Sleep

Sleep is vital for maintaining optimal health and well-being, both physical and mental. Insufficient sleep, which the NHS defines as less than the recommended 7–9 hours for adults (although this varies between individuals), can lead to serious health issues. Poor sleep is linked to increased risks of chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression.

Stress, poor diet, excessive screen time, and irregular sleep schedules can negatively impact sleep quality in children, teenagers and adults alike, but there are a number of practical and evidence-based actions that can be taken and have proven successful in enabling people to improve their sleep, such as using self-help tools like apps to work on improving sleep hygiene.

Courses, psychoeducation and therapy can help in teaching people to identify triggers and maintaining factors for their poor sleep, and seek to address other causes of sleep problems, such as mental health difficulties.

Further information and resources:

• NHS: Sleep‍
• The Sleep Charity‍
• Sleep Well Academy

Recommended books:

• “Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams” by Professor Matthew Walker – Walker condenses the findings from 20 years of sleep science into this book, which explores why sleep matters, and how it impacts so many areas of our lives and health.
• “The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep is Broken and How to Fix It” by Dr W. Chris Winter – A practical book containing tips and strategies to overcome sleep difficulties; thereby enabling removing reliance on sleep medication and improving wellbeing.
• “Life Time: The New Science of the Body Clock, and How It Can Revolutionize Your Sleep and Health” by Professor Russell Foster – This is an enlightening resource detailing everything you need to know about circadian rhythms; what they are, why they are important, and how to get back into a good rhythm.

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