1 STICK TO A SET SLEEP WINDOW

Sleep is such an individual process. The amount, quality and type needed varies not only from person to person but also within each person’s lifetime.

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution but all the experts I’ve spoken to agree that getting into a regular routine is a good starting point.

That means establishing a set bedtime and wake-up time and sticking with it seven days a week — even at weekends. Your body and brain need lots of deep sleep, particularly at a time like this, because it is when you are in deep sleep that many of the essential components of your immune system, such as antibodies, are made.

I normally go to bed at 11pm, getting up at 7am, and aim to do this seven days a week, regardless of how late I went to bed. It’s not always easy, particularly at weekends, when there’s often a strong temptation to have a lie-in after a late night.

But weekend lie-ins don’t fully allow your body and brain to recharge. Worse, they mess up the body’s internal clocks (your circadian rhythms), which are so important to drive the urge to sleep.

Shortly before you wake up, your body releases stress hormone cortisol, among a wave of others, and these prepare you for activity. Then waking will trigger the first release of a chemical in the brain called adenosine and levels build throughout the day. The longer you are awake, the higher your adenosine levels rise. The higher the adenosine levels, the sleepier you get. When you fall asleep at night, the release of adenosine stops.

The problem is, a long lie-in shortens your day and reduces the potential adenosine build-up, which means you are less likely to sleep well the following night. This might not be a problem when you’re young, or when you sleep well, but in these stressful and confusing Covid-19 times, this shortfall could be enough to tip you into a run of bad nights, which could be enough to affect your immunity, and your defence against the virus.