Trade for prosperity

“A good night’s sleep allows your body to rest and repair itself, ready for the next day”

“To prepare yourself for sleep, make a conscious effort to wind down during the hour before bed”

“For optimum sleep, try to have your last meal of the day early in the evening, rather than later. Also, make sure you’ve had plenty of exercise during the day, but don’t exercise too close to bedtime. Try to avoid too much daytime napping as this can stop you from sleeping at night”

Facts/stats

Obstructive sleep apnoea affects an estimated 1.5 million adults in the UK
(British Lung Foundation)

One in seven Brits survive on less than five hours’ sleep a night
(Direct Line ‘Need for Sleep’ survey)

40% of adults and children suffer with sleep issues
(The Sleep Charity)

 

A good night’s sleep allows your body to rest and repair itself, ready for the next day. If you’re not getting enough quality sleep, you’re at a greater risk of developing coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure. Your mental health will suffer too, and you’re likely to experience a lack of concentration and changes in your mood.

Although it’s often said that we need eight hours’ sleep a night, everybody’s different. You might only need seven hours or you might benefit more from nine. As long as you’re getting regular sleep, it doesn’t matter if you’re an early bird or a night owl. But if you have less than six hours’ sleep more often than not, the cumulative effect will lead to excessive tiredness and will have a huge impact on your quality of life.

There are lots of different ways in which your sleep can be disturbed. Perhaps you go to bed and toss and turn for an hour or more before falling asleep. Or you have no problems going to sleep, but you keep waking up throughout the night. Maybe you can drift off, but wake up early and can’t get back to sleep. Or you’re not aware of any sleep issues but when you wake up, you feel just as tired as the night before.

If you have any of these symptoms and they happen regularly, then you’re experiencing insomnia. This is an extremely common sleep issue, and most people will experience it at some point in their lives. Most episodes of insomnia disappear if you change your sleeping habits and your bedroom environment.

Get into good habits

To prepare yourself for sleep, make a conscious effort to wind down during the hour before bed. Anything that makes you relax will help; this could be reading a book, having a warm milky or malty drink, soaking in the bath, listening to some soothing music, or doing some meditation. Setting a daily routine during this magic hour will help to promote regular, uninterrupted sleep, and you should notice the difference.

Ideally, you should try going to bed and getting up at the same times every day, including at the weekend. If you can keep to the same sleep hours, your body’s internal clock will be maintained and you should find it easier to fall asleep and wake up in the morning.

It’s important to avoid stimulants such as alcohol, nicotine and caffeine which can disturb your sleep. If you smoke, aim to have your last cigarette of the day four hours before bed. Switch to decaff versions of tea and coffee from mid-afternoon onwards, and if you have hot chocolate in the evening, check it doesn’t contain caffeine.

For optimum sleep, try to have your last meal of the day early in the evening, rather than later. Also, make sure you’ve had plenty of exercise during the day, but don’t exercise too close to bedtime. Try to avoid too much daytime napping as this can stop you from sleeping at night.

 

Create a sanctuary

Your bedroom needs to be a haven from the world outside, somewhere you can truly relax. It should be a calm, quiet and comfortable place that’s just the right temperature: not too hot and not too cold. The room should be free of any potential distractions from sleep, including clutter. Make sure the room is tidy before bed and keep it clear of anything work-related.

The bed needs to be as comfortable and large as possible. Ideally, if you share a bed, it should be big enough to avoid disturbing each other during the night. It’s recommended that you replace your mattress every seven years, but if your bed’s no longer comfortable and you regularly wake up with aches and pains, it might be time to get a new one!

For the best chance of a good night’s sleep, the room should be completely dark so consider using thick lined curtains with a blackout blind to block early morning light or illumination from the street. You could also try an eye-mask.

Make sleep your priority and don’t take your smartphone or tablet into your bedroom. Blue light from screens suppresses your body from releasing melatonin (the ‘drowsy’ hormone), so you’ll actually feel more awake if you start scrolling before sleep. It will also be later than your planned bedtime if you spend half an hour checking social media. If possible, you should turn off screens two to three hours before bedtime; this includes your TV if you have one in the bedroom. If you tend to use your phone as an alarm, get an alarm clock instead.

Ask for help

If you’re sticking to a regular sleep routine but you’re still experiencing sleep problems, seek help from your community pharmacy. Such problems can be caused by a number of reasons, for example, physical, psychological, or both, and your local pharmacy can support you in understanding what the cause may be and provide advice on how to overcome it. Further information is available from www.nhs.uk

The pharmacist may refer you to your GP. The treatment prescribed will aim to identify the cause, or causes, of your insomnia, which could include tablets to take or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which is designed to change behaviours and thoughts that are preventing you from sleeping. If your GP suspects you have a sleep disorder such as sleep apnoea, you may be referred to a sleep clinic.

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10 ways to increase your chances of a good night’s sleep

1. If you can’t sleep because of stress, try a mindfulness or meditation app and use it regularly.
2. Put a few drops of lavender, lemon or bergamot essential oil on your pillow to help relax your body and mind.
3. If you find yourself worrying about what you need to do the next day, write the list down in a notebook and leave it for the morning.
4. Get out of bed if you haven’t fallen asleep within 20 minutes, and do something relaxing before trying again.
5. Even if you’ve had a bad night’s sleep, don’t stay in bed for longer in the morning as this will disrupt your body’s natural rhythm.
6. Use ear plugs if your partner snores, or take advantage of the spare room if you have one.
7. If you’re going through the menopause, wear loose cotton clothing in bed and use cotton sheets for bedding.
8. Try the short sleep assessment survey on the NHS website (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia) if you think you might have insomnia.
9. Your pharmacist and their team can also provide advice on healthy sleeping habits
10. It can take time to deal with the causes of sleep problems, so be patient and persist with good sleeping habits.