Tiredness & Sleep

Recent research has found that around 75% of Britons feel constantly tired, and a number of people, often without realising it, are battling with persistent low grade exhaustion due to lack of sleep or poor quality sleep.

Some experts blame the fact on our 24 hour society, and trying to cram more into our days, without realising the importance of sleep.

There are five stages of sleep.  Stage one is when the brain waves become less regular and are reduced in amplitude.  Stage two is characterised by the appearance of spindles – short runs of rhythmical responses of 12 to 16 hertz.  Stage three and four are characterised by slow waves (2-3 hertz), which are known as delta waves.  Stages 1-4 are known as NREM sleep. The fifth stage is known as REM sleep.  During REM sleep, very rapid eye movements occur in bursts lasting 10 to 20 seconds.

Both NREM and REM serve a restorative, replenishing function.  NREM restores bodily processes which have deteriorated during the day, while REM sleep is a time for replenishing and renewing brain processes through the stimulation of protein synthesis.

It seems that the importance of sleep is completely underestimated, despite the fact it is vital for good emotional and physical health.  As a result, we seem to live in a ‘tired’ society.  There aren’t many people who can claim to feel really good and refreshed after a night’s sleep, as it seems that most people complain of lack of sleep, or poor quality sleep.

The effects of a lack of sleep  can lead to iritability, a lowered immune system and depression.

The best thing to do is to get a routine each night which will help you get in a mood for sleep.  Ideally eat three or four hours before bedtime.  Switch off the computer and the mobile and don’t have them in the bedroom.  Pay attention to the body’s sleep signals.  Most of us stay up yawning and dozing in front of the TV when we should be in bed.

Having a stiff drink of alcohol before bed may help put you to sleep, but it disturbs the sleep cycle and can cause you to wake up early the next day.  In addition, stay away from caffeinated drinks like coffee or cola for several hours before bedtime.  Caffeine works as a stimulant even on those people who claim they are not affected by it, and the body needs four to five hours to halve the amount of caffeine in the bloodstream at any one time.

Take a look at the sleep research by Dr Stanley, called ‘Making Time For Sleep’ on www.horlicks.co.uk