Sleep

Sleep. Or lack of it. One of the major under reported health problems of today.

It is estimated that 25% of the British population suffer from some sort of sleep deprivation or disorder. Evidently in the 1920’s we slept for about 9 hours a night but now the average is much less, at 7½ hours.

What does sleep deprivation mean for our health and wellbeing?

• Up to one in four road accidents is associated with tiredness.
• Impaired concentration and memory.
• Compromised decision making faculties.
• Irritability and loss of emotional control.
• Increased stress and anxiety levels.
• Possible impairment of the immune system.
• Changes in metabolism leading to weight gain.
• Increase in desire for high calorie foods.
• And downright feeling awful

Why do we need a good night’s sleep?

We Need Sleep

Whilst it is common sense and knowledge that we feel better after a good night’s sleep, what is it that is so important about sleep? After all it takes up (or should do) about a third of our life.

Whilst sleep can give the body the chance to recover from its daily activities, its prime purpose seems to be related to maintaining cognitive function (ie speech, memory, and power of thought) at acceptable levels. So it is the brain that seems to need sleep more than any other organ in the body.

What makes Good Sleep?

To achieve a good night’s sleep you need to go through proper sleep cycles. A single cycle comprises four stages of Non REM (Rapid eye Movement) sleep, and a spell of REM sleep (when dreams occur), and lasts around 100 minutes. Ideally this cycle is repeated several times during the night. If the cycle is disrupted or incomplete, then problems can begin to occur.

What to do to promote Good Sleep

Sleep posture is important

A regular routine can help, and a good sleeping environment, together with the tools to help you relax. We may spend several thousands on sofas and chairs yet the time we spend sitting on them is far less than the time we spend in bed.

So it is worth investing in a high quality sleep system, one that helps promote effective high quality rest and leave you with increased energy.

At Life Changes Now we can point you in the direction of a top quality sleep system. You don’t usually have to replace your bed, just the bedding, bedding which is endorsed by the World Federation of Chiropractic, and which supports your body not only ergonomically but also through a combination of highly researched technologies.

Relaxation

Relaxation is key to good sleep

Whilst the physical environment will have a major impact on your quality of sleep the ability to relax properly is also essential. It may be that you are going through a period of increased stress, or that you have got into a poor sleep habit and that your body and mind have ‘forgotten’ how to sleep well.

At Life Changes Now we can work together to uncover any underlying factors which may impede your ability to get to sleep or stay asleep, and provide you with the tools to help yourself sleep much better in the future.

It is worth working on your sleep. Not only do you feel so much better when you sleep well but good sleep can significantly improve your general health and wellbeing.

Find out more about sleep solutions by contacting us at Life Changes Now.