Say Goodbye To Your Weekend Sleep-In!
“Sleep deprivation increases your chance of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, obesity, depression, anxiety and dementia!”
According to leading sleep scientist Matthew Walker, PhD, we are in the midst of a global sleep-deprivation epidemic and if you’re someone who gets less than 7 hours sleep each night, you’re technically sleep deprived.
Sleep deprivation increases your chance of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, obesity, depression, anxiety and dementia!
Walker says; “regularity is key. So people often short-sleep during the week and then they will try and binge at the weekend as if sleep is like the bank where you can accumulate a debt and then pay it off. You can’t — the brain can never get back the sleep that it’s lost. The other problem with that behaviour, which we actually call social jet lag, is that you’re dragging your body-clock, your 24-hour circadian rhythm, back and forwards in time on a weekly basis. That’s harmful to your health. We should be giving ourselves an eight to nine-hour sleep opportunity window.”
Some tips for better sleep:
Work out how much sleep your body actually needs. spend about a week allowing yourself to fall asleep when you are tired and then waking up naturally, without an alarm. For most people this will be between 7 and 9 hours sleep per night.
Turn off your electrical devices such as TV, phones and tablets 1 hour before bed time. The blue light emitted by screens can keep us awake by blocking the production of melatonin, which our brain produces as a cue that it’s time to sleep.
No more night caps! Research shows that having an alcoholic drink right before bed can make it slightly easier to fall asleep, however, you don’t sleep as deeply for the rest of the night and you won’t wake up as refreshed.
Avoid caffeine for at least 4-6 hours before bed. Caffeine is a stimulant and can keep you awake.
Set up a relaxing pre-sleep routine. Ease the transition from wake time to sleep time with a period of relaxing activities an hour or so before bed. Take a bath (the rise, then fall in body temperature promotes drowsiness), read a book, watch television, or practice relaxation exercises. Avoid stressful, stimulating activities—doing work, discussing emotional issues. Physically and psychologically stressful activities can cause the body to secrete the stress hormone cortisol, which is associated with increasing alertness. If you tend to take your problems to bed, try writing them down— and then putting them aside.
We’re off to bed early tonight! Sweet dreams!