Five Facts to Keep you Awake at Night

There are few things more distressing than being unable to sleep. Nights seem endless as you desperately try to drift off or awaken and cannot fall back to sleep. Yet sleep problems are fast becoming the most widely reported mental disorder in the UK, with 30% of the population suffering in some form. 

We asked Neuro-Stratologist, Tej Samani, to share with us five little known facts about how disturbed sleep affects our wellbeing.

1. Two nights of poor sleep can eliminate the hormone in your body that regulates appetite. This could mean you are putting on weight unnecessarily.
2. Poor sleep increases cortisol which slows the production of collagen meaning you wrinkle faster.
3. Poor sleep makes you less intelligent. Studies have now indicated your IQ declines on each successive day that you sleep less than you normally sleep.
4. Poor sleep means your heart works overtime. Less than seven hours of sleep consistently increases your chance of a heart attack by 100%.
5. One bad night’s sleep leaves you performing like you were legally drunk at a blood alcohol content of 0.08%

Luckily, help is at hand. Tej has also let us in on some top tips to help regulate our sleep patterns, helping us say goodnight to sleeplessness once and for all.

1. Keep your gadgets out of the bedroom. Too much light prevents your brain from producing the right amount of the sleep hormone, melotonin, so don’t use laptops, phones or ipads in bed.
2. Get into a routine. We are creatures of habit and our bodies crave the structure of a routine. Try going to bed and getting up at the same times each day.
3. Eat dinner early. Eating too soon before bedtime means we are giving our bodies extra work to do just when we want it to relax.Try eating your dinner earlier, or having your main meal in the afternoon.
4. Avoid alcohol before bed. Although many of us believe a nightcap to be a sleep aid, alcohol induces a poor quality of sleep. Drinking alcohol before bed can cause us to wake un-rested during the night.
5. Your bed is not your office. Try to keep your bedroom a bedroom. Working in your bedroom, even during the day, can mean you associate your rest space with mental stimulation, making it more difficult for you to switch off.

To learn more about the Deep Sleep Retreats at Grayshott Spa, or to make a booking, click here.