Why a great night’s sleep leads to a healthier you

Ok, to be fair, it’s not quite the right time of year to be talking about great sleep, is it?

But I figure the more folk know about why stuff’s important, the more likely they are to make better choices. Even a tiny step in the right direction can make a big difference, right?

Today, I’m going to consider why sleep is such a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle. We’ll be looking at what stops us sleeping well, and what we can do to help ourselves.

Even in the sixteenth century, Shakespeare knew how important sleep was for human beings – the ultimate punishment for Macbeth and his wife for murdering the king was to lose their right to sleep, which Will tells us is the ‘balm of hurt minds’ and ‘chief nourisher in life’s feast.’ The stats about sleep and mental health are downright scary, to be frank.

Did Shakespeare know about the glymphatic system and its activity whilst we sleep? (The brain’s personal hygiene system is hard at work whilst we’re in REM sleep.) Probably not. But intuitively, he knew what was needed for health. There’s a reason sleep deprivation is a form of torture.

Good sleep is a marker for general health – the Zoe study has conclusive data that shows that people who go to bed that bit earlier have a healthier blood glucose response the next day, so when they do eat, they’ll most likely be making healthier choices through the day.

Lead Nutritional Scientist at Zoe, Dr Sarah Berry, has this to say:

People who don't get enough sleep have a 40 percent higher risk of being obese and are at much higher risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. These same people tend to eat more calories, choose unhealthy snacks, have less variety in their diet and have a poor diet quality with lower fibre and fruit and vegetable intake.

When you’re poorly-slept, your body has higher levels of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, which will tell your brain to grab that gorgeous, sugary donut to go with your morning coffee, as well as lower levels of leptin, which will tell your brain you need as much help, energy-wise, as you can get – double jeopardy, right there.

A statistic I share with young people who drive to school, who commonly get less sleep than they need, generally recommended to be 8-10 hours in every 24 – if you’re surviving on an average of 6 hours sleep a night, and driving to school in the morning, you’re asking your body to drive drunk, effectively. Not a good plan.

What stops us sleeping well, and what can we do about it?

·      Busy brains are the no. 1 culprit.

Try to start winding down an hour (at least) before you want to sleep. Maybe build in some slow breathing, or some meditation, or some journaling, all good practices in themselves, to lessen the pace of your processing and help you settle in for some quality zs.

Help yourself unbusy your brain by doing some exercise – actually being physically tired is the first step to a good kip, they say. It also helps you regulate your hormones so a real win for sleep

·      Blue light from screens and bright light generally keeps our brains in an energetic state.

Lose the screens, however tempting, and use the short days and dark evenings as an excuse to light candles and soft sidelights rather than bright overhead or task lighting – remember, you’re basically still a cave-dweller at heart, so allow the rhythms of nature to help you get what you need to be healthy. Having good blackout is also important, particularly in the summer months.

·      Alcohol isn’t your friend!

It might feel like you sleep well if you’ve had a drink or two, but it actually stops you from getting your full quota of REM sleep, which your body and your brain really need for clean-ups.

If you want to drink, drink earlier rather than later, so your body has a chance to process the alcohol and it isn’t right there bang on bedtime to stop your system doing what it needs to do.

However, because your body does require good levels of hydration – your brain is made up of about 75% water – make sure that you keep your fluid levels topped up throughout the day, so that your systems can function seamlessly and effortlessly.

·      Eating late at night doesn’t help you sleep, either

If you’re snacking and or drinking calories well into the evening, and then trying to sleep, you’re confusing your body. Allow your body to rest its digestive system and stop ingesting calories as early as you can, ideally at least 2 hours before you intend to sleep, to make sure you can go full steam ahead with your kippage.

·      Being too hot will guarantee a disturbed night.

I know some people swear by a warm bath or a shower to help them slip seamlessly into dreamy-land; however, our bodies actually need to cool down by an entire degree in order to sleep. A bedroom temperature of around 65 ° is optimal.

Do what works for you! Having a window open, remembering to turn off the electric blanket before you’re sizzled…

·      Womenfolk, your sleep may be troubled by falling levels of oestrogen and progesterone, if you're around menopause.

Both the above hormones are important for sleep in their own right, but also for the production of melatonin in our bodies, which means double jeopardy, as melatonin is vital for good sleep.  Go and talk to a helpful medic and get some hormones on prescription!

Let’s wrap up…

Be a cave dweller and keep your life as simple as you can. I know it's not always doable, but reducing friction and engineering your world so that it supports your health is a win in every sense.

Pare your evenings down to the minimum and do what gives you joy.

If wine gives you the joy you’re looking for, try and keep it to one glass and have it with your meal, earlier rather than later.

If a bit of quality drama gives you joy, enjoy it on a screen somewhere other than your bedroom, with soft lighting. (Bedrooms are for sleeping and sex, and telling your brain anything else by doing other things in it is quite simply programming your brain to understand that anything goes – NOT the route to a great night’s sleep!)

Sleep’s just one of the pillars you need to build strong and sturdy in order to have good overall health.

If it’s causing you problems, I can help – whether you’re a human being who hates the bags under your eyes and can’t focus at work, or you’re a business owner who knows that the estimated cost of poor sleep is about 2% of GDP, or around £37 billion per year.

Jump into my DMs to find out how to raise your sleep hygiene rating before the festive season really kicks in, so you can be bright-eyed and fresh wearing your party shirt or LBD.

One more newsletter before Christmas – buckle up for the seasonal craziness, and stay well!

Lois x