The importance of sleep

It’s amazing how children have the ability to put their heads down and sleep anywhere isn’t it?  Even part way through having their dinner!  If only we all found it this easy to fall asleep.

In our last Thrive in Five video, Anita (ICF Coach and Mentor Anita Gohil MindThrive Coach and Life Strategy) and I shared how recent survey results showed that getting enough sleep was the biggest priority to improve people’s wellbeing.  

This is something that I feel very strongly about.  The benefits of sleep are enormous and there is a direct link between both our physical and mental health and the amount and quality of sleep we have. 

I always feel conflicted when I talk about the importance of sleep.  It is a topic that comes up almost every time wellbeing is mentioned.  Most of the people I talk to know the importance of getting good quality sleep but are still struggling to sleep well.  In a large number of cases, it’s not that we are purposefully depriving ourselves of sleep, but a problem that we are desperately trying to solve. 

Matthew Walker’s book Why We Sleep has some fantastic hints and tips on how to improve your quality of sleep and here are some of my favourites:

1.    Give yourself a non-negotiable 8 hour sleep opportunity every night.  Even if we find it hard to fall asleep once we’re in bed, creating enough time to get at least 8 hours’ sleep every day is an important first step.  

2.    Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, no matter what.  It always feels tempting to try and catch up on our sleep at the weekends, however, this affects our sleep patterns and has a knock-on effect during the week.

3.    Start thinking about sleep as a kind of work for our brains.  In the same way we have an alarm to wake us up in the morning, set yourself a ‘wind down alarm’ in the evenings to prompt you to get to bed on time.

4.    Turn off all electronic equipment and keep devices and screens out of your bedroom.  If necessary, buy yourself a cheap alarm clock, so you aren’t relying on your phone to wake you up and will reduce the temptation to look at it last thing at night.

5.    Avoid alcoholic drinks at least an hour before bed and limit your caffeine intake at least 6 hours before you plan to go to sleep. Recent studies have shown that alcohol and caffeine reduces the quality of your sleep and can affect your body’s internal clock.

What other tips do you have for improving your sleep?

#wellbeing #sleep #thriveinfive