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Sleep Well

A good night’s sleep is important to rest and repair your mind and body. You’ll feel the benefits of a good night sleep physically and mentally as it will boost your mood, reduce stress and help with anxiety.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, knowing how to sleep better can make a big difference.

Get involved with our #MakeMondayMatter movement by following our socials and let us know how you are getting on to #SleepWell. You’ll find us on Facebook, X and Instagram.

 

How much sleep should you be getting?A person sleeping soundly in a dark room.

The NHS says that healthy adults usually need around 7 to 9 hours of sleep. However, your age, health and personal circumstances can affect how much sleep you need, and some people just naturally sleep more than others.

Teenagers, children, and babies need more sleep because they are still growing, but that varies, too, with a newborn sleeping anywhere between 8 to 16 hours.

 

What are the signs you may have a sleep problem?

Sleep is so important to our overall health and wellbeing. When you aren’t getting enough sleep, or good quality sleep, this will have an impact on you. You may:

  • Find it difficult to fall asleep
  • Lie awake for long periods at night
  • Wake up several times during the night
  • Wake up early and be unable to get back to sleep
  • Feel down or have a lower mood
  • Have difficulty concentrating
  • Be more irritable than usual.

Longer-term sleep problems can affect your relationships and social life. It can leave you feeling tired all the time, eating more and not being able to do daily tasks.

 

Top tips for better sleep

1. Have a good routine

Having a regular routine helps to improve sleep. It’s sometimes called sleep hygiene.

A good sleep routine should include having a set time to start winding down – and a way to relax is important too.

Going to bed and getting up at fixed times is another good sleep habit.

Ideally, a sleep routine should be the same every day, including weekends.

2. Relax and unwind

Remember, your sleep routine starts before you get into bed, so build in time every evening to relax.

Avoid electronic devices at least an hour before bed, as mobiles, tablets and computers all throw out blue light that stops sleep.

Reading, listening to soft music or a podcast, or sleep meditation can all help if you have trouble sleeping.

3. Try mindfulness for sleep

Anxiety, worry and stress can affect how well we sleep. Luckily, there are things you can do daily to help manage your worries, like talking to someone you trust or writing in a notebook about your concerns.

If you often lie awake worrying, set aside time before bed to make a to-do list for the next day – this can be a good way to put your mind at rest.

Using techniques like reframing unhelpful thoughts might also help, NHS Every Mind Matters has some useful information about self-help CBT techniques.

4. The right environment

It’s generally easier to drop off when it’s quiet, dark and cool – although the right sleep environment is personal, so try different things and see what works for you.

Silence is golden when it comes to sleep for many of us, so wearing earplugs, putting your phone on silent (or out of the room entirely) can keep things quiet.

Good curtains or blinds can help to keep a room dark and avoid unwanted lights by keeping clocks out of view and phones facing down.

Make sure your room is the right temperature for you and well ventilated, as a cool room is usually better to sleep in than a hot or stuffy one.

Some people also find it helps to play music for sleep, such as ambient sounds like rainfall, gentle music or white noise.

5. Do not force sleep

If you’re lying awake unable to sleep, do no not try to force it. If you’re tired and enjoying the feeling of resting, then sleep may naturally take over.

But if you cannot sleep, get up and sit in a comfy place and do something relaxing, like reading a book or listening to quiet music. Only go back to bed when you feel sleepier.

6. Improve sleep through diet and exercise

A good diet and regular physical exercise can help us to relax and get better sleep. And the opposite is also true: an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise can stop us from sleeping well.

Avoid eating large meals close to bedtime. Try to also ditch the bedtime caffeine (like coffee), alcohol or nicotine if you can, because these are stimulants that make us more alert. Stimulants are a common cause of sleep problems.

The general advice is to avoid stimulants 1 to 2 hours before bed. Try it and see if things improve.

Regular exercise helps with sleep but avoid anything too energetic in the 90 minutes before bedtime if you find it stops you from sleeping. Find out more about the benefits of being active for your mental health.

A person struggling to sleep with a pillow on their head.Insomnia

Good sleep is vital for our health and wellbeing. Longer stretches of bad sleep can do the opposite and have a negative impact on our physical and mental health or wellbeing.

Not getting enough sleep is sometimes described as being sleep deprived, or called “sleep deprivation”, “sleeplessness” or “sleep inefficiency”.

If someone cannot get to sleep or stay asleep for long enough to feel refreshed, they might have insomnia. Insomnia is a sleep disorder that can last for months or years.

Changing your sleeping habits often helps with sleep problems including insomnia. If this does not help or you think you have a sleep problem, see a GP.

Read NHS advice on insomnia.

Drinking can affect your sleep. Although it can help some people fall asleep quickly, it can disrupt your sleep patterns and stop you sleeping deeply. So cutting down on alcohol should help you feel more rested when you wake up.

If you need help to cut down on alcohol we would always recommend seeking medical advice, and the NHS has some tips on cutting down alcohol.

The menopause is a natural process for women as they age. It usually occurs between the ages of 45-55 as women stop producing the usual amount of the female hormones: oestrogen and progesterone. Consequently, a woman stops having periods and is no longer able to get pregnant naturally.

It is this change in hormone levels that causes the symptoms of the menopause. Most women will experience menopausal symptoms that can affect everyday life.

Changes in hormone levels as we age can cause sleep disturbances, and sleep disturbances can alter hormone levels, turning into a vicious cycle. Sleeplessness can affect around 10 different hormones and shifts in these hormones can cause changes in appetite, mental wellbeing, cardiac health and even fertility.

The Sleep Charity have some advice to achieve better sleep during the menopause:

  • Maintain a regular sleep pattern and ensure there is sufficient time to wind down before bed
  • Keep a cool temperature in the bedroom and use light, cotton bed linen and/or nightwear
  • Try not to raise body temperature before bed so steer clear of large, late night meals and spicy food
  • Eat a healthy balanced diet
  • Exercise regularly
  • Give up smoking and avoid alcohol
  • Practice relaxation techniques, mediation or mindfulness to help reduce stress and worry
  • See your GP for advice and further treatment such as hormone replacement therapy if insomnia continues, and impacts significantly in your daily life.

Lots of young children find it difficult to settle down to sleep and will wake up during the night.

For some people, this might not be a problem. But if you or your child are suffering from a lack of sleep, there are some simple things you can try. Every child is different, so only do what you feel comfortable with and what you think will suit your child.

The NHS sleep and young children page has lots of advice on what to do if your child will not go to bed and sleep tips for under 5s.

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