Sleep. Every living thing needs it, and by the time we reach the end of our life, the average person will have spent 26 years, or roughly a third of our life, sleeping.
Why do we spend such a vast amount of time asleep? Some see it as wasted time that could otherwise be productive, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Sleep is so fundamentally important to us that it is the foundation of our physical and mental health. It is the period of rest that allows our body to grow and heal, repairing damage and boosting the immune system to fight off infection. Sleep enhances proper brain function, aiding focus and concentration, memory consolidation and the ability to learn. It also helps people to regulate emotions, which affects judgement and decision making, the ability to communicate and our overall mental outlook. It’s therefore not surprising to learn that poor sleep can lead to an increased risk of heart conditions, diabetes and high blood pressure, make you more susceptible to illness and infection, interfere with your metabolism and affect your appetite and weight, and put you at higher risk of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and psychosis. To underestimate the significance and power of sleep is to potentially do ourselves serious harm.
Our most recent podcast was with Dr Amy Ferguson, the Network Scientific Coordinator at the Circadian Mental Health Network at Edinburgh University. She talked to us about the intricacies of the body’s circadian rhythm, how this impacts sleep patterns, and how significant this can be for our mental wellbeing.
Let’s start by defining what the circadian rhythm is. If you have already heard of the term, it’s common to assume it means sleep patterns (i.e. what time you wake up and go to bed), but they are not the same thing. The circadian rhythm is essentially our body clock, evolved over millions of years to keep us in time with the environment, ensuring we survive by aligning our physiology and behaviours to the daily cycle of light and dark. By controlling the release of the hormone melatonin, it tells us when to be active, when to eat, when to sleep – it’s so fundamental to our existence that our bodies have evolved hand in hand with this cycle. For example, human eyesight is virtually useless at night because nature intends for us to sleep when it’s dark, because that’s when it’s safest and when our prey is (or used to be) also asleep.
Sleep patterns are (or should be) a result of the circadian rhythm. However, modern living doesn’t always adhere to the routines set by the universe, so our link to the cycle of light and dark is weakening. Excess artificial light, shift patterns, sleep-disrupting drugs, and behaviours that are not aligned to the natural rhythm can cause us to fall out of synchronisation with that cycle. This means our body will be constantly fighting to find a balance, which can have profound (and negative) effects on our health.
As we’ve seen above, there is a strong link between the quality of our sleep and our mental wellbeing. Having a mental health condition can cause us to have poor sleep, and poor sleep can make mental health issues worse, creating a negative feedback loop that can have a very detrimental effect on mood and how we feel about ourselves. But even individuals without a diagnosed mental health condition can feel the negative effects of lack of sleep – you might feel irritable or weepy, stressed or anxious, unable to concentrate, or lacking in energy. All of these feelings can affect how we function in daily life, impacting work, relationships, eating choices and ability to exercise. The irony is that experiencing the impact of these emotions can put more pressure on getting a better sleep, actually making it harder to sleep.
We all have one-off bad nights where we can’t sleep, but if you feel like your overall sleep routine needs an overhaul, there are some tried and tested ways to improve sleep habits, which could in turn have a positive impact on your wellbeing:
Have a set bedtime and wake time, to train your body into a regular pattern
Maintain a structured bedtime routine so that your body starts to recognise the signs that it’s time to sleep. Include ways to be calm and wind down, such as relaxation techniques, or quiet activities that you find soothing
Ensure your bedroom, mattress and bedding are suited to your preferences. Keep the room temperature comfortable and lighting low
Avoid alcohol, tobacco, sugar and caffeine before bed
Limit your screen time in the lead-up to bed, including TV, phone, laptop and tablet. The blue light in these devices interrupts your melatonin production
Get plenty of regular exercise during the day
Everyone is different, so it might take a bit of trial and error to find what works for you. Now that we understand how important sleep is to all aspects of our health, taking steps to improve it is the ultimate act of self-care, and one that could benefit every area of your life.
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