I Can't Get No Sleep - When Insomnia became more than a song!

Like many people out there, my sleep patterns had been disturbed in recent months. Lockdowns, quarantines, furlough, fear of the unknown … All of these are enough to give anyone a terrible nights' sleep, not to mention the crazy dreams, however mid-May I found myself struggling big time!

Before you read on it, is worth disclosing that I love to sleep. I can nod off no problem. I love a cheeky snooze on a lazy Sunday, a wee disco nap before a night out (wow, remember those?) and where and when possible, I take advantage of a lie in. Therefore, I was entering unchartered territory.

My sleep had been slightly affected by the fear of all that Covid-19 entailed. However, it took a real turn for the worse when my mother was rushed to hospital with an unknown illness that resulted in a fair stint in both ICU and High Dependency Units. Not giving any spoilers here, mum is now out of hospital and on the mend, but when she first was taken in, myself and the family had very minimal telephone contact with the ward.

I have always been fairly level headed and whilst my emotions can run high in these situations, I am usually found running around, visiting the ward at every given opportunity, checking in to see the family are okay, working in a busy environment to take my mind of things when I can. Yet Covid-19 put a stop to all that. I was stuck at home and there was nothing I could do.

And then out of nowhere, I basically stopped sleeping. The mental clogs in my mind were clocking in some serious overtime! 

I was literally getting 2 - 3 hours broken sleep a night and after a week or so, the negative effect was significant, so it became time to ask for help - a scary concept for me! After a lengthy consultation with my doctor, I was told I was suffering from early onset insomnia (terrifying) and I was prescribed a short sharp dose of sleeping pills which quite frankly knocked me sideways but allowed me to get my sleeping pattern back.

Never have I experienced this type of lack of sleep and I was truly shocked at the effect it had on me physically, mentally and emotionally. It made me consider what sleep means and the importance of sleep.

Matthew Walker (British scientist and professor of neuroscience and psychology) has described the worlds lack of sleep as the "missing piece of the health conversation of the day" and he talks of the global epidemic that is sleep loss.  

The minimum recommendation for sleep each night is 7 hours. Ideally, you should be getting 8 hours - do you get that? 

An experiment by American sleep scientists took a group of volunteers and dropped their sleep to 6 hours per night for one week. The results showed over 700 genes were distorted in this time. Genes negatively impacted included those that control the immune system, stress, chronic inflammation, the cardiovascular system and blood sugars.

Sleep it turns out is just as important, if not more so, than diet and exercise. And so many of us are ignoring it or putting up with way less that we should.

Nowadays, people seem to wear lack of sleep as a badge of pride. Burning the candle at both ends, work hard / play hard, I will sleep when I am dead ... Sound familiar?

Health & Life Coach Michelle Flynn (who shares a background in recruitment) describes sleep as the "body's life support system". Sleep is key! Michelle talks about how quality of sleep is just as important as the amount of sleep. 

And the main factors that affect quality of sleep? Stress, alcohol, caffeine and a snoring partner (I could confidently raise my hand to all four of these).

Not until I had so little sleep did I realise the impact it would have on me, and how it affected my ability to function. Sleep is crucial to both our mental and physical health.

With lots of study around best sleep practice, which includes no phones or screen time, lavender, black out curtains, getting the right temperature and some sleep meditation, I am finding a routine that works for me (don't knock it till you try it!). 

And whilst I did turn to the doctor for initial help (and if you feel you need that help, I would suggest it), I realise that my sleep routine is something I need to work on getting right immediately for myself, and for my future health.

If you are interested in finding out more on the subject, click on the links below. 

In the meantime, night night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!

Matthew Walker - https://www.sleepdiplomat.com/

Spotify – Matthew Walker: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Gtr9V5GE1rH9KpvxQhSJ1?si=x9Aoy14iQU-S3ERAtvpOIA

Michelle Flynn discussing sleep and good habits - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sfDWlhRr54&t=1356s

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-why-good-sleep-is-important

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/how-to-get-to-sleep/