How to Get a Better Night’s Sleep

HOW TO GET A BETTER NIGHT'S SLEEP SWEET DREAMS Stress, heart disease and diabetes – the cost of poor sleep goes beyond simply feeling tired in the morning. Follow our chart to help identify your bad sleeping habits and discover some quick-fix solutions below. How often do you have trouble getting to sleep? Sleep is a problem most nights Generally fine When you get into bed, you. When you wake up, how do you feel? SWEET DREAMS Lay awake, struggling to sleep + Have nothing but aches and pains Tired and sluggish Do you often wake up during the night? Do people say you Before dozing off, what do you do? If I get to sleep, I usually stay that way and out of sleep I'm constantly in snore, or sometimes stop breathing? P'll raid Yes, I sound like Watch TV or play on my phone in bed No, I'm a the kitchen silent sleeper a sawmill What's your Do you try to catch up on sleep? bedtime treat? 2 Keep tech out of the bedroom Fix your snoring situation Something sweet I'll take a nap when I'm feeling sluggish A little nightcap I only have time to sleep in to help me doze off bed at night SWEET DREAMS 3 4 Get yourself a Stop drinking before bed new mattress Change your bedtime diet Improve your sleep hygiene How to beat the bad habits 2 KEEP TECH OUT OF THE BEDROOM FIX YOUR SNORING SITUATION Exposure to blue-light-emitting devices such as smartphones, tablets, TVs and laptops results in a delay in melatonin production - the sleep-inducing hormone. Snoring can be a sign of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), a condition where the walls of the throat relax and narrow during sleep, interrupting normal breathing. SOLUTION: SOLUTION: Lose weight, cut down on alcohol and sleep on your side Remove televisions, laptops and other electronic devices from the bedroom Have a cut off point for using technology in the evening If you think you might have OSA, consult your GP 4 STOP DRINKING BEFORE BED GET YOURSELF A NEW MATTRESS Although alcohol may help you fall asleep more quickly and sleep more deeply for a while, it actually reduces rapid eye movement sleep (REM), the period of sleep Soreness, aches and back pain are keeping you awake - this is likely to be because your mattress is not providing the support your body needs. seen to be the most restorative. SOLUTION: SOLUTION: Find out which kind of If you're drinking alcohol, wait an hour per unit consumed before sleeping mattress you require Try drinking a glass of warm milk or Seek advice from experts and in your local store herbal tea instead 6. CHANGE YOUR BEDTIME DIET (MPROVE YOUR SLEEP HYGIENE Studies have shown that eating certain foods before bed can negatively impact your sleep quality. Sleep hygiene means regular habits that help you sleep. By trying to catch up on sleep, you push the circadian rhythm – the body's internal clock - further out of sync. SOLUTION: SOLUTION: Eat a carbohydrate-rich snack an hour before bed Stick to regimented sleeping and waking-up times SWEET DREAMS Try foods rich in tryptophan, such as yogurt, milk, oats, bananas, poultry, eggs, peanuts and tuna Aim to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night From weight loss to improved mental wellbeing, the benefits of sleep cannot be overstated. Remember, some sleep disorders have no quick-fix solutions. So if you're having problems, always consult a GP. SWEET DREAMS Sources American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. 2009. Official publication of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. Journal of Sleep and Sleep Disorders Research - journalsleep.org American Sleep Apnea Association. 2012. Sleep apnea - sleepapnea.org Bierman, A. Figueiro, M.G. and Rea, M.S. 2013. A train of blue light pulses delivered through closed eyelids suppresses melatonin and phase shifts the human circadian system. Nature and Science of Sleep – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Drinkaware. 2013. Alcohol and sleep – drinkaware.co.uk Ebrahim, I. Shapiro, C. Williams, J. Fenwick, B. 2013. Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research – onlinelibrary.wiley.com Lewin, J. 2010. Eat right, sleep tight – bbcgoodfood.com Mann, D. 2013. Alcohol and a good night's sleep don't mix – webmd.com National Sleep Foundation. 2009. Healthy sleep tips - sleepfoundation.org NHS. 2010. Obstructive sleep apnoea - nhs.uk NHS. 2013. Why lack of sleep is bad for your health – nhs.uk Sleep Council. 2012. Look after your back – choose the right bed – sleepcouncil.org.uk Smith, M. Saisan, J. Robinson, I. and Segal, R. 2014. Can't sleep? – helpguide.org UT Southwestern Medical Center. 2012. With planning, you snooze, you lose' no longer applies to work week's sleep debt – utsouthwestern.edu Sleep Mâtters THE CLUB POWERED BY Dreams http://www.dreams.co.uk/sleep-matters-club/ a O O This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License - www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0