“We’re only just beginning to understand the damage that irregular sleep patterns can do to your body, particularly when you sleep at the wrong time” Sarah Montague, Radio 4, Today programme*.

Professor Russell Foster, one of Britain’s leading sleep experts from Bristol University and Director of the Sleep and Circadian Neural science Institute, told the Today programme that the assumption has always been that the body adapts but “the latest empirical research shows that it doesn’t, which explains why there’s a higher incidence of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer in people who do night shift work.”

He explained that the 24 hour pattern (known as our circadian rhythm) is so ingrained in our DNA that, if we do not sleep at the correct times for our bodies, even our ability to reason is severely impaired. “Cognitive performance is down… at 4 am, our ability to process information is similar to the effects of being legally drunk.. the ability to think is as impaired as if you’d had a few whiskies.”

We have evolved over millions of years to sleep at night; our sleep/wake cycle is controlled by several thousand cells in the brain.

All our organs run according to this pre-programmed genetic pattern to make them carry out certain functions at one time of day and others at another.

This may well explain the higher levels of obesity in those working at night. Professor Linda Morgan studies the way we metabolise food differently in the day from how we do so at night. She explained that, if we eat foods containing high levels of saturated fat, refined carbohydrate and sugar at night, it will “hang around in the bloodstream a lot longer than if we ate it during the daytime.”

Professor Foster also explained that some of the vital processes that take place while we sleep are:- “memory formation, information processing, rebuilding metabolic pathways, toxin cleansing and tissue repair”. As a result, sleeping pills can “induce sedation but these vital processes do not occur in drug-induced sleep… they do not provide a biological mimic of sleep”.

Nowadays, most people suffer from lack of deep, restorative sleep, due to the lure of modern technology which enables us to carry out activities which are most suited to the brain’s daytime functions at any time of night.

Symptoms of sleep deprivation can include a loss of ability to focus and process information, leading to reduced cognition and creativity as well as memory impairment; a tendency to have micro-sleeps during the day can also result from this. Recent research also shows that there is a “significantly shortened lifespan for those working at night”.

He summed up by saying that our modern culture of getting by on as little sleep as possible being considered as a badge of honour is to blame and that not taking sleep seriously should be frowned upon in much the same way as we now discourage people from smoking. As he so rightly said: “We cannot exclude sleep from our priorities”.

For more information on how we can help you improve your sleep, call us on 07970 521 787 or see https://www.soothingspaces.co.uk/sound-sleep-tips/sleep-deprivation-effect-on-shift-workers and https://www.soothingspaces.co.uk/health/feng-shui-bedroom-better-sleep

* http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02y4mdh

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Friday 13th March is World Sleep Day, created by the World Association of Sleep Medicine “to advance sleep health worldwide.”¹

This is also my mission, too! I’m focusing here on sleep and teenagers, as so many are unaware that they need more sleep than they’re probably actually getting; in fact, according, the National Sleep Foundation, they need nine and quarter hours sleep per night.²

The importance of sleep for teenagers

Sound sleep is essential to help us function properly and maintain good health and well-being. It is through sleep that our mind processes the day and memories are stored. Teenagers, who are typically studying for exams, need sleep to be able to learn effectively, yet so many stay up late and are then not able to get up in the morning; whilst it doesn’t seem to make sense to adult minds that they don’t go to bed earlier, most teens find it difficult to sleep “at a sensible time” and the ever-increasing distractions of the internet and mobile phone games only exacurbate the problem.

Why teenagers’ sleep habits seem so different to that of adults

Sally Weale, education correspondent for the Guardian, explains the reason why teenagers’ sleep habits seem so different to that of adults – “According to neuroscientists, teenagers’ circadian rhythms – the cycle of sleep and wakefulness – typically begin two hours after those of adults, so current school start times mean they wake up too early and are trying to focus when their body still needs sleep.”³

Her article included the work of Professor Colin Espie and Dr Kelley. Professor Espie explains that, because during the teenage years huge developmental changes are taking place in both the body and the brain, they require more sleep than adults. He plans to carry out a study to see the effects on pupils’ academic performance of delaying the school start time to 10am.  Dr Kelley, who carried out the pilot study for the scheme, which saw a school start their day at 10am for a two-year period, reports many positive results including improved health and academic performance along with less illness and an improved atmosphere in the school.

More radically still, Guy Holloway, of Hampton Court House, explains why his school is “embarking on a bold experiment… to allow them to wake up later, enjoy better sleep and enable them to be more productive during those vital examination years” by delaying lessons for A-level students to 1.30 – 7pm instead of the previous start time of 8.30 am. He goes on to explain that, last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics made a case for starting school later for teenagers being “a matter of public health. Poor sleep patterns were strongly correlated with obesity, mental health disorders including depression, poor cognition and poor quality of life generally.” Mr Holloway is convinced that teenagers who are able to get nine hours’ good quality sleep per night “will be happier and will enjoy better human relationships… will be less tired overall and less prone to errors of judgement.” ⁴

Last but not least, some schools have discovered that their pupils benefit from learning mindfulness techniques to help them with these issues. For example, the headmaster of Fettes College, Edinburgh, and his wife have started a programme for over 13s, including “ ‘beditation’ where youngsters bring pillows and duvets and learn how best to drift off to sleep in noisy dormitories.” ⁵

As it may take a while before any plans to change the school start times nationally are implemented, let’s get our children into the habit of practising good sleep hygiene (i.e. how to help the mind and body prepare for sleep) to make sure that they get enough good quality sleep.

10 tips to help your teen sleep well

1. Encourage a bedtime routine. Routines help the body to function efficiently and effectively.
2. If at all possible (depending on their age), prevent them from taking their mobile phone into their bedroom at night; explain that the blue light emitted from the phone negatively affects sleep patterns and also that if it’s not nearby they won’t be tempted to keep checking their phone at night.
3. Explain why it’s important that they stop using a computer or watching TV at least one hour before they plan to go to sleep. Turn off the Wi-Fi at night, as Wi-Fi affects sleep and young people are particularly at risk from the effects of electromagnetic radiation as their minds are still developing.
4. Suggest that the hour before going to sleep should be a designated chill-out time, listening to music, reading a book, enjoying a relaxing bath etc.
5. Help them to learn relaxation techniques by practicing them together or researching a local mindfulness class.
6. Try to ensure that their diet is healthy and that dinner, if it is their main meal, is eaten 2 – 3 hours before bedtime. If they tend to get hungry late in the evening, even if they’ve had a fairly substantial meal earlier, a light, easily digested snack is best, such as a bowl of cereal or banana (rich in tryptophan which helps sleep).
7. Encourage them to get plenty of fresh air and exercise during the day or early evening.
8. Ensure that their bedroom is well-ventilated as a hot, stuffy room will result in shallower sleep.
9. Discourage the consumption of caffeinated or sugary drinks (including many soft drinks), especially towards the end of the day, and encourage them to drink plenty of water and, if possible, herbal teas.
10. If they’re still not sleeping well after carrying out the above, perhaps they have issues on their mind they need help to resolve.  Encourage them to talk about anything that’s troubling them.

Teenage years are a busy time developmentally and emotionally so clearly it’s of the utmost importance to teach teenagers about the importance of sleep and the effects that poor sleep will have on their health and well-being. I know it’s not easy: as any parent will testify, our suddenly-not-so-little ones seem to be hardwired to do the opposite to what we suggest! However, they do still need our guidance in an increasingly complex world – do let me know of your experiences or if you have any tips!

If sleep problems are negatively affecting your life and you need advice, contact me today and let me help you start sleeping soundly again.

1. http://worldsleepday.org/about-us/
2. http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep
3. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/09/study-teenage-sleep-patterns-assess-impact-learning
4. http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/education/article1505205.ece
5. http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/article1470356.ece

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I was really interested to read an article in The Daily Mail reporting results of a survey carried out by the hotel chain, Travelodge.  They reported that “Almost 90% of the participants had trouble sleeping due to the temperature of their bedroom”.

Do you experience issues sleeping due to your bedroom temperature? Do you sleep with your window open or closed, with a light duvet or lots of blankets?  We’re all different when it comes to what temperature we find comfortable at night but did you realise just how important a factor temperature is, in helping us to get a good night’s sleep and avoid being sleep deprived?

The process of sleep and solutions to aid sleep initiation

When we sleep, a reduction in core body temperature is a part of the sleep-initiation and sleep maintenance process. A room temperature that is too warm or too cool can prevent your core temperature from lowering to its ideal place for good sleep.

In an article on Mercola.com¹ , Dr Mercola suggests that taking a hot bath 90-120 minutes before going to bed may help you sleep better.  The reason for this is that after a hot bath, your body temperature will naturally begin to fall, which helps your body prepare itself for sleep.  As explained, this drop in temperature is necessary to start the sleep process.  He also notes the importance of the temperature of your extremities, our hands and feet need to be warm to induce sleep.  Simple solutions if you suffer from cold feet at night are to wear warm socks and use a hot water bottle.

The National Sleep Foundation recommend that the temperature in a bedroom should be between 15 and 19 degrees centigrade at night² but, this may not be the ideal temperature for you, so a bit of trial and error may be needed.  Not only that but our body temperature fluctuates during the course of the night and many people share a bed with a partner who has significantly different temperature requirements  at any one time.

If addressing all those issues sounds rather like a Rubik’s cube, take comfort in the knowledge that there are technologies incorporated into bedding to create the ideal sleeping environment for each individual: for example, the KenkoDream quilt incorporates ceramic-coated, reflective fibres to provide a natural way to absorb excess heat from the body or the environment and gently reflect it back as required, thereby maintaining a constant temperature which is neither too cold not too hot for each person using it. As an added bonus, this also provides negative ions, creating a feeling of deeper relaxation.

Share your experiences of the effect temperature has had on your sleep and let us know what you do prior to going to bed, to transform your room into a sleep sanctuary.

1. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/12/19/Do-Cold-Temperatures-Improve Sleep.aspx.

2. http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/six-tips-design-the-ideal-bedroom-sleep

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Dr Guy Meadows, of the Sleep School, discovered, after practising as a sleep research physiologist for 12 years, that the key to overcoming insomnia is acceptance. He told Sharon Walker of  the Sunday Times Style section: “The thing about sleep is that it’s a subconscious process. You can’t switch it on and off at will. But the awesome thing about humans is that we are born strugglers, we are fighters. We think ‘What can I do about this problem?’….. When the usual tricks fail, desperation sets in.” To make matters worse, perceiving insomnia as an enemy triggers the brain’s ‘fight or flight’ response, which is just the reverse of what you need when you’re trying to drop off to sleep.

He now uses mindfulness and Acceptance and commitment Therapy to treat insomniacs, after realising that many of his clients reported that “they fell asleep, after struggling all night, just before they were due to get up. I’d ask them, ‘What happened at that point?’ and they would tell me they had just given up. It was only when they gave up the struggle to sleep that they could finally nod off,” he says.

Mindfullness “combines meditation, breathing techniques and paying attention to the present moment” and “helps people change the way they think, feel and act”. (http://bemindful.co.uk/) These techniques, which have been used for centuries in Buddhism and other spiritual paths, are now backed up by scientific research into their effects on the mind and body, serve to remind us that letting go of our inner demons is more powerful than resisting them.

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