SLEEP WELL

Sleep is vitally important for all of us to function normally through our daily lives. We all need enough sleep, every day, and we also need to sleep well during this period of rest. Give this article a read if you have difficulty falling asleep at night, or don’t feel well-rested when you wake up.

LACK OF SLEEP IS DANGEROUS

Inadequate sleep, or poor quality sleep, will affect how you function through the day. An obvious effect would be the daytime sleepiness becoming so bad that it becomes dangerous, such as if you fall asleep at the wheel of a car.

Apart from that, chronic sleep deprivation is actually be bad for your heart, causes mood impairment, and can affect your lifespan.

HOW MUCH SLEEP

IS ENOUGH?

The amount of sleep you need varies as you age. Young children require more sleep to grow healthily, young adults need less sleep, and older adults require the least sleep to function well.

Rough ball park figures are that children need 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night, teenagers and young adults need 8 to 9 hours a night, adults need 7 to 8 hours a night, and elderly people may find that they feel just fine with only 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night.

These numbers are very rough figures, and it is important to tailor your sleep schedule to yourself. Someone your age may find that they feel rested after only 6 hours of sleep, while you may need 8 to 9 hours of sleep to feel well-rested and be able to function well through the day.

Experiment with your length of sleep, and find the duration that fits you best. You want to be able to wake up feeling well-rested, and not feel too sleepy through the day.

QUALITY OF SLEEP

The quality of sleep is also very important. Even if you sleep 6 to 7 hours a night, you probably won’t feel well-rested at all if your quality of sleep is poor.

SLEEP AND WAKE AT THE SAME TIME

Going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every morning helps you to have good quality sleep and rest. Try to keep a regular bedtime, and more importantly, wake up at the same time daily, even on the weekends. This helps you to maintain a regular sleep routine, and this regular sleep schedule helps your body regulate its sleep cycles.

You should try to wake up at the same time, even on the weekends. This makes it easier for you to fall asleep and sleep well on the other days of the week. You may feel that you need more sleep on the weekends, but it is actually more important for you to get enough sleep every night, rather than cut down on your sleep on the weekdays and then try and catch up on your sleep on the weekends.

YOUR BEDTIME MATTERS

The time that you go to bed is very important. If you consistently go to bed in the early hours of the morning, you’re not going to feel well-rested the next day, even if you clocked in your 7 to 8 hours of sleep. This is because your body has its own biological clock and internal rhythm, called the ‘Circadian Rhythm’, and your hormones are secreted following this rhythm. Sleeping late is going to cause issues with your sleep, and your sleep is going to be of a lower quality.

Try to go to bed between 9 to 11 pm daily - do your best to not keep late nights.

NO BRIGHT LIGHTS BEFORE SLEEP

Looking at LCD screens stimulates your brain and wakes it up. Even if you have the blue light filter on your iPad or phone on, it still isn’t a good idea to be exposed to these bright lights before bed. Stop using all electronics an hour before bedtime, so you can fall asleep on time.

NO CAFFEINE

Everyone knows that Caffeine is a strong stimulant, but not many people realise just how long it can remain in your body.

It can actually cause stimulation up to 14 hours after taking it. So if you’re someone who often has difficulty falling asleep, try to avoid all Caffeine intake (coffee, strong teas, fat burners) beyond the late morning period.

LIMIT FLUIDS IN THE EVENING

Try to limit your intake of fluids in the evening. If you drink too much fluids, you’ll be waking up to go to the toilet a lot.

CHAMOMILE TEA

If you still have difficulty falling asleep, Chamomile tea is a good natural supplement that relaxes you and helps you doze off. You can get it off the shelf in most supermarkets.

Just leave the tea bag to steep for 15 to 20 minutes so it’s nice and strong, then have half a cup an hour before bedtime. You’ll only be having half a cup because if you drink too much fluids, you’ll need to go pee a lot.

MELATONIN

Melatonin is a hormone that we all have in our bodies. it helps to regulate our sleep cycles. Taking a synthetic form of it helps put you to bed at the appropriate time. You can have a small 3 mg dose an hour before bedtime. It’s a really safe supplement, so you can take it long-term without seeing much side effects.

If you notice any headaches, giddiness or stomach discomfort when you take it, just stop and try to do without it.

You can get this supplement very cheaply on iHerb.com. Give the Melatonin by ‘Now Foods’ a try, I personally find that it works well. It's so affordable - less than $13 for a 6 month supply!

PZIZZ

This is the name of an app you can download onto your phone through the App Store (for iPhone users) or Play Store (for Android phone users). It essentially plays some quiet music, and a voice says soothing things all the way until you fall asleep. The dialogue may sound a bit funny at first, but it really works, and will help you to fall asleep.

There’s a paid and a free version - the free version works fine, there’s no need to take up a paid subscription.

Invest in a cheap bluetooth speaker - the small one by Xiaomi works great and is really cheap. Connect the speaker to your phone every night, and leave the app to play while your phone charges overnight. But do remember to charge your speaker up every 1-2 days. If the battery runs low, the speaker will start randomly playing really loud 'Low Battery' warning messages - very annoying when you're trying to sleep!

Give it a try! You’ll be amazed at how well it works.

EXERCISE

Regular exercise helps keep you fit and healthy, and helps you to sleep better at night. Try to keep up with a regular exercise routine. However, if you find that you feel very awake and stimulated for hours after you exercise, try to keep your exercise sessions to the first half of the day.

If you’re just getting started, check out our ‘BASIC EXERCISE’ page here. If you’re keen to try something more strenuous, check out our ‘BASIC INTERVAL TRAINING’ page here for something more challenging.

SMOKING

Smoking in itself is very unhealthy, and you should try to quit if you smoke. You can check out our page on ‘QUIT SMOKING’ for some advice on how to quit.

If you do smoke, try not to smoke several hours before your bedtime. The Nicotine is a stimulant, and will keep you awake.

STRESS

It is vitally important for you to manage your stress levels well. If you’re feeling stressed through most of the day, and are always fretting over your job or family issues, you won’t be able to fall asleep at night, no matter what you try.

Try some regular deep breathing exercises through the day, exercise regularly, and do what you can to manage your stress levels.

ALCOHOL

Alcohol is very bad for people who have problems with their sleep. It may make you fall asleep, but the sleep quality is often poor, and you’re likely to wake up feeling poorly-rested.

Also, alcohol is a diuretic, which means it makes you run to the toilet to pee often. You can imagine how fragmented your sleep will be if you need to keep waking up to go to the toilet.

SLEEPING PILLS

Sleeping pills are NOT a good idea. They sound like a quick-fix to remedy your problems sleeping, but while they may sedate you quickly, you’re probably going to wake up feeling hungover and groggy.

Even worse, they are very addictive. Taking them for some time will lead to addiction and dependence, and you may find that you’re no able to sleep without them.

WRAP IT UP!

If you’re having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep at night, don’t worry. Just follow some of the above advice, and you’ll be getting a good night’s sleep in no time!