Blog

Sleep

It's a sad fact that when I talk to people about the importance of sleep, I am more often than not greeted with dismissive comments, rolls of the eyes, or promises to work on it with little intention of doing so. The vast majority of people don't want to hear it. I'm too busy, I have too much to do, I don't need that much sleep, etc etc. But sleep and health are strongly related. Most adults need 6—9 hours of sleep each night. And not getting enough shut-eye will affect your body and your health. Along with nutrition and exercise such as lifting weights, good sleep is one of the pillars of health, so you should be prioritising and protecting your sleep.

Our body has a master clock located in the brain. This clock keeps track of time by various queues, mealtimes, light and dark, and physical activity. Our internal 24 hour clock (known as the circadian rhythm) runs in the background, carrying out essential processes and functions, and plays a vital role in nearly all systems of the body. A disrupted sleep-wake cycle and inconsistent eating can throw off your circadian rhythm and prevent the body from functioning optimally.

Brain

Our brains have a HUGE job. Getting enough sleep allows your brain to do everything it needs to do. From learning new information, concentrating, making decisions, solving problems, to stabilising and regulating your emotions, and making sure that you don't overreact in certain situations.

Immunity

During sleep, your body is busy making proteins that fight infection and inflammation. It produces antibodies that fight off germs. Poor sleep makes us more susceptible to illness.

Heart

Sleeping less than 7—8 hours per night on a regular basis is associated with risk factors for heart disease.

Did you know that when you sleep, your blood pressure goes down, which gives your heart and blood vessels a rest?

Diabetes

Sleep restriction affects blood sugar and reduces insulin sensitivity. Your glucose levels in your blood drop during deep sleep. Getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night on a regular basis has been shown to put you at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes symptoms can occur in as little as 6 nights in a row of poor sleep.

Mental health

There is a strong link between poor sleep and mental health problems. If you are tired, you are more likely to feel irritable and lacking energy, which can lead to feelings of loneliness, isolation, anxiety, and depression.

Hormones & weight gain

If you are trying to lose weight, then prioritising your sleep is crucial. Lack of sleep can lead to an imbalance in your hunger hormones. An increase in ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates our appetite, and a reduction in leptin, the hormone that suppresses our appetite, lead to bigger appetites and eating more calories.

Better performance physically

Before you skim past this one thinking I'm not an athlete, I don't need to perform better physically. Yes, you do. Longer sleep leads to an increase in speed, accuracy, reaction times, and grip strength, which means independent living.

Muscle repair

While you're sleeping, muscle repair and tissue growth are taking place.

Stress

Sleep helps to reduce stress. In the evening, our cortisol level falls as we prepare for sleep. Poor sleep, not enough sleep, or putting off sleep leads to cortisol levels remaining raised. Over time, this leads to systemic inflammation and a disruption to our hormone balance. Without a regular sleep pattern, we interfere with the release of melatonin, a hormone that is essential to the regulation of sleep—wake cycles. And there we have a vicious cycle.

What can you do to improve your sleep?

Environment

Your bedroom and bed should be for sleeping in. Your bed is not the place to be on your phone, watching TV or eating. So, sleep and sex are allowed. Anything else, do it in another room! You need your brain and body to associate your bed with the place you go to sleep, not where you snack and play on your phone.

Routine

Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning. If your sleep is poor, then this should include weekends. A consistent routine improves not only the quantity of sleep but the quality too.

Screens

Reduce the time spent on your mobile phone, tablet, or laptop at the end of the day. Many studies suggest that blue light in the evening disrupts your brain's natural sleep-wake cycles. On top of this, what we are viewing last thing at night can disturb us, either leading to feelings of upset and anxiety or making our brains overactive when we should be winding down.

Avoid (or limit) alcohol

Alcohol may help you nod off more quickly. However, sleep is often disturbed. And as alcohol can act as a sedative, alcohol-induced sleep does not have the same physiological benefits as "natural" sleep.

Avoid caffeine in the afternoon & evening

It's a stimulant. Enough said.

Reduce stress

Stress leads to disrupted sleep, and while it's not always possible to remove stress, there are things we can do to quiet our minds for sleep. Journal, brain dump, breathe, meditate, warm bath.

Dark

Keeping your room as dark as possible really helps your body's natural sleep rhythms. Blackout blinds can be helpful.

Exercise

Being more physically active can aid sleep, but avoid high-energy exercise late at night.

What about the menopause?

Up to 47% of perimenopausal women and up to 60% of postmenopausal women have sleep issues. As oestrogen plays a role in our sleep-wake cycle as well as keeping our body temperature low at night, it makes sense that as oestrogen levels start to drop off, our sleep becomes disrupted. On top of this, our sleep-wake cycle changes as we get older and becomes less consistent. Waking earlier and feeling tired earlier than usual is common, which leads to less sleep overall. Just to add to this, low mood is not uncommon around the menopause, which is another contributor to poor sleep.

So, as well as all the tips above, these may be useful as well,

• Temperature. It's much easier to get to sleep and stay asleep if you are on the cool side of comfortable rather than warm.
• A fan in the room can help to cool the room off during hot flushes or night sweats.
• Dress in light-weight bed clothes.
• Cotton sheets
• Avoid hot drinks before bed.
• Avoid spicy or acidic foods, as these can trigger hot flushes.
• Have a change of clothes close by so you can get changed if you need to without turning the light on.
• Maintain a healthy weight.

Don't underestimate the importance of sleep. It is often neglected but vital for optimal health, so the next time you decide that working until the early hours is more important, think again!