When it comes to sleep, it’s definitely a matter of quality over quantity.

Sleep affects so many aspects of our day to day life. It’s no secret that when we’ve had a bad night sleep or an unusually late night, we struggle to function properly the next day. That being said, how little sleep you get doesn’t always matter, the quality does. You could essentially sleep for 10 hours straight, but if only three of those hours were of high quality, you’ll probably feel more tired than someone who had only five hours of deep, adequate sleep.

According to one of our sources ,”sleep quality refers to how well you sleep. For adults, good quality sleep means that you typically fall asleep in 30 minutes or less, sleep soundly through the night with no more than one awakening, and drift back to sleep within 20 minutes if you do wake up. On the flip side, bad sleep quality is the kind that leaves you staring at the ceiling or counting sheep. It may be characterised by trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, restlessness, and early awakenings.” They say that adults should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night. However, due to the fact that each person is different, 18-25 year old’s may need as little as six hours sleep per night, or up to 10 or 11.

The sleep you get can impact your frame of mind in the following days, especially if you find it hard to catch up on lost sleep. It can affect your concentration levels when it comes to important work or driving, and it can most definitely influence your mood in the short term and long term. Lack of sleep can make us feel unwell, stressed and can lead to illnesses like anxiety.

Ensuring we get a good night’s sleep is down to a mixture of simple elements as well as some that you actively need to do to help yourself. The Mental Health Foundation have recommended doing these things to help yourself sleep better:

  • Exercise regularly, but at least three hours before bedtime.
  • Avoid tea and coffee and don’t drink a lot of alcohol before bed. 
  • Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day. 
  • Only use your bed for sleep. Your bed should be associated with sleep. 
  • Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine that lets you unwind and sends a signal to your brain that it’s time to sleep. 
  • If you can’t sleep, don’t worry about it. Get up and do something relaxing like listening to music or reading until you feel sleepy.

While following that expert advice, for National Sleep Day we’ve also rounded up a handful of products that can help you sleep. There’s no harm in trying, right?

Take time to relax your body and your mind and hope that it encourages a good, quality night’s sleep to prepare you for whatever the week ahead holds.

All prices are correct as of date published.

Feature image: Pixabay from Pexels

March 18, 2022
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