Make sleep the key change for physical and mental health
Many of us are powering on with New Year's resolutions involving healthy eating and exercise, but good sleep should be just as high on the list as fresh insight now demonstrates.
As part of Time4Sleep's recent presentation of the stages of sleep, the bed specialist invited an expert from The Sleep Council to explain the role of good quality shut-eye in the pursuit of a healthy mind and body.
Speaking to Time4Sleep, The Sleep Council's Lisa Artis revealed just how widespread bad sleeping habits are, and highlighted some of the lifestyle issues associated with poor-quality snooze:
"Sleep - we all do it, but nearly half of us don't do it well. However, sleep is essential to our health and wellbeing - without it we're not much good at doing anything else! Our health suffers, our love life suffers, work suffers… the list goes on. "
Jonathan Warren, director at Time4Sleep, explained why it's the perfect time to start thinking about improving our relationship with sleep: "The beginning of a new year is when everyone is busy making lots of healthy resolutions around diet and exercise - both really beneficial for health - but what about sleep?
"Did you know that having poor sleep patterns impacts on attention and memory? The key to physical and mental health can often lie with getting a good night's sleep - after all it sets you up for the day."
He went on to explain what led Time4Sleep to seek expert insight into the benefits and concerns associated with sleep: "We created a page to show the cycle our bodies go through while sleeping, which is a great tool to understand what good quality sleep entails and why we need it.
"As part of this, we invited experts along to help us understand the benefits of good quality sleep - which had such interesting and useful results, we just had to share them."
Lisa's knowledgeable comments also tackled the much-debated issue of exactly how much sleep we actually require. She said: "There is no magic number for sleep. Everyone's requirements are different (some of us cope far better on less than others), but there is a fairly general consensus that around seven to nine hours is the average needed to feel refreshed and function well - both mentally and physically."
Lisa offered assurance that these figures do have some flexibility, saying: "If you're getting a little less, there's probably no need to worry." However, she then went on to highlight some of the proven consequences of falling too far below the recommended sleep quota.
"Research has found that those who frequently get fewer than six hours a night are at significantly increased risk of stroke and heart disease, with evidence that not sleeping enough may ramp up the 'fight or flight' response to stress, releasing hormones that speed up heart rate and raise blood pressure."
The sleep expert discussed other negative health and mental health issues linked with insufficient sleep, saying: "Research has also shown that routinely sleeping for less than six hours impacts on attention and memory in most people. Lack of sleep diminishes levels of concentration and makes you liable to mood swings and depression."
After outlining the drawbacks of insufficient sleep, The Sleep Council's spokesperson went on to the cheerier topic of the impressive benefits of getting enough sleep. She explained that sleep affects our learning and problem solving capabilities: "The more REM sleep we have, the easier it is to retain things learned the day before. What's more, problems that seemed unsolvable can become clear in the morning."
As part of her expert insight for Time4Sleep, Lisa offered some handy tips for anyone who could do with a helping hand to get their optimum levels of shut-eye:
If worries keep you awake, note them down ready to tackle the next day.
If you can't fall asleep, don't lie there worrying that you can't! Get out of bed and do something relaxing until you start to feel sleepy – then go back to bed.
Go to bed and get up at around the same time every day - it'll program your body to sleep better.
Make sure your bedroom is a restful sleeping environment - not too hot or too cold, and as dark and silent as possible.
Invest in a comfy bed. One that's too hard, too soft, too small or too old will make getting a good night's sleep difficult.
Exercise! Regular, moderate exercise can help relieve the day's stresses and strains, just don't exercise too close to bedtime or you'll be too wide awake!
Cut down on caffeine in tea or coffee –particularly in the evening. These stimulants interfere with falling asleep and stop you getting a deep sleep. Instead, opt for a herbal tea or hot milky drink.
Over-indulgence - of food or alcohol - can really disrupt sleep patterns, particularly if it's in the evening. Remember, while alcohol may help you fall asleep, it will interrupt your sleep later on in the night.
Need another reason not to smoke? It's also bad for your sleep. Smokers take longer to fall asleep, they wake up more often, and often experience more disruption to their sleep.
Have a relaxing routine before bed: try having a warm bath, listening to some quiet music, or doing some yoga – all of these things help to relax both the mind and body.