25 Jul The importance of sleep on your health and wellbeing
The importance of sleep on your health and wellbeing
Sleep is an essential part of our everyday lives and helps our bodies to repair from both mental and physical exertion, as well as being able to maintain our mental and physical health. We all know what it feels like when we have had a bad night’s sleep, and the effects this can have on us. We can often feel cranky, short tempered, agitated, and unable to function as our normal selves.
Sleep is just as important as eating, drinking and breathing. If our sleep patterns change, we work shifts, or suffer from insomnia, it is important that we address these issues before they become a bigger problem. Poor sleep can be linked to a weakened immune system and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
These are just some of the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep:
- It can help you lose or maintain your weight
- Helps improve your concentration and productivity
- Can increase your energy
- It can help strengthen your heart
- It can help prevent diabetes
- It can support good mental health
- Supports a health immune system
- It helps to regulate the nervous system
How to get a good night’s sleep
We all know how rubbish we feel if we don’t get a good night’s sleep, but when your thoughts are racing around your head with what you must do the following day, or worries you may be thinking about, or just not being able to switch off in general, can make getting to sleep can feel impossible.
It is important to make sure you have a regular bedtime routine; this will help you to wind down and prepare yourself to go to bed. By keeping a regular routine and sleep pattern, it will train your brain and your body clock to get used to a routine, which will help you to get a good night’s sleep.
Here are some helpful tips on helping you to get a good night’s sleep:
- Try and go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day, keeping a regular routine will help train your brain and programme your sleep pattern.
- Make sure you wind down, take a warm bath, do some relaxation exercises, read a book, write a to do list for the following day.
- Avoid using your mobile phone, table or other electronic devices for a least an hour before you go to bed as the blue light can have a negative effect on your sleep.
- Make your bedroom a relaxing environment this includes a good mattress, keeping it tidy and kept at a temperature of between 18c and 24c.
- Keep a sleep diary, this can help you discover and lifestyle habits or activities that may be preventing you from having a good night’s sleep.