The Secret To A Great Night's Sleep

A lack of quality sleep is not only bad for your health, it can be life-threatening. Professor Kerryn Phelps reveals how to sleep soundly.

- Professor Kerryn

When I take a medical history, I ask about sleep. How much sleep do you get? Do you sleep through or wake during the night? What time do you usually wake up? Do you wake feeling refreshed? If you don’t get enough quality sleep, sooner or later it will impact your health. Some sleep disturbances are clues to an underlying medical diagnosis and certain sleep disturbances can be life-threatening. So how much sleep is the right amount? Some people need very little, but most of us need six to eight hours, uninterrupted.

You have a sleep problem if:

It takes longer than half an hour to get to sleep.

You wake frequently during the night.

You have difficulty staying asleep.

You wake up in the early hours of the morning and have trouble getting back to sleep.

You wake feeling unrefreshed.How lack of sleep affects your health

Insomnia and other sleep disturbances cause more than bags under your eyes and the desperate need for an afternoon nap. It can also cause:

Impaired memory.

Impaired alertness and coordination.

Irritability and depressed mood.

High blood pressure and increased risk of stroke.

Obesity.

Type 2 diabetes.

Heart, immune system and hormone disruption.

Increased tendency to accidents.

Sleep disorders that need medical attention

More serious sleep disorders call for medical diagnosis and intervention, initially with your GP, and some cases will need specialist referral.

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea The signs of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) are snoring with breathing pausing for up to a minute, then restarting with a gasping or choking sound. Obesity, smoking and alcohol increase the risk.