep, and not ‘just’ as a special treat every once in a while.  But isn’t it amazing how just a few sleepless nights can truly affect us, both mentally and physically.  At some stage in our lives we will suffer from sleep deprivation, for various reasons, such as having a baby, illness, stress, worries, external noise etc.  This article will give a general view of sleep and some simple changes you can make in your life today that will enhance your nights sleep tomorrow.

Why do we need to sleep? Like a having a healthy diet and drinking water, sleep is so important to keep us healthy, mentally sharp and able to deal with stress more effectively.   Sleep gives your body a chance to rest and allows it to prepare for the next day. Although scientists are still not entirely sure how ‘sleep’ works, nor are they sure that they understand all of the functions of sleep, however they have become convinced that sleep is necessary to survival.  It has also been hypothesized that sleep offers important restoration to the brain.

The fact is most people do not get enough quality sleep.  In order to get a more detailed idea of how we, in Ireland and the UK, are affected by sleep I set up an online survey with some basic questions and even I was surprised with some of the results.  Out of all those that took the survey; only 12.7% felt they get enough sleep at night, 50.8% felt they did not get enough sleep and the rest said that from time to time they did get enough sleep.

Sleep deprivation is a term used when we suffer from a lack of necessary sleep, and the effects of too little sleep are linked with:

Hypertension – High blood pressure

Irritability, mood swings and emotional outbursts

Slurred speech

Tremors

Increased risk of motor vehicle accidents because of slower reaction time (also falling asleep at the wheel)

Increase in body mass index – a greater likelihood of obesity due to an increased appetite caused by sleep deprivation (its true folks)

Increased risk of diabetes and heart problems

Increased risk for psychiatric conditions including depression and substance abuse

Decreased ability to pay attention, react to signals or remember new information

“I would say I rarely get enough sleep although I am pretty used to this and it doesn’t affect my general mood, I am aware that if I relax in the evening (any time after about 6pm), I can easily fall asleep.  Therefore I rarely get comfy on the sofa until 11 or 12, as I know I’ll start to drift off.  I generally work on my PC, or sit in a more upright chair” – Ian, UK

“KIDS!!! Biggest deprivers of sleep are my three young kids (all under 4). Problem is any one of them can wake us, and on bad nights we’ve all three of them up. A series of sleepless nights can result from teething or colds, etc. I can now cope brilliantly on one night’s lack of sleep (2-3 hours), but 2 or more in a row is much more difficult” – Michael, Ireland

 “I’m ok in the mornings.  I quite like the peace & quiet in the morning but I do feel shattered by about 9 pm, I’ve sometimes grabbed a quick nap in the afternoon in the office. Closed my door, put feet on the desk for “5 mins” and only woke up 3 hours later when got call to ask why I was late for a meeting” – Frank, UK

So how much sleep do we really need?  This is a common question and the general response is 8 hours.  But in reality this is slightly different from person to person.  Sleep needs vary depending on age, lifestyle and of course health.  The average adult needs between 7 to 8.5 hours sleep per night.  According to my survey, only 33.3% get this much sleep per night with most only averaging between 5 to 7 hours (61.9%) and shockingly the rest get less than 5 hours sleep per night.  So how do we measure how much sleep we need to get, one trick is to start with 7 hours sleep per night increasing by 20mins each week until you find a time that works for you best.

To get the most benefit from your sleep why not try the following –

Going to bed a little earlier – I know that this is hard for most people and the late evening and night are perhaps the only time we get to ourselves all day.  And a lot of people like to benefit from this by watching TV, catching up on emails, reading a book etc.  But going to bed earlier (even by 30 mins) can have a big impact on us the next day

Developing a sleep routine – try getting to bed and waking up around the same time every night and morning, this will stabilize your internal clock and you will find that your sleep pattern will improve. (This might be difficult for the first week or so)  Try to create a ritual before going to bed, (having a bath/shower, brushing your teeth, reading a few pages of a book), your mind will create a relationship with your sleep ritual and sleep so that by the time you slip between the sheets you will already feel sleepy.

“I always sleep with the small windows open and love a cool/cold pillow I turn the pillow over several times during the night” – Frank, UK

Bed is for sleeping – Many people have admitted to me while I was researching this article that they often bring their phones, computers, video games etc to bed with them and end up surfing on the internet or playing their games into the wee hours of the morning.   This is not a good idea as these electronic gadgets will stimulate your brain and make sleeping harder.

Take a look at your sleeping conditions – Is your bed big enough to stretch and turn comfortably? If not then consider investing in a larger bed.  Likewise for your mattress, you may need to shop around to find a mattress that feels right for you.  Consider soft, cotton sheets and a warm duvet.  Get into the habit of making your bed in the morning time, it’s always nice to get into a made bed as opposed to a crumpled mess left over from the morning.  Change your sheets and pillowcases every week.  Your bedroom should be clean and clutter free, turn the light off at night and make sure that you have heavy curtains that cuts the morning light.

Exercise during the day – (not within the final 3 hours before bed), aside from the great health benefits, it does help by making it easier to fall asleep and to have a more restful night.  You don’t have to start training for the Olympics either, even just a brisk walk during the day for 20 minutes or doing an hour of gardening can do wonders.

Avoiding Alcohol, caffeine and smoking before you go to bed – Many people think that a little ‘nightcap’ will help them to sleep better; whereas it may help you fall asleep faster it does reduce your quality of sleep.

Caffeine in general is a big NO before bed, caffeine is a stimulant and trying to have a restful night of sleep after a cup of coffee is almost certainly doomed to failure.

Nicotine also is a stimulant which disrupts sleep, and smokers should be aware that when you ‘have that last cig’ before bedtime your body will experience withdrawal during the night waking you up and making it hard to sleep.

Try not to eat or drink too much before bedtime – Evening meal in general should be light; carbohydrates are generally good and also calcium.  The old wives tale of a glass of milk before bedtime does have some merit to it.  Try not to drink too much before bedtime though as your sleep will be disrupted with trips to the bathroom, in my survey 28.6% of people woke in the night because of  ‘the call of nature’.  Last drink should be about 3 hours before you go to bed.

Unless you do suffer from a serious sleep disorder, making some of these simple changes in your life can really help you have a better night’s sleep.  Develop a good bedtime routine that suits your needs and stick to it, making these changes today can help to avoid problems in the future and nothing really beats the feeling of having had a great night’s sleep.