As a children’s therapist (my day job!) I often encounter problems with sleep wellness.
Sleep wellness is absolutely the key to a happy and well functioning adult and child. And yet an unhappy person rarely sleeps well so it becomes a vicious circle and a loop that is hard to break
When it is absent good sleep can cause a great deal of issues related to someone’s physical and mental health.
The physical impact of poor sleep
Did you know poor sleep wellness can lead to quite serious problems according the NHS
One in 3 of us suffers from poor sleep, with stress, computers and taking work home often blamed.
However, the cost of all those sleepless nights is more than just bad moods and a lack of focus.
Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, heart disease and diabetes – and it shortens your life expectancy.
And of course it goes without saying it can lead to clumsiness and accidents too.
So yes, sleep wellness is far more of an issue than just leading to grumpiness and eye bags – it is something we need to take seriously if we want to live our dream life
The emotional impact of poor sleep
We don’t need scientists to tell us that lack of sleep leads to …
- irritability
- lack of focus
- feelings of overwhelm
- impatience
- short fuse/temper
- low mood
and sustained lack of sleep wellness has been linked to depression and anxiety.
The emotional impact of poor sleep is strong.
How much sleep do you need for sleep wellness
We are all individuals and age and lifestyle have a lot to do with how long we sleep but generally speaking the average amount of sleep we need a night is 8 hours. Do you get this much?
I would guess if you are parents of a baby that is a definite no. Even parents of toddlers are unlikely (unless lucky or in the BEST routine) to get this much undisturbed sleep.
What helps with sleep wellness
Here are 10 things that help with sleep wellness.
- Making sure you have exercised during the day will ensue your body is tired enough to sleep at night.
- Going to bed and getting up at the same time works well in regard to your sleep, our bodies like routine and keeping our rhythm constant helps it know what we expect of it.
- Fresh air in the bedroom helps too, a stale stuffy room is unpleasant, so opening windows to let air circulate during the day is really useful.
- A great duvet that makes us feel super cosy and all tucked in is worth it’s weigh in gold. If you yearn to find one that is going to make you feel super snuggly and tucked in then you might want to pop on over to The Fine Bedding Company and check out their glorious Goose Feather and Down Duvet
- A coverless duvet that we can wash at home and has no slippy covers can make such a difference to a disturbed night’s sleep. This Night Owl duvet is coverless, home washable and quick drying and a complete game changer on your path to sleep wellness.
- It might be easier to sleep if you have someone to cuddle (and if not someone then maybe a teddy or a big cushion?)
- Make sure you have PJ’s that are super comfy
- Get a great Simba mattress! and some awesome bed pillows.
- Try an hour with no screens before bed.
- Use a worry journal to empty your head of stress, to write in before you try to sleep.
Your sleep wellness is largely in your hands.
Sleep wellness is a collaborative post
