Welcome to part 1 of Feel Amazing Chatswood’s 3 blog post series All About Sleep.
Poor sleep can stem from dealing with life’s demands, there’s the impact of stress, and often those living with health conditions or chronic pain can relate to starting the day feeling unrefreshed and lacking energy as the day goes on.
In more recent years, researchers have become aware of environmental factors that can affect our sleep. You may have heard of the way blue light from electronic devices can influence your circadian rhythm (more on this in part 2 of this series).
What is clear from medical research is that sleep is about more than feeling rested, it’s important for a healthy mind and body.
One of the best recommendations to improve the quality and duration of your sleep is in having a good sleep routine.
What is sleep?
Sleep is an essential function for all humans and animals and is important for your physical and emotional health and wellbeing (this is according to Healthdirect…and every other source of sleep related research and health information we looked at). Chronic lack of sleep can put you at risk for serious medical conditions. Even going 24 hours without sleep can have a serious impact on your physical and mental health.
Types of sleep
Your sleep consists of cycles lasting 90 minutes, divided into 2 stages – rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.
- REM sleep is a time of significant brain activity and is believed to be essential to cognitive functions like memory, learning, and creativity. It’s also the stage where your most vivid dreams occur.
- Non-REM, or NREM sleep is the phase of sleep when your body physically repairs itself from the day.
Why is sleep so important?
While we sleep many important functions take place that help the body in physical recovery and repair, supporting brain development, cardiac function and body metabolism, as well as supporting learning, improving memory and mood.
This means sleep impacts things like:
- focusing and concentration, allowing the brain to register and organise memories, all of which are vital for learning
- regulating emotions and better managing the physical and psychological effects of stress
- conserving energy through an extended period of reduced activity
- releasing of a hormone necessary for the body’s tissues to grow and repair damage
- supporting immune system functioning
- influencing our ability to make decisions, problem solve and carry out other executive functions.
How much sleep do you need?
The amount of sleep you need will vary with your age, lifestyle, genetics and individual factors. Most adults need about 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.
Children and teenagers need more sleep than adults. Most people’s sleep stabilises around the age of 20 years old.
Older people may sleep more lightly for shorter spans of time but need to spend more time in bed. Their sleep needs often reflect the same amount of sleep they needed in their younger adult life.
What if you don’t get enough sleep?
In the short term your ability to concentrate and mood may be affected, you may have slower reaction times (this can impact your ability to drive or work safely).
In the long-term, sleep deprivation can increase your risk of developing:
- chronic (long term) health conditions
- worsening of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure
- having a stroke
- infections
- depression
- premature death.
Why else does sleep matter?
Did you know that studies have found that adults who slept fewer than 7 hours per night had a 41% increased risk of developing obesity?
This is said to be affected by various factors, including hormones that can cause us to feel hungry and overeat. It’s also a lot harder to maintain motivation to exercise when tired. Then, to compensate for a lack of energy, sleep deprivation may make you crave foods that are higher in fat due to their higher calorie content. Some of us will seek out sweet foods or carbohydrates for energy, but that quick fix can lead to spikes in blood sugar levels, then a ‘crash’ which is often characterised by fatigue, irritability, and brain fog.
A lack of sleep can also cause an increased sensitivity to pain, increasing pain perception, and potentially exacerbate existing pain conditions. This is due to sleep deprivation interfering with the brain’s pain-processing centres and natural pain-relieving mechanisms.
Adequate sleep can enhance fine motor skills, reaction time, muscular power, muscular endurance, and problem-solving skills. You may have heard of the saying ‘to sleep on it’, before making a big decision or for something that needs consideration.
When we are tired, we may have a harder time managing our emotions and sometimes our behaviour in front of others. It is reported that tiredness may also affect our ability to respond to humour and to show empathy. When we haven’t had enough sleep, we may be irritable and ill tempered.
Loss of sleep can also result in less engagement socially due to decreased motivation and it can be harder to foster positive emotions and feelings of connection with others.
It’s important to note that if you would like emotional support or feel you’d like to connect with others, then do reach out to a friend, family member, or appropriately qualified health care professional.
How can you improve your sleep?
In many cases improving sleep can be done by practicing good sleep hygiene. This is a set of habits and environmental factors that you can change. These can increase your chance of getting a good night’s sleep and include the following:
- Have a regular sleep pattern – going to bed and waking up at around the same time each day
- Limit how long you spend in bed – no more than 8-9 hours
- If it takes you a long time to fall asleep, try going to bed later
- Do not stay in bed if you are wide awake – get up and engage in a calming activity like reading, but avoid screens
- Use your bed for sleep not screens. Computers, phones and TV can disrupt your sleep. Your mind needs to associate being in bed with sleeping
- Try not to take your worries to bed – some people find journaling before bed helps them get out the things on their mind, then put this thinking aside for the night
- Try to create a space that is comfortable, the right temperature, quiet and dark
- Avoid alcohol for at least 4 hours before bed. It might initially make you sleepy, but can disrupt your sleep cycles leading to poorer quality sleep
- Avoid tea, coffee and caffeinated soft drinks for at least 3 to 7 hours before going to bed
- Limit napping during the day – make sure you are awake at least 4 hours before going back to bed
- Try not to watch the clock. Checking the time adds to anxiety about not sleeping
If these measures don’t work for you, then it is recommended you consult with your doctor or an appropriately qualified health professional.
Feel Amazing practitioners can work with you to get you on the right path for a better night’s sleep – relaxation, relief from aches and pains and rebalancing of mind and body are only a click away.
Keep an eye out for the next 2 blog post emails in this series, which will cover what Feel Amazing treatment options are available for sleep, the effect of electronic devices on sleep cycles (especially in relation to blue light), and how a lack of sleep impacts muscle recovery.