A single bad night’s sleep can directly affect our mood, alertness and concentration, while longer-term sleep deprivation is linked to more serious health issues such as heart disease and diabetes. Sleep guidelines suggest that adults between 18 and 65 need seven to nine hours kip a night, while those 65 and over need a little less—around seven to eight hours—for adequate brain functionality.
A full night’s sleep consists of five to six sleep cycles, each comprising of four stages of non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM). NREM is defined as dreamless sleep and occurs in the first three stages of a single sleep cycle whereby you begin to fall asleep. REM sleep, the dream stage, occurs in stage four of a single sleep cycle. Disrupting these cycles can affect your overall cognitive ability, making you feel as though you barely slept at all.
Insomnia
Lack of quality sleep can be a result of sleeping disorders like insomnia. Around one third of the British population suffers from insomnia, a sleeping disorder described as ‘habitual sleeplessness.’. Some triggers for insomnia include anxiety, illness or bereavement and statistically, women are more likely to suffer from insomnia than men. Treatment for insomnia varies as it is largely related to the individual cause which changes from person to person. Chronic sufferers may be treated with cognitive behavioural therapy to help encourage relaxation.
Obstructive sleep apnoea
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) occurs when the muscles in the throat relax enough to completely block the airway passage, halting airflow for 10 seconds or more. OSA varies in severity so doctors will assess your particular case in a special sleep study. OSA affects around four percent of men and two percent of women, with sufferers experiencing sleep interrupted by loud snoring or gasping. People with OSA often experience extreme sleepiness in the daytime and sometimes complain of irritableness and restlessness.
Snoring relief
According to the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association, there are around 15 million snorers in the UK. Snoring affects double that number, with men almost twice as likely than women to suffer. Snoring can be caused by a multitude of things including blocked nasal passages, a vibrating uvula and the tongue obstructing airways whilst sleeping. Pharmacies and supermarkets offer a range of snoring relief products—like nasal strips and special mouth sprays—designed to prevent snoring.
The perfect sleep environment
Melatonin, produced in the pineal gland in the brain, is responsible for causing drowsiness and lowering body temperature in preparation for sleep. Normal melatonin production can be disrupted by blue light devices such as phones and televisions which trick the brain into thinking it is still daytime. This can disrupt the body’s natural circadian rhythm, making it far more difficult to fall asleep or to induce full, undisturbed sleep.
More often than not, small changes to your sleep environment can hugely impact the quality of sleep. Remove televisions, games consoles and computers from the bedroom and reduce time spent on your phone for up to an hour before heading to bed.
The Sleep Council advises that the optimum temperature for undisturbed sleep lies between 16-18 degrees Celsius; anything above 24 degrees Celsius is likely to cause restlessness—so keep the bedroom cool.
Blackout curtains or blinds in the bedroom will eliminate any outside light coming through the window that may disturb your slumber.
