New Idea — 14 August 2017

#1

SWITCH OFF YOUR

TV/TABLET/PHONE

Email, Facebook, just one more

episode of your favourite TV

show... our ability to be online

24/7 is a sleep hazard. ‘It’s very

difficult to say: “Even though

I’m not going to bed for another

hour or two, I’m shutting down

my phone and email and I’ll

check it again tomorrow,”’ says

Chris. There are two reasons to

switch off in the early evening:

one is to help your brain wind

down, the other is reducing your

amount of screen exposure. ‘The

blue light emitted from screens

can suppress the normal levels

of melatonin (a hormone that

promotes sleep) in the brain and

disrupt the onset of sleep,’ says

Professor Drew Dawson, sleep

expert and researcher from

Central Queensland University.

#2

END NEGATIVE

SELF-TALK

Worrying about sleep often

leads to more nights of

tossing and turning.

‘Mostly, we sleep based

upon the way we have

decided we sleep, so the

way we mentally

BREAK

YOUR BAD

HABITS

IT HELPS TO DITCH THE

THINGS THAT INTERFERE

WITH GETTING SEVEN

OR EIGHT HOURS

A NIGHT...

I

f you were bleary-eyed and

clinging onto your coffee

cup this morning, you’re in

good company. New research

from sleep specialists Sealy

found that the average mum

gets just six hours of shut-eye

per night. Tiredness not only

makes you cranky, it can affect

your health long-term, with

lack of sleep linked to poor

mental health, diabetes,

weight gain and heart disease.

But according to Dr W. Chris

Winter, sleep expert and

author of The Sleep Solution:

‘Sleep is one of the main

pillars of good health that we

can exert some control over.

It’s an amazingly important

process that happens in our

bodies.’ Here’s how to bring

on a better night’s rest...

MotionX 24/7, $1.49,

itunes.apple.com.au.

This app tracks your sleep patterns

• you can set it to wake you up at
  a point in your sleep cycle where
  you will feel most refreshed. It
  also fades out white noise or
  music when you fall asleep.

TRACK YOUR SLEEP

DEVICES AND APPS TO TRY TONIGHT

communicate with

ourselves (“Oh my

God I hope I sleep

OK, what if I have

another bad night

of sleep?”) has a huge

impact,’ says Chris. His advice:

on a night where you don’t drop

off right away, don’t stress about

it. Use the time to rest or just

enjoy random thoughts.

#3

WATCH WHAT

YOU DRINK

‘The number-one habit that has

an impact on sleep is caffeine

intake. Avoid coffee and energy

drinks after 4pm – or after lunch

if you have caffeine sensitivities,’

Drew says. As for that glass

of wine (or two) before bed:

‘Alcohol suppresses dreaming

sleep, and instead of the brain

going into a deep dreaming

period, it will be in a shallow

sleep that will likely wake you

in the early hours,’ he explains.

#4

CREATE A

BEDTIME RITUAL

You give your kids dinner, a bath

and a story each night – but

adults can benefit from having

a regular sleep-inducing routine

too. ‘To unwind your body and

calm your mind, have a shower

at night, and under the water

imagine you’re washing away

and disconnecting from your day.

Writing down your to-do list for

the next day also helps to empty

your mind. Then follow it with

a cup of herbal tea,’ says

naturopath Catherine Pritchard.

SAVFY Sunrise Simulation Alarm

Clock, $37.99, ebay.com.au.

Wakes you up with a light that

gradually brightens from one per

cent to 100 per cent, simulating the

sunrise. No more rude awakenings

from your phone alarm!

Fitbit Flex 2 Fitness Tracker,

$74, harveynorman.com.au.

As well as keeping tabs on your

fitness goals, this wristband

automatically tracks your sleep

patterns to see how well and

how long you slept.

Indulge in

a night-time

ritual

65

NEW

Health

HEALTH FEATURE.indd 65 2/08/2017 3:26 PM