Keeping a close eye on our bodies requirements is important as these needs will change due to physiological changes related to aging, stress, illnesses etc...
Having a good grasp of the four key tenants of health helps us to ensure that we are as far as possible engaging in good self-care. The four key areas are:
· Sleep
· Food and drink
· Exercise
· Mental health
Let’s look at each in turn over these next few blog post.
Sleep
Why is sleep so important?
Sleep is important as it helps our body to consolidate memory, helps us to detoxify, repair and ensures that we can emotionally and hormonally regulate. During sleep the sympathetic nervous system rests (flight or fight mode) and the parasympathetic system takes over to release and harmonise hormones, promote cell repair and tissue regeneration. It also flushes out neural waste that create chemical imbalances in our central nervous system. And while the biology is not fully understood research shows that without sufficient sleep for extended periods of time we can suffer from a wide range of negative health consequences. So, ensuring that we are getting enough sleep on a consistent basis is vital for our short but also long-term health.
Quantity
The amount of sleep an individual needs can vary due to age, genetic factors and other reasons ( Chaput et al 2018). An important indicator, is if you feel well rested when you wake and you are able to perform well during the day (Chaput et al, 2018) then the likelihood is you are getting enough sleep.
Quality
Not only do we need to think about the quantity of sleep we get but also the quality of sleep. Thinking about what we are doing before sleep is important, as this can have an impact on how restful our sleep is. Bright light of a device disrupts the brains ability to produce melatonin and alters the circadian rhythm (Fuller et al 2017), therefore avoiding screen time before sleep may aid your quality of sleep. Consumption of alcohol, caffeine, irregular sleep routine, pains, stress, level of exercise in the day, travel or illness can all have an impact your sleep quality. Altering our habits and/or seeking appropriate professional help can assist in improving our sleep quality and therefore our short and long term health.
Common difficulties:
It maybe that we are staying up later than required for no apparent reason other than we want to carve out some time for ourselves to relax. With long working hours and little time to unwind many are sacrificing their sleep to ensure that they can get some personal time. It may be that we have fallen into bad habits such as falling asleep in front of the TV, we are not exercising or eating well. We may have a sleep disorder that may benefit from medical interventions.
Ensuring we receive enough quality sleep is a health investment. It is therefore good practice to check in regularly and ensure that we are implementing good sleep hygiene practices.
References:
Chaput , J-P, Dutil, C, Sampasa-Kanyinga. (2018) H. ‘Sleeping hours: what is the ideal number and how odes age impact this?’ Nat Sci Sleep. (10), pp 421–430.
Fuller, C. Lehman, E, Hicks, S, Novick,B.M. (2017) ‘Bedtime Use of Technology and Associated Sleep Problems in Children’, Glob Pediatr Health.
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