NIGHT SCHOOL

THE HOURS YOU SPEND WITH YOUR HEAD ON THE PILLOW CAN DO AS MUCH FOR YOUR FITNESS AS THE HOURS SPENT PUSHING THROUGH TEMPO RUNS – AND EVEN MORE FOR YOUR ALL-ROUND HEALTH. USE THE LATEST SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TO ENSURE YOU GET SOME TOP-CLASS SLEEP

Sadaptation

leep is essential for recovery, and improvement, and it’s also key to mental wellbeing and good health. And yet, sleep has traditionally not been given the top billing its star qualities deserve. Thankfully, it seems the world is waking up to the importance of proper sleep. ‘People are increasingly considering sleep as an extension of their health, as important as exercise and nutrition,’ says Jessica Smith, creative researcher at trend-forecasting agency The Future Laboratory. This year there has been a 116 per cent hike in Pinterest searches for ‘sleep optimisation’ and it’s been predicted that the sleep and rest industry will be worth £482 million by the end of 2019. So why has sleep become such a hot topic? Perhaps it’s because so many of us are so poor at getting the rest we need. Data from the Sleep Council shows that one in three Brits sleep poorly ‘most nights’ – a remarkable statistic when you consider that the human body is designed to do it.

In better news, our scientific understanding of sleep is deepening – in the last five years there has been a 15 per cent increase in studies published on the topic. And we’ve worked our way through them, so you don’t have to.

Over the next few pages, you’ll find key sleep insights, simple and effective sleep-better action points and expert advice on the latest sleep aids worth sampling (and those best avoided). So grab yourself a (camomile) brew and school up on bedding down.