Many of us will see the new year a fresh start and a chance to become a “new” you.

Come January, people default to the usual: buy into a new diet plan, join the local gym, empty the booze cabinet down the sink, flush those cigarettes down the toilet. But what if you could get a head start on all of that? What is the ultimate ‘fresh’ start? A new awakening for the body? Why, it’s SLEEP of course!

Sleep is the thing many of us are woefully deficient in, and yet one of the things that is most likely to help us with all of our new year’s resolutions – even negating the need for lots of them!

How many times have you resorted to buying a takeaway because you’re too tired to cook? How long have you had to rely on your morning cigarette to start the day? How many times have you dodged that early morning gym class because you just can’t drag yourself out of bed? 

A consistent sleep schedule is so important to our daily functioning, yet we tend to brush off a lack of sleep as unimportant – a badge of honour even – that we can survive and ‘function’ on 3-4 hours sleep a night!

Many studies have proven the importance of good sleep and linked poor sleep to many health concerns including mental health issues, metabolic and autoimmune diseases as well as hormonal disruption and problems with your nervous system.

How does lack of sleep cause so much harm?

Many biological processes happen during sleep. The brain stores new information and gets rid of toxic waste. Nerve cells communicate and reorganise, which supports healthy brain function. The body repairs cells, restores energy, and releases molecules like hormones and proteins.

If the body doesn’t get the sleep it needs and remains in sleep debt, you might find that over time you’re more prone to illness, weight gain as you search for that quick energy boost, menstrual cycles can become irregular and you may find yourself less motivated and more susceptible to periods of anxiety. 

It can also have a big impact on our appearance, such as premature ageing of the skin, hair loss as well as things like eye bags and dark circles.

How do you sleep?

With all this in mind, we wanted to find out more about how the nation sleeps. So, we surveyed over 1400 people to get an idea of what it is about our sleep environment and sleep routine that’s keeping us awake at night…

As an adult, it is recommended that you get 7-9 hours sleep. It is not good to regularly get less than 6 hours sleep every night, or to have more than 11 hours sleep. 

51.5% of those we surveyed reported getting between 7-9 hours of sleep a night.

However, a massive 41.1% were regularly only getting 6hours or LESS sleep a night.

Wow. So now we know how important sleep is, how do we get more of it?!

How to Get a Better Night’s Sleep

We’ve put together some sleep tips on how to get more, better quality sleep – because regularly getting a good night’s sleep really can change your life…

Ditch the Phone

Electronic devices in the bedroom are definitely a sleep killer. A massive 79.3% of respondents to our survey admitted to using technology as part of their sleep routine whilst in bed!

But what are the implications on our sleep health?

Whether you need to drift off to a film, or catch up on the day’s events on your phone, people are increasingly letting technology interfere with their bed time.

Aside from cutting into your sleep time, staring at the bright light of a screen before you go to sleep can actually make you more alert and less likely to fall asleep.

Block Out Noise

In today’s noisy world, not only is environmental noise annoying, but it can also be detrimental to health as it can lead to difficulty falling asleep.

WHO-led research has found links to cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment in children, sleep deprivation, tinnitus and stress.

Noise disturbance whilst we sleep is particularly bad. Our auditory channel is permanently open, and we have no way of consciously managing it. This harks back to a time when we had to be alert for predators etc. Even if a noise doesn’t wake you from your sleep, it can seriously impair the quality.

Try:

• Using ear plugs to block a partner’s snoring or other external noise.

• Consider double glazing windows and external doors to help block out traffic noise.

• Buy a sunrise alarm if the sudden shriek of an alarm is stressful (especially if a partner rises before you). Maybe the gentle glow of the ‘rising sun’ would be more suitable?

Regulate Temperature

Ensuring your bedroom is a comfortable temperature can have a huge impact on sleep quality and whether you get adequate sleep. 

But, what is the perfect room temperature for sleep?

65ºF / 18ºC

Our bodies naturally drop by around 1ºC in temperature in the night, in line with our circadian rhythm. Our bodies see this drop in temperature as a signal to go to sleep.

Conversely, a rise in temperature is considered a signal to wake up and will disrupt sleep (in tune with the sun rising and heating of the earth).

Cooler temperature = Better sleep habits

How can we use this to help us sleep?

• Keep your bedroom door ajar to let air circulate around the room.

• Heat up to cool down – take a warm bath before bed. This is a good way to (relax and) slightly raise your body temperature. Once you get out of the bath, your body temperature will drop quickly, and the ‘sleep’ response will kick in.

• Leave a window open to let fresh, cooler air in.

Find Your Sleep Position

Why is sleep position important? How does my sleeping position affect my health?

Different sleep positions can, over time, have an impact on your health in various ways – from musculoskeletal problems, to blocked airways. Our quality of sleep determines how well we function when we are awake, physically and mentally.

Our survey revealed the nation’s top 5 sleeping positions as…

• Foetal

• Back

• Front

• Side

• Side Yearn (side sleeping with arms out to front)

36.7% of the nation prefer the foetal position when they sleep. The foetal position is one of the best sleeping positions for comfort and support.

The front position can be taxing on your back muscles and you may wake in the night to reposition and get comfy.

The back position is not suitable if you are prone to snoring or suffer from sleep apnoea – as your airways collapse. This can leave you feeling quite “fuzzy” in the morning and may even cause headaches due to lack of oxygen. Try sleeping on your side to see if it makes a difference.

Don’t Sleep With Pets

64% of the pet owners we surveyed said they share their bed with their furry friends. 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, though cuddling up with your fur baby might sound appealing, this can cause big issues when it comes to your sleep environment and sleep hygiene – both of which could be detrimental to sleep quality – think about all the kicking, twitching, snoring and other bodily functions you’re subjected to.

Over a third of pet owners that we surveyed also admit to sleeping in uncomfortable positions so as to not disturb their pet, making it very difficult to actually stay asleep.

Whilst you may not think it, you may even have a slight allergy to your pet, in which case your breathing will suffer, waking you in the night.

Speaking of animals…

Which sleep animal are you?

So, we briefly touched upon circadian rhythm earlier. Your circadian rhythm is part of your body’s internal clock, telling you when to sleep and when to rise.

Chronotypes are a grouping of types of circadian rhythm (as we are not all exactly the same) and look at what could be considered our natural sleep schedules.

Most research divides us into 3 chronotypes:

• Morning types 

• Evening types

• Neither

Some research breaks the types down into similar animal traits:

The Bear Chronotype

Most people fall under this category. Their sleep and waking patterns follow that of the sun and natural light.

If you are a bear type, you generally have no problem falling asleep and waking. You’re more productive before noon and prone to a post-lunch dip or daytime naps between 2-4pm.

Ideal Bedtime: 11pm

Optimal Waking Time: 7am

The Wolf Chronotype

This type of person has trouble waking up in the morning. Wolf types feel more energetic waking at noon.

Wolf types get a burst of energy around 6pm and typically are most productive when most other people are finished for the day.

Ideal Bedtime: 12am

Optimal Waking Time: 9am

The Lion Chronotype

Lions are early risers, easily waking up before dawn, and are highly productive until noon.

Lion types tend to have a lot of early daytime energy, but will start to wind down towards the evening and have a relatively early bedtime of 9 or 10pm.

Ideal Bedtime: 10pm

Optimal Waking Time: 6/7am

The Dolphin Chronotype

You may be a dolphin type if you find it difficult to follow any kind of regular sleep wake schedule.

Dolphin types often don’t get enough sleep or have trouble sleeping because they are hypersensitive to noise and other disturbances such as light exposure. They may also need to introduce more relaxation techniques than others to aid sleep. They are however very productive between 10am and early afternoon.

Ideal Bedtime: 12am

Optimal Waking Time: 6:30am

Are you surprised by our findings? If not and you recognise some of these as part of your sleep routine, follow our tips to help you fall asleep faster and develop good sleep habits. Sweet dreams, and don’t forget to put the cat out…

You’re more than welcome to use our research and graphics for your own content, all we ask is that you link to this post as the original source.