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LIFE QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Don’t let a
lack of sleep
alarm you.TIME TO COOL IT
Set the thermostat at
15-20°C. This will reduce your
core temperature, which
signals your body to drop off.SUPP ALL NIGHT
Take a magnesium pill
as part of your nightly routine.
It lowers your cortisol levels
and relaxes tight muscles.KEEP THE CARBS
Foods that cause a
slight spike in blood glucose
help you nod off when eaten at
night. Think jacket potatoes,
not tiramisu.WE HAVE DRIFT OFF
END THE NIGHTMARE OF LOST SLEEP WITH OUR TIPS FOR EASY ZSTHE IDEA that exhaustion can prevent
shut-eye might be counter-intuitive, but
your fatigued brain isn’t playing tricks on
you. “Overtiredness” occurs when your mind
and body are out of sync: you’re mentally
burned out but not physically ready to
hit the hay. This is the diference between
fatigue, which is corporeal, and sleepiness,
which is the inability to stay awake.
“The frenetic pace of modern life means
we’re often in danger of depleting our
mental energy without taxing our bodies,”
says Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, the author of
Fast Asleep, Wide Awake. “The result is
that we end up tired but wired.”
Training when you’re brain-dead might
be the last thing you want to do, but
you need exercise. “After a stressful day
your body continues to produce excess
adrenalin,” says Ramlakhan. “A workout
will stem this adrenalin spike and release
adenosine, helping the sleep hormone
melatonin to work more efectively.”
Don’t hit the 30kg dumbbells, though: go
too hard and you risk further elevating your
adrenalin levels. Opt for simple bodyweight
moves such as push-ups. And try to resist
the whisky bottle: after its initial relaxant
efect, alcohol disturbs deep sleep. Whatever
you do, don’t panic about your lack of rest, as
it will only make it worse. Chill out and you’ll
be out like a light in no time.Q The more exhausted
I feel, the more I struggle
to sleep. Is it reallypossible to be overtired?
PHOTOGRAPH: BETH CRUTCHFIELD