Is it time to talk about sleep?

While it may not seem the most obvious time of year to start talking about sleep, we can often forget when the sun is out our natural instinct is to go out and play sport or socialise.  In addition summer is often a time when things naturally slow down in the business world so we can be tempted to pack in as many things as possible before it gets busy at work. This means at this time of year we can often find out ourselves feeling depleted and short on sleep due to hot summer nights which are not condusive to a good nights sleep.

I know I have blogged in the past about sleep, here are my tips for a good nights sleep .  I have talked in the past about how we feel good if we get a good nights sleep but the medical profession is still unclear about why we need sleep.  What is clear is that sleep is a huge clear out of thoughts and feelings that accumulated during the day – and this is critical to our health.  The medical profession has many theories about why we dream or need to dream – what is agreed on is that parts of our brains are very active when we dream  and that dreaming improves our ability to solve problems and be creative.

The key question about sleep is often how much sleep do I need.  I don’t focus on a figure but go by how my body feels.  That means sometimes it needs more sleep and sometimes less sleep.  What I focus on is the quality of sleep which I judge by how refreshed I feel in the morning.

 

 

 

Related Posts

  • What is good standing posture?

    We all know we need to maintain good posture, but what exactly is good standing posture? Good standing posture When standing, keep these tips in mind:

    • Keep your shoulders back and relaxed.
    • Pull in your abdomen.
    • Keep your feet about hip distance apart.
    • Balance your weight evenly on both feet.
    • Let your hands hang naturally at your sides.
    Try not to tilt your head forward, backward or sideways, and make sure your knees are relaxed — not locked.

    Take the wall test

    To test your standing posture, take the wall test. Stand with your head, shoulder blades and buttocks touching a wall, and have your heels about 2 to 4 inches (about 5 to 10 centimeters) away from the wall. Reach back and slide your hand behind the curve in your lower back, with your palm flat against the wall. Ideally, you'll feel about one hand's thickness of space between your back and the wall. If there's too much space, tighten your abdominal muscles to flatten the curve in your back. If there's too little space, arch your back so that your hand fits comfortably behind you. Walk away from the wall while maintaining this posture. Keep it up throughout your daily activities.

    Check out your reflection

    To see if you're keeping your shoulders straight, stand in front of a mirror. Aim to keep your shoulders square and relaxed.

    It all adds up

    Although good posture should be natural, you might feel wooden or stiff at first if you've forgotten the sensation of standing up straight. The key is to practice good posture all the time.  Remember its never to late to start practicing good posture.  

  • Ten tips for surviving Chronic Fatigue or ME

    We call all feel tired after a long day at work.  For some people a good nights sleep doesn't refresh them and they end up feeling tired all the time.  They may then receive a diagnosis from their GP of Chronic Fatigue or ME.  So if you know anyone who has received this diagnosis here are some tips:

    1. Accept - make peace with your current limitations; it may require you to adjust your lifestyle and to get others to help care for you.
    2. Look externally - get support from others and see a doctor or a therapist.
    3. Fix your diet - we all know the importance of a healthy diet, but it is paramount when you are tired and take you may require supplements.
    4. Look within - meditate and look within to find the lessons from your current situation and illness.
    5. Examine the past - look for unresolved issues, traumas or behavioural patterns that aren't serving you well.
    6. Grieve - spend time grieving over any past hurts and broken dreams and then let them go.
    7. Get back into the world - when you have the energy, get out and meet people or do some volunteer work.
    8. Make changes - introduce new behaviours, think positively and keep a gratitude diary.
    9. Look into the future - set goals for where you want to be in 10 years time, find your passion and take small steps to get there.
    10. Keep learning - read about what may help your condition and make small changes to your daily routine.

  • How do your friends impact your health?

    In my last blog article, I explored how your social network including your friends and family impact your motivation to be healthy. Being part of a group, or better yet, lots of groups is good for your health.  The kind of groups doesn't seem to matter - it could be a family group, friendship group, religious or spiritual group, tennis or book club.  What is important is that you identify with it and see it as a meaningful part of your life. Here are five good reasons why?

    1. It can help you live longer
      • "As a rule of thumb if you belong to no groups but decide to join one, you cut the risk of dying over the next year in half" R Putman, Bowling Alone.
      • An adequate social life provides health benefits on a par with quitting smoking
      • The benefits of social ties are akin to those of exercise once you retire.  In one study retirees belonging to two social groups had a 2% risk of death but if they lost touch with both groups it jumps to 12%.
    2. It can protect your heart
      • Heart disease is generally lower for those who are members of a social group.
      • The risk of death from heart disease diminishes if you belong to more than one social group.
    3. It can cut your risk of a cold
      • Those belonging to a wide range of social groups e.g family friends, work, recreation or religious groups are least likely to come down with a cold.  Six or more types of diverse groups cut the risk of a cold more than four times.
    4. It can alleviate depression
      • The more social groups you belong to the less likely you are to suffer from depression.
      • If you are depressed, joining a group can help you recover and cut the risk of a relapse by nearly a 1/4 if you join one group or by almost 2/3 if you join three.
      • If you are a member of a religious or spiritual group you are less likely to have depressive symptoms and more likely to have feelings of well being.
    5. It motivates you to be healthy
    References J Holt-Lunstad, T B Smith, J B Layton (2010) Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review, Plos Medicine NK Steffens, T Cruwys, C Haslam, J Jetten, S A Haslam Social group memberships in retirement are associated with reduced risk of premature death: evidence from a longitudinal cohort study, BMJ Open Volume 6 Issue 2 D Reed, D McGee, K Yano, M Feinleib (1983) Social Networks and coronary heart disease among Japanese men in Hawaii, American Journal of Epidemiology 117(4) 384-96
    DC Classen, SL Pestotnik, JF Lloyd, JP Burke (1997) Adverse drug events in hospitalised patients.  Excess length of stay, extra costs and attributable mortality JAMA   Jan 22-29;277(4):301-6.
    F Tabassum, J Mohan, P Smith (2016) Association of volunteering with mental well-being: a lifecourse analysis of a national population-based longitudinal study in the UK BMJ Open 6(8)
    A Moe, O Hellzen, K Ekker, I Enmarker (2013) Inner strength in relation to perceived physical and mental health among the oldest old people with chronic illness Aging Mental Health 17(2):189-96.
    M P Aranda (2008) Relationship between religious involvement and psychological well-being: a social justice perspective Health and Social Work 33 (1): 9 - 21
    M Tarrant, K Warmoth, C Code, S Dean, V A Goodwin, K Stein, T Sugavanam (2016) Creating psyhcological connections between intervention recipients: development and focus group evaluation of a group singing session for people with aphasia BMJ Open 2016; 6(2)