Getting a good night’s sleep is about more than beauty Good sleep is essential for health and wellbeing. Modern life, however, appears to be almost designed to disrupt sleep. Sleep disorders are becoming increasingly common and severe. Many people who responded to our recent sleep survey reported poor quality sleep and reduced sleep time. A reduction in sleep duration is a leading cause of chronic sleep deprivation, fatigue, increased appetite and low productivity. In our recent survey more than half of respondents reported getting less than seven hours of sleep. Almost a third of respondents reported suffering the consequences of poor sleep: difficulty staying awake during the day. Many Irish people are frustrated by poor sleep quality and daytime fatigue. During The Sleep Challenge, each of our “sleep champions” described a variety of lifestyle factors that reduced sleep time and sleep quality. Pressures We found that the pressure of modern lifestyle and work erodes into sleep times. Sleep deprivation is something our sleep champions themselves have noticed – supported by the fact that they drink coffee and take naps during the day in order to remain alert – albeit in a fog. The opportunity for peaceful sleep is also commonly disrupted by technology such as smartphones and tablets. Electronic devices tend to promote wakefulness rather than sleep. Our subjects reported that work and social events caused irregular sleep times, and this irregularity greatly disturbs normal sleep. The sleep leaders also reported going to bed late and “binge sleeping” on the weekend to catch up – although it appears that one or two nights of long sleep are not enough to catch up on a week of sleep deprivation. Interestingly, even though many of our sleep leaders became increasingly aware of their poor sleep habits, they found it exceedingly difficult to break these habits. A routine that ensures that sleep times regularly coincide with day/night cycles is thought to improve sleep quality. Although the idea of getting to bed earlier seems unproductive, the early sleep time allows a long sleep period before the arousal hours of between 8am and 10am. What you can do to improve your sleep: 1. Sleep comes first: Sleep should come before socialising and social media. Avoid lifestyle and social habits that interfere with sleep. Record a TV programme rather than stay up late to watch it. 2. No technology: Leave your smartphone or tablet in the living area. Do not bring devices into the bedroom. Many of our sleep respondents report that a brief episode of insomnia (which is common) can lead to hours of web surfing and social media – most of which is neither entertaining nor productive.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 14:00:01 +0000
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