M
ost of us spend one-third of our lives
asleep, but not all of us sleep well.
The amount of time we sleep and
the quality of the sleep we get on
a nightly basis can lead to tiredness
and fatigue, the effects of which can filter into all
aspects of daily life, affecting our emotions, our ability
to focus on daily tasks, appetite, relationships and
memory recall.
So, why do we need sleep? While sleeping is
considered to be a time of rest, your body is actually
working hard to ensure you are kept in good health:
the production of skin cells, red blood cells and
immune cells increases; protein is replenished at a
faster rate to support growth and repair; growth
hormone increases help repair your body’s tissues;
and your brain processes information and memories.
Sleep, then, is essential to everyday life and
influences many areas that impact on our day-to-day
health and wellness, including our attention, insight,
concentration, creativity, learning, memory, decisions,
emotions and relationships.
Unfortunately, many of us are victims of the 24 -hour
culture in which we live, as the modern-day demands
and expectations of work and life in general, as well
as the impact of social media, very much influence
how we live our lives. This way of living can take its
toll on our ability to sleep well, and while you may
think you are managing to survive on very little sleep,
take it from me that you are not. Many of us havedeveloped coping strategies to function on a daily
basis (does that third cup of coffee before 11am sound
familiar?) rather than taking a step back to address
the real problem, which is not being able to sleep.
If you’re not sure whether your sleep is being
affected by your lifestyle, ask yourself whether any,
or all, of these three indicators sound familiar:YOU CAN’T TURN OFF YOUR BUSY MIND
You keep going over and over your stresses, worries
and frustrations, contemplating them from various
angles. It’s almost like they’re playing on a continuous
loop that you can’t shut off, which interferes with your
ability to slip into slumber.YOU ARE TENSING YOUR MUSCLES
You’re experiencing muscle tension and pain, or
stress-related aches such as neck and shoulder pain
or headaches, and it can be difficult for you to fall
asleep or stay asleep. Complicating matters, poor
sleep can set the stage for you to experience even
more tension headaches and increased pain
sensitivity the next day.YOUR THOUGHTS SET YOUR HEART RACING
Your heart rate is revved up and variable, associated
with increased levels of cortisol (a stress hormone),
greater physical tension and increased autonomic
arousal (commonly palpitations and hyperventilation)
which affects your ability to fall asleep or sleep well.Do you struggle to sleep well? You’re
not alone. Try making relaxation, not
sleep, your goal, advises Rob Hobson
How to
improve your sleep
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