There are many factors that play a part in your overall wellbeing but one thing that is for certain is that sleep, or lack of it, can massively impact our day-to-day lives – both mentally and physically.
In fact, lack of sleep can put you at risk of serious medical conditions and has been known to be linked to heart disease, strokes, cancer, obesity, depression and dementia – so it really shouldn’t be underestimated.
Here Dr Ranj, Brand Ambassador for British bed brand, Sleepeezee, looks to the most common causes of poor sleep and gives you some tips and tricks to help improve the quality of your rest.
Your mental health
Approximately one in four adults will experience mental health problems each year, with anxiety being the most common issue.
If you’ve struggled with anxiety or depression, you may have noticed the impact it can have on your sleep – with many of you getting less than six hours per night.
Vice versa, chronic sleep debt can lead to anxiety and depression – so getting to the bottom of the problem should be a top priority.
If you often find yourself overthinking before bed or worrying about tomorrow, try writing down your feelings or making a to-do list. This can help put your mind at rest, making it easier to switch off and drift off.
Support and help is available to people suffering from mental health related problems – and often, speaking to someone is the first step to recovery.
Your sleep environment
Your bedroom plays a big part in your sleep routine and it should be a relaxing environment – think dark, quiet and cool.
A dark bedroom helps us release the melatonin hormone that helps the timing of our sleep – and an ideal temperature for your room is between 18 – 21 degrees.
As tempting as it may be to scroll social media on your smartphone or watch TV in bed, your bedroom should be a tech-free zone and you should avoid blue light technology for at least two hours before bed.
Finally, we all wake up with neck or back pain from time to time but if it’s becoming a regular occurrence, your mattress could be to blame and it could be time to invest in a new one.
What we put in our bodies
Along with a balanced diet and good exercise, quality sleep is the foundation of your health. Despite this, many of us still don’t realise the effects certain foods and drinks can have on our sleep.
Take caffeine as an example – it may give you a quick boost but it blocks a sleep-inducing chemical in the brain called adenosine.
While there are a number of foods and drinks to avoid before bed, there are some that can enhance your quality of sleep.
Try swapping your bedtime brew for a herbal tea like chamomile which contains apigenin, an antioxidant that binds to certain receptors in your brain and is said to promote ‘sleepiness’.
If you’re still unsure what’s causing your sleep problems, try keeping a sleep diary. This will help you track daily activities and other lifestyle habits that may be affecting your sleep. It can also help your GP diagnose more serious sleep problems or underlying conditions.
For more sleep tips or to follow Dr Ranj’s journey with Sleepeezee head over to the Sleepeezee blog.
