Getting The Best Sleep

We spend up to a third of our lives sleeping, so the quality and quantity of our nightly slumber has a big influence on our overall health and wellbeing. In this health handbook, you’ll find out why sleep is so important, what you can do to improve it and where to go for help
 

BEDTIME STORIES

A health issue, stress, a poor diet, drinking too much, not getting enough exercise, mental health problems and even smoking can all affect the quality of our sleep and lead to insomnia. For a healthy mind and body, it’s important to get the right amount of non-REM and REM sleep to maintain your natural sleep cycle and help you wake rested and refreshed.

NON-REM AND REM

During the non-REM stage, you’re just drifting off to sleep, and can be awakened easily. You may also experience sudden jerky movements and a sensation of starting to fall. As you enter a deeper, more restful sleep, your body relaxes more. This is considered the most restorative part of sleep, when your body recuperates. In REM sleep, your brain activity increases and you may start to dream.

GOOD SLEEP = GOOD HEALTH

Sleep deprivation affects many of your body’s essential functions and hormones. The obvious effects of short-term sleep deprivation are tiredness, poor memory, lack of concentration and irritability but there are also hidden consequences — poor sleep has been linked to cardiovascular issues such as heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke, and to metabolic syndrome disorders such as diabetes and obesity.

TICK TOCK

We feel sleepiest at night thanks to our body clock, which also regulates our temperature, hormones and other body systems over a period of about 24 hours. These daily cycles are known as circadian rhythms. Getting these rhythms aligned with each other and the external environment gives you the best chance of good-quality sleep. The most important external signal for your body clock is light.

DON’T TAKE SLEEP FOR GRANTED