TROUBLESHOOT YOUR SLEEP ISSUE
We asked sleep expert Dr Ram Randhawa for some advice on what to do about the most common problems.
YOU CAN’T GET TO SLEEP, STAY ASLEEP OR WAKE UP TOO EARLY
These symptoms all fall under insomnia and are usually caused by stress, irregular sleep schedules or excessive use of electronic devices in the evening. Dr Randhawa suggests three basic strategies:
1. Lower your arousal level before bed with relaxation techniques or soothing rituals and routines, such as reading a book or listening to a meditation app.
2. Re-establish the bedroom as a calm place to sleep by going to bed only when you’re sleepy and getting out of bed when you can’t sleep. Keep electronic devices out of the bedroom.
3. Although it may sound counterintuitive, spend less time in bed. Go to bed later, which increases the pressure on your body to sleep, and then wake up earlier. You might get less sleep the first week, but Dr Randhawa says this will settle down and the quality of your sleep will improve.
YOU DON’T FEEL RESTED
If you’re sleeping between seven and nine hours a night and are still feeling exhausted and irritable in the morning, Dr Randhawa says you should be assessed for sleep apnoea at a sleep-disorders clinic. This condition causes people to stop breathing and wake up for five to 15 seconds multiple times an hour through the night. Sleep apnoea is often treated with a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine, which helps you breathe by keeping the airway open while you sleep. Shedding excess weight and avoiding alcohol before bed may also be effective for mild sleep apnoea.
YOU SLEEP TOO LONG
Oversleeping can be a symptom of depression because the same brain systems involved in causing mood disorders can also disrupt your body’s regulation of sleep. And since regularly sleeping too much – more than nine hours a night – is linked to health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity, Dr Randhawa suggests oversleepers speak to their GP about getting a mental-health assessment.