Importance of Restful Sleep

Sleep is not just about simply lying down and shutting off from the day; there are four stages of sleep that affect the quality and therefore the outcome. Stages one and two are progressively allowing the mind to unwind, stage three is when deep sleep occurs and the final stage is called Rapid Eye Movement or REM where dreaming and higher levels of brain activity occur. An ideal night’s sleep would have approximately 3-4 REM cycles allowing a person to wake refreshed, replenished and prepared for the days activities.

The ability to sleep is effected by a number of things including stress and a chronic lack of sleep can result in exhaustion and even a condition called insomnia where lack of sleep is habitual. There are several suggestions to aid in a restful night’s sleep and higher sleep quality, these include;

• Create a sleeping schedule with going to bed and waking at the same time each day being a priority
• Create a ritual to unwind before bed as this helps the body to naturally begin the rest and relaxation process.
• Reduce ‘screen time’ before bed by powering down laptops, phones and other electronic gadgets as the light from these screens can disrupt melatonin levels leading to poor sleep.
• Avoid stimulants and alcoholic beverages before bed as these can often take hours to wear off stalling the ability to sleep well and causing earlier or night time waking disrupting the stages of sleep.
• Make your sleeping space a place to encourage rest by removing ‘sleeping road blocks’ such as ensuring quiet, removing bright lights, adjusting temperatures and removing distractions such as cell phones and computers.