Sleep Hygiene
Vital for Wellbeing
Sleep takes us to a mysterious change in our consciousness and is outside of our control. It is something many people, particularly women, complain they don’t get enough of and yet it is vital for our health and wellbeing. For sure, you only need a run of a few sleep deprived nights to know your brain, your body and your emotions just don’t function properly without it.
“The loss of one night’s sleep is followed by ten days of inconvenience”
– Chinese proverb
Furthermore, prolonged sleep issues can lead to long-term health problems. So, it is very important we address insmonia concerns as soon as they arise.
The Sleep Cycle
Whilst asleep, our heart rate reduces, our body temperature drops and our brain activity changes. Generally speaking, a good night sleep would consist of five or six sleep cycles, each lasting around 90 minutes.
Our circadian rhythm, or “body clock” is the 24 hour cycle that regulates all our biological and physiological processes. According to “Get a Good Nights Sleep” by the Sleep Council, in ideal situations, the circadian rhythm will naturally rise in the early morning, promoting wakefulness and alertness. And will reach a peak in the evening.
After a waking period of around 15 hours the pressure to sleep increases, in other words, we get tired. As it gets dark, the circadian rhythm drops to the lowest level and helps to maintain sleep.
Did you know that constant disruption of your circadian rhythm can detrimentally damage your health? Alarmingly, obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer have all been linked to insomnia.
