At the moment life is a bit unusual and I have felt that my sleep has not been as steady as it usually is. I am one of those annoying people that gets into bed, lays my head on the pillow and I am asleep but recently I have had trouble nodding off. So when I was thinking about a topic to write about this week I thought I would do some research into sleep and share it with you.
To start, rest is a condition in which the body is in a decreased state of activity without physical emotional stress and freedom from anxiety, and sleep is a state of rest accompanied by altered level of consciousness and relative inactivity, and perception to environment are decreased (Mr. M. Shivanandha Reddy). Sleep is incredibly important as it does not only recharge your battery but helps to repair and restore tissues and growth, it allows us to regulate emotions (sleep deprivation causes irritability, anxiety, depression), and memory and learning.
The average person spends about 26 years sleeping in their life which equates to 9,490 days or 227,760 hours. NHS
So how can you get a good nights sleep?
I have read a number of articles and the constant suggestions is to get to bed and rise at a regular time each day - weekdays and weekends. This routine will allow your internal body clock to regulate and settle.
As many know it is not a good idea to go to bed after watching TV and jump onto your mobile device, although it is easily done. One step to help achieve a good nights sleep is to wind down before you go to bed. So for my husband and I we chat for 10-15 minutes before lights out, but for you it maybe reading a book or a trashy book. I also take a hot bath which always relaxes me and avoid caffeine to close to bedtime Plus if anything crawled into my mind that I need to remember or was worried about I place it in my phone calendar to do tomorrow so my mind is clearer. The NHS website has some great tips https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/how-to-get-to-sleep/
There are a wide number of reasons why sleep is important and here are the top 10 from Healthline
A goods night sleep can help regulate your weight. A study showed that children and adults who have short sleep periods are 89% and 55% (respectively) more likely to develop obesity.
If you are sleep deprived you are more likely to eat more calories as your appetite hormones fluctuate and are unregulated.
Sleep is vital for good cognition, concentration, productivity, and performance and studies have shown increased in errors made in sleep deprived candidates.
Good sleep can enhance your athletic performance but that includes walking, mental well being and daily activities.
Sleeping less than 7–8 hours per night is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and strokes.
Getting a good nights sleep can affect your glucose metabolism and type 2 diabetes risk, especially in thise getting less than 6 hours sleep per night.
Poor sleep can be linked to depression as 90% of people with depression complain about poor sleep quality.
Your immune function can be affected by a lack of sleep. A study showed that if you have less than 7 hours per night you are almost 3 times more likely to develop a cold than those who slept 8 hours or more.
Inflammation can be irritated by a lack of sleep. Some patients who were sleep-deprived and had Crohn’s were twice as likely to relapse then someone who slept well a study has shown.
Your inability to react to social cues and interact with others socially can be linked to sleep deprivation.
