Why is quality sleep important and how can I get it?
Why quality sleep is important?
When we think about being health, we often focus on diet and exercise, but one of the most critical factors for our overall health is sleep. Personally, I didn't realise just how critical until I got cancer. Short sleepers (people who sleep less than 6hrs a night) are at risk for chronic disease including cancer (see how do I reduce cancer risk). Without quality sleep, our body becomes more susceptible to stress, and our immune system does not function optimally. Inflammatory proteins and blood sugar levels increase in response to lower levels of insulin being released throughout the night, resulting in hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Getting quality sleep is essential for our physical and mental health. During sleep, our body undergoes critical activities that it can’t perform during the day. This is because we can only be in ‘fight or flight’ or ‘rest and repair’ or ‘digest’ mode. As busy adults, we spend most of our day in a low-level ‘fight or flight’ and ‘digest’ mode from the coffee, meals and snacks we eat. There is little room for the rest and repair processes our body needs to prevent disease (see how can I stop feeling exhausted). During sleep, our body has time to consolidate memories, regulate hormones, rest and recover organs, repair tissues, grow muscle and synthesise proteins. These activities are essential for our body and mind to remain healthy and disease-free.
Quality sleep improves your quality of life with increased energy, strengthened immune system, heightened alertness, focus, creativity, and mood.
What is quality sleep?
Quality sleep isn’t just about how many hours. A good quality sleep means 1-2 hours of deep sleep in the first half of your total night’s sleep, and 3-4 hours REM dreaming in the second half. Most adults should aim for 7-9 hrs sleep in total. Deep sleep galvanises our immune system, which helps keep us disease-free, while dreaming helps our brain sort and store information. Studies have shown that the quality of sleep we receive in the hours before midnight are better than afterwards, so it’s important to get to bed early (ideally before 10pm) – and aim for a similar time each night and each morning that you wake.
So how can you get good quality sleep?
Getting good quality sleep is a key focus of my Own Your Health Program, Reboot Program, and Cancer Recovery Program. If you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, book a free 1 hour session so we can talk about your situation and decide which of these ideas are right for you.
If you wake up needing the bathroom throughout the night, try drinking your beverages before dinner. As a rule, try to drink most of your daily fluids before 3pm.
Don’t drink coffee or have caffeine after 12pm. We worry about being tired in the afternoon due to our busy work and lifestyle, but we’re meant to be. Our body was built to be most energised when we wake and slow down throughout the day to prepare us for rest.
Signal to your body that it’s ok to slow down and relax. Try a 10 minute guided meditation to wind down in the afternoon after work or before bed, or schedule some quiet time away from the family, Netflix or your phone.
Charge your mobile in another room and turn of your house Wifi. It takes practice, but it’s a good habit to keep electronics away from your body at night. This reduces blue-light exposure and allows your mind to slow down, but most importantly, gives our tissues and cells a break from the electronics we’re glued to all day (you know what they say about too much of a good thing!)
Wear an eyemask and earplugs so nothing wakes you! I started doing this during my chemotherapy treatment because trying to sleep on steroids with chemo-induced menopause was a nightmare – and now I’ll never go back (See what can I buy someone doing chemotherapy). Darkness and silence undoubtedly signal to our body and mind that it’s time to rest, and it helps us stay that way.
If sleep is an issue for you, there are plenty of other things we can try for your situation! Book a free 1 hour session so I can suggest ideas that are right for your situation.
Book your free 1 hour session here
