On this week’s podcast, we discuss Natures miracle healer, otherwise known as Sleep.
Sleep is fundamental to health. As humans we spend one third of our lives sleeping. A great deal of what happens to us is unknown, but it is clear that our biological need for it is irrefutable. It’s also clear that as a society we’re not getting enough and this has health consequences. Not getting enough sleep is associated with conditions including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and weight gain.
If you’re interested in the structure of your sleep, have a look at the diagram below.
If you have difficulty sleeping, please do not fear. There are many things that could help. We go through these suggestions in the podcast. We discuss why you shouldn’t stay in bed if you’re struggling to sleep. We also discuss how light, food and drink, temperature and routine can be used to your advantage to improve your sleep.
If you have any suggestions or if you would like to share your own personal story please do get in touch.
Remember great change comes with small steps that empowers you to live a life that you love.
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How is Sleep structured?
With the advent of smartwatches we can now better track not only our activity but also our sleep.
For anyone curious as to the structure of your sleep, have a look at this diagram. We sleep in 90 minute blocks and within this time we go from the lighter sleep stages (1 and 2) to deep sleep (NREM or stages 3 & 4) and then to REM - typically when we dream. These blocks rotate throughout the night. We have more deep sleep at the beginning and more REM at the end. Interesting fact - REM sleep is thought to encourage creativity which is why google and NASA are so keen to encourage good sleeping habits in their workers. Well slept employees = improved productivity!