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Hi,
If you’re reading this, the chances are you want better sleep – and you’re not alone.
For a nation that’s so sleep obsessed, we are incredibly sleep deprived – with most Brits getting just six hours and 19 minutes’ kip a night and more than a third of adults waking up feeling tired.
To many, sleep seems to be a chore often overlooked in favour of other aspects of our lives and even our health. But getting proper, quality shut-eye is vital to everything we do while we’re awake.
In this special series of newsletters, The Sun’s Health team will provide you with the tools, tips and expert knowledge you need to reset your sleep in one week – starting today.
To begin your journey down that dreamy road, we explain why this sometimes forgotten pillar of health is one of the most important things you will ever do – with a far greater impact on how you feel and look than you may realise.
Lizzie Parry
Head of Health
Day 1
Like food and water, sleep is critical for human survival and our bodies won’t work properly if we don’t allow it to happen.
But do you know what actually goes on inside you when you nod off? Allow us to explain…
Repair and growth: When you sleep, your body releases the hormones needed to grow and repair fibres and tissue. So, whether you’re injured or just feeling achy, sleep is incredibly important for your recovery because it helps fix your muscles and reduce inflammation and pain.
Weight maintenance: Sleep controls the hormones which influence our weight. When you drift off, your body suppresses hunger hormones to save energy. But if you’re sleep deprived, hunger hormones can rise – and the ones that tell us we’re full can fall. This imbalance can make us hungrier and eat more calories, leading to weight gain.
Stress reduction: From the moment you drift off sleep reduces stress by lowering levels of cortisol, the so-called ‘stress hormone’. Meanwhile, if you’re sleep deprived, your cortisol levels will rise – posing a risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Brain protection: When we sleep, the brain flushes away toxic waste that’s built up during the day – a bit like a plumbing system. Evidence suggests this process is vital for getting rid of amyloid, a potentially harmful protein linked to Alzheimer’s.
Effects of sleep deprivation
This graphic reveals what happens to the body when we experience a lack of sleep, medically known as insomnia.
Insomnia is in fact very common – one in three Brits experience it and it can be either short-term or chronic. You may have experienced it if you have recently had a baby, suffered grief or had a stressful week.
These are some of the most-searched symptoms relating to insomnia in the UK, according to analysis by Otty. It shows how big an impact sleep deprivation can have on our physical and emotional health.
While sleep deprivation is very rarely fatal on its own, the impact of long-term lack of sleep on our health is well documented.
Kerry Davies, aka The Sleep Fixer (thesleepfixer.com), told Sun Health: “In the short term, you are more likely to put on weight, be irritable, deal with stress less effectively.
“And all those things you’re placing more importance on, you’re probably not doing them as well as if you had a good night’s sleep.
“When you look at the long term, risk of heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s increases.”
Sleep deprivation increases risks in almost all systems of the body, leading to worrying consequences reflected in the below graphic.
If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms we’ve described so far, continue reading to see how immediate tweaks to your diet could begin improving the quality of your sleep.
What you eat and drink has a bigger impact on your sleep than you may realise.
Experts say avoiding the following foods and beverages – or including specific new ones – could help you nod off more easily:
Avoid caffeine: Caffeine stays in your bloodstream for up to 8 HOURS, meaning your afternoon coffee could actually be hindering you at bedtime. Experts recommend avoiding tea, coffee and fizzy drinks in the evening so they don’t keep you awake, opting for plenty of water instead.
Cut down on booze: An extra glass of wine may make you feel drowsy before bed but it’ll likely disturb your sleep in the end. This is because alcohol is known to reduce the amount of melatonin your body creates. Melatonin helps you sleep by holding off brain signals that promote wakefulness. Experts say cutting back on booze will help you sleep – and it’s worth bearing in mind that exposure to light inhibits melatonin production too.
Spice? Think twice: Spicy foods can cause acid reflux, heartburn and indigestion, making it uncomfortable to lie down. They can also raise your body temperature, making it difficult to relax. Try cutting down on spicy foods if your diet is particularly hot, or consume them earlier in the day if you’re partial to a late-night curry.
Snack like a sleep expert: Bedtime boffins say you should be eating foods high in certain vitamins and minerals to promote calmness and muscle relaxation for better sleep. Dr Sue Peacock, a consultant health psychologist who specialises in sleep disorders, says these are the items you should be packing into your diet:
- Tryptophan – found in turkey, dairy, seeds
- Magnesium – found in leafy greens, nuts, whole grains
- B vitamins – found in eggs, meat, legumes
Give supplements a try: Certain supplements can be beneficial for people struggling to switch off and enjoy quality sleep. Experts recommend supplements such as melatonin, magnesium and glycine. These should be consumed alongside a healthy, balanced diet in line with the manufacturer’s guidelines.
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