Getting sleep vital for health
HUMAN beings spend about a third of their lives asleep, ‘down time’ that is as important to their bodies as eating, drinking and breathing, and vital for maintaining good mental and physical health.
Sleeping helps the body to recover from mental as well as physical exertion.
Everyone can benefit from improving the quality of their sleep. For many it might simply be a case of making small lifestyle or attitude adjustments.
Up to a third of the population may suffer from insomnia (lack of or poorquality sleep) or other problems, which can affect mood, energy and concentration levels, relationships, and the ability to stay awake and function during the day.
People tend to think of sleep as a time when the mind and body shut down, but that is not the case. In fact sleep is an active period during which a lot of important processing, restoration and strengthening occurs. Exactly how that happens and why the body is programmed for such a long period of slumber is still something of a mystery, but scientists do understand some of sleep’s critical functions, and the reasons it is needed for optimal health and wellbeing.
One of the vital roles of sleep is to help solidify and consolidate memories. As people go about their day, their brains take in an incredible amount of information. Rather than being directly logged and recorded, however, these facts and experiences first need to be processed and stored, and many of those steps happen during sleep.
Overnight bits and pieces of information are transferred from more tentative, short-term memory to stronger, long-term memory (a process called consolidation). Researchers have also found that after people sleep they tend to retain information and perform better on memory tasks.
The body also requires long periods of sleep to restore and rejuvenate, to grow muscle, repair tissue and synthesise hormones.
Healthy sleep is critical for everyone, but children, who acquire language, social and motor skills at a breath-taking pace, need more than adults. While adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night, oneyear-olds need roughly 11 to 14 hours, school-age children between nine and 11, and teenagers between eight and 10 for optimal development and alertness.
Unfortunately, we cannot accumulate sleep deprivation then log many hours to make up for it (although paying back ‘sleep debt’ is always a good idea for the sleep deprived). The best sleep habits are consistent, healthy routines that allow everyone, regardless of age, to meet their needs every night, and keep on top of life’s challenges every day.
Sleep can often by improved by adopting basic techniques. If they don’t work, talk to your doctor about other treatments, especially as sleep problems can indicate other health issues. If you’re still having problems there may be an underlying issue that you should discuss with your GP.
WE know that poor health affects sleep, and vice versa. Mental health problems like depression and anxiety often go hand in hand with sleep problems. It’s important to have any health concerns addressed, both for addressing physical symptoms and any worries that might keep you awake.
Where you sleep is important, and the bedroom and bed should be the main places you associate with sleep. In particular watching television, playing with phones or screens, or eating in bed can all affect the quality of sleep. Temperature, noise levels and light all play a part in determining sleep quality too. If you are having problems, try keeping a diary to see if there are patterns that might help identify what’s wrong.
It’s easiest to get to sleep when we are able to relax and let go of concerns. We’ve all had a night where we lie awake and worry. In the time before we go to bed, we should try to wind down, be less stimulated and relax.
These days this can be harder than ever, but relaxation techniques, a warm bath or mindfulness practice can all help. If you find you can’t get to sleep, it is always best to get up, perhaps make a warm, milky drink, then try again when you feel sleepier. It can be tempting to turn on the TV or phone screen, but this may stimulate you and make it harder to nod off.
What you eat and drink can affect your sleep. Stimulants like caffeine can make it harder to sleep, and a heavy or sugary meal close to bedtime can make sleep uncomfortable.
Alcohol might seem to help, but will reduce the quality of sleep. Taking exercise during the day is also a good way to aid sleep, but that releases adrenaline, so exercising during the evening may be less helpful.
Poor health