How to be a healthy insomniac

Sleep is a pillar of good health, but what you eat and how you move have a major impact on your overall wellbeing, too

Make time to move

The benefits of daily exercise are far greater than just helping you to nod off at night. It can actually offset some of the risks of not getting enough sleep. Research published in 2021, which took data from over 300,000 men (and yes, only men were involved) showed that 25 to 65 minutes of ‘moderate intensity’ physical activity each day ‘eliminated’ the link between sleeping for six hours or fewer a night and cardiovascular disease.

Follow the MIND diet

A 2021 study found that the MIND diet can lower the risk of developing clinical dementia, even when the toxic brain proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease are present. People who consumed three servings of whole grains, a green, leafy vegetable and one other vegetable every day, snacked on nuts, had beans every other day or so, ate poultry and berries twice a week and fish once a week were found to have better thinking and memory skills than those who didn’t follow the diet.

Exercise your brain

A 2020 study found that an eight-week mindfulness-based stress-reduction programme improved the sleep quality of participants. The practice, though, could also be handy for a sleep-deprived mind. A 2019 study indicated that a single 20-minute period of meditation that focused on awareness of feelings, thoughts or sensations as they arose helped people to make fewer mistakes on a computerised distraction test. Time to re-download the Headspace app?