Health

Sweet Dreams…

Is there anything better than a good nights sleep? Waking up refreshed, revived and ready to start the day. I’m guessing there are many of you reading this who would love nothing more, but are fi nding the Land of Nod an elusive destination. It is estimated that more than a third of us struggle with sleep and since the pandemic this has escalated, leading to what has been dubbed ‘Coronasomnia’. Anxiety, uncertainty, loneliness and working from home have all contributed to this deterioration in our sleeping patterns.

Apart from the obvious eff ects of sleeplessness – daytime tiredness, irritability and lethargy, poor sleep is also linked to weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure and even dementia.

GP’s frequently see patients suff ering with insomnia, who are often seeking sleeping tablets to solve the problem. Sadly this is not the quick fi x many hope it would be. Sleeping tablets are rarely prescribed these days as they can be highly addictive and can have serious side eff ects including making your sleep much worse in the long term. So what can we do?

Make your bedroom a haven – avoid using your bedroom for anything other than sleep. Keep the temperature around 18 degrees. Ensure you have a comfy mattress and pillows. Keep the light and sound out with black out blinds and ear plugs if needed.

Ditch the tech – aim to have an hour of screen free wind down time leading up to bedtime. As well as the blue light that is emitted from screen disrupting our circadian rhythms , engaging with social media or online activity can greatly increase our stress level. Get an old fashioned alarm clock and leave the phone plugged in downstairs.

Cut out the caff eine – caff eine lasts for many hours in your body and a cup of coff ee early afternoon can signifi cantly aff ect your ability to sleep later that night. Avoid any caff eine after midday and remember that

Dr Rachel Tyler is a doctor at

Stirling Road Surgery, St Budeaux

decaff einated drinks may still contain some caff eine.

Alcohol – alcohol seriously disrupts our ability to sleep well. While dropping off may be easier after a few drinks, waking up in the early hours and a poorer quality sleep is more likely. Try and limit alcohol to just a few nights a week and try to fi nish drinking 2-4 hours before turning in.

Exercise – keeping active in the day is vital to ensure we are tired and ready for sleep come evening ,but try and avoid vigorous activity just before bed .Outdoor time every day is also crucial as exposure to sunlight regulates production of the hormone melatonin which in turn helps control our sleep.

Routine – going to sleep and getting up at the same time every day ensures our internal body clock is set to the right time. Don’t be tempted to lie in or nap in the day if you’ve had a bad night.

Turn off your worries – keeping a diary or just writing down your worries can be a good way of clearing your head before bed. Meditation and is another great way of winding down.

Stop ‘trying’ – you cant go to sleep - sleep must come to you. In other words create the environment you are likely to fall asleep in, but if it doesn’t happen don’t lie there tossing and turning worrying about it. After twenty or thirty minutes get up, and do something relaxing or boring until you start to feel sleepy again. I often suggest to patients they count backwards from 1,000 very slowly, gently bringing themselves back to the counting if their thoughts wander off .

Get help – there are some fantastic online sleep supports available now. Sleepio, Sleep station and the Sleep School app are all worth checking out. Your pharmacy may also be able to off er some herbal remedies and your GP is a good port of call especially if you are also struggling with symptoms of depression or anxiety. n