Seven steps to a better night's sleep

For a better night's sleep, try to keep to regular hours

STAYING up all night or missing even one night's sleep can lead to myriad health problems, according to recent research.

 

A study from Uppsala University, Sweden found that missing even a single night's kip could have more serious implications than previously thought as it could alter DNA molecules and also change our cellular clocks.

Sleep is vital for a variety of bodily functions. We spend about 30 per cent of our lives asleep and without it death would occur in a few days. It is possible to survive longer without food than sleep.

Sleep is divided into two categories. Normal sleep is described as non-REM. This is the part that is primarily restorative.

REM sleep is the stage in which we dream and muscles, except those that allow us to breathe and move our eyes, are paralysed.

The function of dreaming is not precisely understood but it is thought to have an important role in learning and memory. Getting enough restorative sleep is important because it affects us both psychologically and physiologically.

Lack of sleep, or sleep disruption caused by disorders such as sleep apnoea or narcolepsy, have important consequences on fatigue levels, vigilance, mood, learning, memory as well as motor coordination.

REM sleep is the stage in which we dream and muscles, except those that allow us to breathe and move our eyes, are paralysed  

It also affects immune function, cardiac rhythm, blood pressure, hormonal function, sensitivity to pain and liability to seizures. There is increasing evidence of its role in heart disease, risk of stroke and dementia.

Everyone has a slightly different sleep requirement but as a general rule most of us need between seven and eight hours a night.

If you are lying-in for more than an hour on days when you are not working, it suggests you are not sleeping enough.

If you or your partner are having disrupted sleep or you are excessively sleepy during the day you should seek medical help.

High blood pressure that is not responding to drug treatment could raise the possibility of sleep apnoea, where the walls of the throat relax and narrow during sleep, interrupting normal breathing.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND INSOMNIA?

Those lacking in sleep are sleepy during the day whereas those with insomnia have trouble sleeping at night but also have trouble sleeping during the day. While there are consequences to insomnia such as psychological issues and fatigue, sleepiness is not one of them.

 

It is not clear if the physiological consequences are different.

WHAT CAN I DO TO GET A BETTER NIGHT'S SLEEP?

• Keep your bed for sleeping. Don't work, use a computer or watch the television in bed.

• Avoid exposure to bright light in the evenings. This lowers melatonin levels, your brain's signal that it is time to go to sleep.

• Avoid large carbohydrate-rich meals before bed as this can cause fluctuations in blood sugar at night. ? Avoid drinks containing caffeine after mid-afternoon.

• Exercise in the day, not just before you go to bed.

• Avoid excess alcohol. This can disrupt sleep directly but also causes bladder distension at night and can worsen sleep apnoea.

• Try to keep regular hours. Go to bed at the same time.

• Dr Guy Leschziner is a consultant neurologist at the London Bridge Hospital. Visit londonbridge hospital.com