Sleep
The relationship between sleep and energy is absolutely clear. Oddly, people who are very tired are often not able to sleep and get dragged into a cycle of depleting health. Lisa Artis of The Sleep Council has provided the following advice:
Sleep For Energy
For many adults and children with long term illness or disability the thought of falling asleep easily, staying asleep through the night, and then waking up easily – and refreshed – must seem but a dream.
Chronic sleep disturbances can result in frustration and discomfort at night, and exhaustion and irritation during the day. There are no magic solutions, and like illness and disability, no absolute cures but there are all sorts of practical things that can be done to help ensure you get the sleep you need.
Below are seven practical steps to getting the most from your sleep:
Your bedroom
If you’re having difficulty sleeping, one of the first things to look at is your bedroom. You need the right environment to get a good night’s sleep and that means a bedroom that’s cool, quiet and dark. For more information visit our Perfect Sleep Environment micro-site at:
perfectsleepenvironment.org.uk.
The bed itself is of critical importance to quality sleep. The foundation of good sleep is a comfortable bed and the right mattress can make the difference between a restorative night’s sleep and poor quality sleep that results in tiredness and fatigue.
Research shows that sleeping on an uncomfortable bed could rob you of up to an hour’s sleep – yet the deterioration may be so gradual and invisible that many people fail to make the connection between an uncomfortable bed and poor sleep.
The Sleep Council advises thinking about replacing your bed after about seven years. With the vast variety of beds on the market, choosing the right one can be difficult – don’t be afraid to talk about your needs so sales staff can help to select the best options for you.
Your lifestyle
Another enemy of sleep stems from twenty-first century lifestyles – non-stop, ever present technology. From smart phones to laptops, TVs, radios and games consoles, the amount of gadgetry making its way into British bedrooms has had a significant effect on our sleeping habits. It can be difficult to switch off and wind down. And while it’s tempting to watch TV or use the internet if you struggle to fall asleep, don’t. Exposure to even the weakest glow at night – for example, the notification light flashing on your mobile next to your bed – can unconsciously play havoc with your body’s circadian rhythms, keeping you alert when you should be sleepy.
Stress & worry
Pressures of work, illness and the burden of responsibility often lead to stress and worry and it’s little wonder that many of us have trouble switching off and getting a good night’s rest at the end of the day.
Some of the major problems that we may face in life can cause us emotional or mental tension that can lead to insomnia. There are some basic practical solutions for dealing with stress and worry, depression and financial uncertainty. Try writing down what’s worrying you or even talk through your issues with someone.
Sometimes unburdening your thoughts can lift a huge weight off your shoulders. Learn to relax – meditation is a great tool for relaxing body and mind. As always try to stick to regular bedtime hours, make sure your bedroom environment is right for sleep and unwind properly.
Diet & exercise
Diet is an important factor that can determine whether or not you get a good nights’ sleep, and minor sleep problems can be eliminated by simple dietary changes.
Certain foods are known to calm the brain and help promote sleep so eating the right things before bedtime is definitely part of the recipe for a good night’s kip. While we don’t recommend eating a big meal just before bedtime as it can lead to discomfort and indigestion, some people find a bedtime snack a helpful aid to sleep. The best is one that contains complex carbohydrates and protein and perhaps some calcium – which is why dairy products are one of the top sleep-inducing foods.
Foods known to aid restful sleep include:
• Dairy products such as yoghurt and milk
• Green leafy vegetables such as cabbage and spinach
• Low sugar, whole grain cereals
• Bananas
• Almonds
• Most fish
• Chickpeas
Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol, which may initially get you to sleep but will only lead to interrupted sleep – either waking you up dehydrated or needing the loo.
Exercise (but not too close to bedtime) can also help you enjoy better quality sleep and lower body temperature that also induces better sleep. It also improves heart health and blood pressure; builds and strengthens bone and muscle; helps combat stress; helps improve mood; and it helps you look and feel better. Sometimes sleeplessness can be caused simply because we have not been active enough during the day.
Relaxation and other therapies
Those experiencing disturbed sleep have trouble unwinding sufficiently to get a good night’s rest, and for many, excessive mental activity and racing thoughts prevent them from getting off to sleep, or wake them up frequently or too early. Therefore it’s important to know how to properly relax.
Alternatively Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) (commonly prescribed for depression but also effective for insomniacs) helps you identify the negative attitudes and beliefs that hinder your sleep, and replaces them with positive thoughts, effectively ‘unlearning’ the negative beliefs.
If you’re not asleep after 20 minutes, get up and do something else such as listen to relaxing music or breathing and muscle relaxing exercises. When you feel sleepy again, return to bed. The idea of this is to build a strong association between bed and sleep, and eventually you’ll be able to fall asleep soon after getting into bed and not dread bedtime.
Hormonal balance
Many people think they are not sleeping well because of stress or other reasons, but it may be because of your hormones. Changes in hormone levels as we age can cause sleep disturbances, and sleep disturbances can alter hormone levels, turning into a vicious cycle.
Sleeplessness can affect around 10 different hormones, and shifts in these hormones can cause changes in appetite, mental wellbeing, cardiac health and even fertility.
More: sleepcouncil.org.uk
