Struggling With Sleep? Try These Top Tips to Help You Sleep Easier and Feel Refreshed

Check out these tips from Togetherall, an online mental health and wellbeing community, to help you sleep easier.  

SWEET DREAMS 

Sleep isn’t just about the number of hours of shuteye we get each night, but it’s the quality of sleep we get that can have a significant impact on our overall health.

Sleep happens in a series of recurring sleep stages. Each stage plays a part in restoring us and preparing us for the day ahead.

STAGES OF SLEEP

1. Drowsiness - we are feeling tired and ready to slip into slumber

2. Deep restorative sleep (non-dreaming deep sleep)

3. Alert stages (non-dreaming light sleep)

4. Dreaming stages (REM sleep)

These stages of dreaming and non-dreaming sleep create the complete sleep cycle. Each cycle lasts about 90 minutes and repeats four to six times over the course of a night.

For good quality sleep, these stages repeat uninterrupted. But if you find yourself stressed, anxious or not sleeping well, then you may wake and interrupt these cycles, which can leave you tired and irritated the next day

BAD INFLUENCES  

A huge impact on our sleep health - Light and screens

Screens have a significant effect on our sleep because light is one of the most powerful regulators of our internal body clock. Our brains normally secrete more melatonin when darkness falls, making us tired and ready for sleep, but with TVs, tablets, laptops, and cell phones, we are getting more light at night, preventing melatonin production making us less drowsy and unable to fall asleep at a normal time.

OTHER FACTORS THAT CAN PREVENT QUALITY SLEEP

• Stressful events of the day.

• Difficult life situations, such as losing a loved one.

• Worrying about work, relationships, Covid-19, etc.

• Anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress.

• Poor physical health or side effects of medications.

• Use of stimulants or lifestyle habits that work against your internal clock.

However, sleep is imperative to our physical and mental health. We need proper sleep to feel refreshed to take on the day.  

TRY SOME OF THESE TIPS TO WORK ON IMPROVING YOUR SLEEP

1. Work on a schedule to prevent you from pulling all-nighters.

2. Avoid screen time while in bed. The blue light from your devices blocks melatonin preventing us from getting tired. Try doing schoolwork at a table or desk and watching TV on the couch and not in bed.

3. Cut down on caffeine later in the day. Avoid having coffee or energy drinks after 3pm.

4. Nicotine and alcohol are stimulants that can prevent us from feeling tired and sleeping. Keep this in mind as you assess your sleep hygiene

ABOUT TOGETHERALL

Togetherall offers a safe and anonymous community where people can connect to share their experiences and get (or give) the support they need. Courses, resources and self-help tools are also available to help you understand your relationship with sleep as well as a range of other mental health and wellbeing related topics.  

Access to the Togetherall platform is free and members of the community are kept safe by mental health professionals 24/7

Togetherall is commissioned by a number of universities and colleges across the UK. Find out more about Togetherall and if you have access here.