The importance of good quality sleep.
We all know what it feels like to have had a poor nights sleep. Whether the cause of it is a late night out in the town, too much alcohol, a crying baby, stress or due to a bad diet, you just wake up feeling exhausted. This has repercussions on the rest of your day.
Continuous poor sleep can have severe effects on your health and work (sleep deprivation has been identified as major cause of employee absenteeism and poor quality work).
So, why are people losing sleep, and what can we do about it?
- Too much caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant. It increases your brain and heart activity, so you can’t complain then when you have difficulty in falling asleep. Your body is just responding to what you have asked it to. Only drink a maximum of 3 cups of tea/coffee per day. Definitely, none after early evening.
- Invest in some good quality bedding and pillows. You can get different togs of quilts and duvets to suit the season, and you can also get them with different fillings, like goose or duck feather, which give you different weights. Sleeping on great quality percale sheets, or under soft and cosy duvet covers and bed sets, will make you comfortable and smile.
- Make sure you have got a comfortable bed. Make sure your mattress is not too firm or too soft, or uneven. It is important to invest in a good quality mattress. Ideally, mattresses should be replaced every 7-10 years. If in the interim you want to make it more comfortable, you can always add a mattress topper. You can get either memory foam or goose feather mattress toppers which are great.
- Get more exercise. Apart from being good for your general fitness, exercise saps some of our energy and induces a feeling of tiredness. However, make sure the exercise is not too late as it will boost your energy levels, and effect your sleep. Exercise is also a good way to tackle stress and anxiety, which is another cause of low quality sleep.
- Make sure your bedroom is at the correct temperature. If you are too warm, your brain will be continually triggered to let you know that it is too warm. Similarly, if it is too cold. Ideally, you should be at your normal body temperature, whilst asleep.
- Similar to caffeine, reduce your sugar intake late at night. If you’ve been out and avoided alcohol, but had lemonade instead, you will get the same effect on your sleep, with all of that sugar racing around your body.
- Finally, wind down before going to sleep. Have a warm drink, read a book, have some quiet time. Switch off the television, switch of your computer, and get off Facebook! All these bright lights, horror films, and Facebook conversations about whose house Jeff was at until the early hours of this morning, will not help you get quality sleep. They will only stimulate your mind a bit more.
