'Ditch Your Weekend Lie In' - Expert Tips On How To Improve Your Sleep | HuffPost Life

'Ditch Your Weekend Lie In' - Expert Tips On How To Improve Your Sleep

Poorna Bell/Sleepio.com— The Huffington Post UK

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For most of us dashing between the office and home, looking after kids or recovering after a night out, sleep is a secondary consideration that we try to fit in where possible. But after new research was published suggesting sleep could reduce the risk of diabetes, scientists found that three night's of 'catch-up' sleep improved the body's insulin response and helped to clear sugar from the bloodstream - it seems we must take it more seriously than we currently do.

A poor insulin response can result in type 2 diabetes, which affects almost three million people in the UK.

Like eating, sleep is not a luxury or something that it optional - it is essential for your body to repair itself and do all the maintenance work. We asked sleep experts Sleepio.com for their response and Professor Colin Espie, co-founder and professor in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Oxford said: "These are very interesting findings, particularly as we know, from previous research, that people with insomnia are at relatively high risk for developing diabetes compared with a peer group of good sleepers.

"If it turns out that, by improving sleep, we can protect people from diabetes then it could signal a renewed interest in the importance of sleep in everyday medical care."

HERE ARE SLEEPIO.COM'S TIPS FOR GOOD SLEEP

Daytime effects of poor sleep

Poor sleep can occur on its own but, in the majority of people, it co-exists alongside mental and/or physical health problems and can itself be a risk factor for developing future illness.

Good sleep delivers good daytime wellbeing, affecting our energy, concentration, mood and personal functioning - without good sleep our lives, our relationships and our health can become compromised.

A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry highlighted the following areas of day-to-day functioning to be affected by poor sleep: energy, concentration, relationships, ability to stay awake, mood, and ability to get through work (1).

Results from the Great British Sleep Survey, a study of the UK’s sleep conducted by Sleepio, support these findings, showing that many of the worst effects of poor sleep are felt during the day, both physically and emotionally, with poor sleepers being five times as likely to feel alone, twice as likely to suffer from daytime fatigue and three times more likely to struggle to concentrate. (2)

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How to improve your sleep

1. Give up your weekend lie-in

At the weekends, we disrupt our body clocks with late nights and morning lie-ins. A weekend lie-in, or afternoon catnap, will make it harder to sleep at night as it lowers ‘sleep pressure’ and may even reduce the time spent in deep sleep the following night.

You should aim to save your sleep for bedtime and nap for around 10-15 minutes only if you are really sleepy.

2. Stop binging on alcohol

Although it may help you fall asleep when you first hit the sack, alcohol may cause you to experience lighter sleep and more awakenings as it is metabolised and cleared from the body.

It can also make you thirsty and need to get up and go to the loo more often!

3. Write a ‘to do’ list

Put the day to bed before you put yourself to bed. Think about the day, plan tomorrow and set your mind at rest. If you’re fretting about how much you have to do, write down a realistic 'to do' list before you go to bed to help you let go of the worry once you are in bed.

4.Only go to bed when you feel sleepy

The number of hours’ sleep you need is as individual as your shoe size. Don’t assume you need the often-quoted 7-8 hours; in fact, a shorter sleep may mean a better quality sleep.

5. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

If you are struggling with chronic, or long-term poor sleep, research shows that the most effective solution is ‘CBT’ or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT for short, trains people to use techniques that address the mental factors associated with insomnia, such as the 'racing mind', and to establish a healthy sleep pattern.

Visit Sleepio.com to begin your own, personalised sleep improvement programme grounded in CBT techniques.

Are you making any of these sleep mistakes?

Sleep Mistakes

Falling Asleep With The TV On(01 of10)

One of the principle rules of a sleep-inducing bedroom is to create a sanctuary that is cool, calm, quiet -- and dark. The absence of light triggers the body's natural sleepiness mechanisms to kick in, and exposing yourself to too much light too late in the day can confuse that system.That goes for more than just lamps, but also light-emitting screens, like televisions, tablets, laptops and smartphones. These constantly-blaring electronic devices interfere with our natural melatonin production, thanks to the blue-green light they emit, says Dr. Matthew Mingrone, lead physician for EOS Sleep Centers in California. "Artificial light can actually inhibit the release of melatonin," he says. "It's more than just the stimulation of the light, it's some physiological changes that are going on." Leave the TV and the laptop and the smartphone out of the bedroom, which should be reserved for sleep and sex. (credit:Getty Images)

Having A Drink To Help You Sleep(02 of10)

It's one of the most common "sleep aids", and yet a drink before bed likely does more bad than good. A 2013 review of studies found that alcohol seems to rob people of REM sleep while increasing the time they spend in deep sleep. While that might seem like it would be a good thing, REM sleep is a phase crucial for memory and learning, HuffPost reported. The first cycle of REM sleep may also be delayed by alcohol, meaning a post-drinking night's sleep will feel less restful, one of the study's researchers said in a statement. "It might help you initially get to sleep faster," says Mingrone, "but the quality of sleep is not going to be as good as it would be without it." (credit:Shutterstock)

Staying In Bed When You Can't Sleep(03 of10)

It sounds counterproductive, but experts recommend climbing out of bed if you've been lying there for too long counting sheep. The longer you stay there willing yourself to drift off, the more anxious you'll become about getting your seven to nine hours. "Rather than getting more stressed out about the sleep you're losing, get up and get out of the bedroom," says Mingrone. Do something else relaxing and low-key, like reading or taking a slow walk around the house, for about half an hour, then get back into bed when you're feeling truly tired. (credit:Getty Images)

Relying On Prescription Sleep Meds(04 of10)

Consider a sleeping pill like a Band-Aid. It may mask a problem, but it won't solve it -- and the welcome sleep it brings can lead to dependency, not to mention other serious health risks, including death. "We really try our best to get patients into a good sleep hygiene routine" before using a sleep medication, says Mingrone. (credit:Shutterstock)

Drinking Coffee Too Late In The Day(05 of10)

If you're drinking caffeinated beverages late in the day it's probably because you're trying not to fall asleep. But if you find yourself having unexpected trouble sleeping, caffeine could be a sneaky culprit. That's because the stimulant has a surprisingly long half-life, experts say, meaning you might feel the effects of that afternoon pick-me-up long into the evening. Instead, when you hit that afternoon slump, consider eating an energy-boosting snack, taking a short nap or getting outside for some exercise or just some sun. (credit:Getty Images)

Sharing The Bed With Pets(06 of10)

Yes, a cuddle buddy can be nice, but when your furry friend is tired of snuggling and starts to squirm or kick or purr or bark, yours is the sleep that's going to suffer. Plus, the animal dander or pollen Fido drags into the bed could trigger your allergies, further disrupting your sleep, says Mingrone. (credit:Getty Images)

Having A Protein-Heavy Dinner(07 of10)

So you serve up a hearty grilled steak for a late dinner on the patio and then retire to bed hoping to drift off in summery slumber. No such luck? That could be because protein is harder to digest, and your body isn't meant to be digesting when it's supposed to be asleep, Kelly Glazer Baron, Ph.D., M.P.H, told HuffPost in February. Whole grains may help promote sleep, so considering swapping them into your late-night dinners. (credit:Getty Images)

Hitting Snooze(08 of10)

Just seven more minutes! The idea behind the snooze button is a nice one, in theory, but forcing yourself to drift in and out of sleep in such short increments disrupts the natural cycle through the various phases of sleep. That means all those snooze sessions don't add up to quality sleep, says Mingrone. You're better off setting the alarm for later and getting deeper sleep throughout those last minutes.Keep in mind, however, that there may be a health reason for your urge to snooze, says Mingrone. If you've been in bed for a solid night's rest but still wake up so tired you can't function in the morning, it could be a sign of an underlying sleep disorder, like sleep apnea, he says. (credit:Getty Images)

Worrying About Sleep(09 of10)

While it's certainly smart to schedule enough time for sleep into your day, you also don't want to treat bedtime like an appointment. The more anxiety we foster around sleeping, the harder we make it to doze. Instead, prepare yourself for a good night's sleep with a calming and centering ritual or routine, says Mingrone. Deep breathing exercises can help, as can aromatherapy or a warm bath with candles, he says. (credit:Getty Images)

Sleeping Late On The Weekend(10 of10)

We know what you're thinking when Friday night rolls around: Finally, the weekend! Time to sleep in!Not so fast, experts caution. Staying up later than usual on Friday and Saturday -- and indulging in a little extra morning shut-eye Saturday and Sunday -- can throw off your biological clock as if you had traveled cross country. Experts deems this phenomenon social jet lag. This resetting of your internal rhythms sets you up for a less-than-productive Monday, but also seems to increase chances of being overweight and other health concerns, Health.com reported.As tempting as it is to sleep in over the weekend, try as much as possible to stick to a regular sleep routine. If you must stay up late, at least try to wake up around the same time, experts say, as changing wake up times is what will throw you off the most. (credit:Alamy)

References:

[1] Espie, C., Kyle, S., Hames, P., Cyhlarova, E. & Benzeval, M. (2012). The daytime impact of DSM-5 insomnia disorder: Comparative analysis of insomnia subtypes from the Great British Sleep Survey. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 73 (12), e1478-1484.

[2] Espie, C.A., Kyle, S., Williams, C., Ong, J.C., Douglas, N.J., Hames, P. & Brown, J.S.L. (2012). A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of online cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia disorder delivered via an automated media-rich web application. Sleep, 35(6), 769-781.

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