Sleep problems are common, and the reasons we struggle to sleep are likely to change throughout our lives, for example, illness, stress at work, travelling or changes at home are possible causes.
A few sleepless nights are usually nothing to worry about, but it can become an issue if a lack of sleep starts to affect your daily life. A healthy adult usually needs around 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
Lack of sleep, or poor-quality sleep, can contribute to a range of health problems, including fatigue, irritability, and even more serious conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mental health disorders.
Signs or symptoms of problematic sleep can include difficultly falling asleep, lying awake for long periods, waking up several times during the night and early morning waking.
Tips to Better Sleep
- Sleep Hygiene - This involves making simple changes to your daily routine and environment, such as sticking to a regular sleep schedule, reducing caffeine intake, limiting screen time before bed, and creating a calming bedtime routine.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) - It focuses on changing negative thoughts and behaviours related to sleep and helps establish healthy sleep patterns. We are hoping this will soon become available via the NHS. Watch this space.
- Relaxation Techniques - Practices such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, or progressive muscle relaxation can help reduce anxiety and prepare the body for restful sleep.
- Sleepstation which helps you improve your sleep by identifying your cause of poor sleep, creationg an individual plan for you and providing support from sleep experts. This is for anyone aged 18 or over. Please click here for the self referral link. This is free on the NHS
Information on improving sleep hygiene
Why We Avoid Routine Prescription of Sleeping Tablets
While sleeping tablets can be effective in the short term, they are not the first line of treatment for most sleep problems. Here are some of the reasons why we do not routinely prescribe them:
- Possible addiction - taking sleeping tablets can lead to physical and psychological dependence. Over time, the body may become reliant on the medication to fall asleep, which can make it harder to sleep without them.
- They often do not work - they may help you fall asleep initially, but do not address the root cause of the problem.
- Unwanted Side Effects - daytime drowsiness, dizziness, unsteadiness, memory problems, confusion and increased risk of falls or accidents in older adults.
- Interruption of normal sleep cycle - they may alter the natural sleep cycle, preventing you from reaching the deeper, more restorative stages of sleep.
Please see below for some uselful links on improving your sleep
How to fall asleep faster and sleep better
Sleep hygiene in children and young people