Why sleep? And why the need for a sleep clinic?
Some people take the view that sleep is a waste of one-third of their lives. But what is becoming increasingly clear is that sleep is perhaps an essential pillar of our wellbeing.
The leading researchers in this area have concluded that getting less than 8 hours of sleep a night, on a regular basis, has a significant negative impact on our wellbeing levels.
Here are some of the significant findings from the research:
- Whether you are young, old or middle-aged, we need 8 hours of sleep to rest, reprogram and revitalise the brain
- It is not true that we need less sleep as we age
- Sleep phases through the night switching from NREM to REM and back in cycles (Non-Rapid Eye Movement sleep and Rapid Eye Movement sleep) . Typically there are five cycles per night, each containing varying proportions of REM and NREM sleep
- The NREM sleep is longer in each cycle at the start of the night, giving way to REM dominance in the cycle.
- Both REM and NREM are essential to effective memory storage, accurate processing of information, creativity, emotional regulation and synaptic pruning (letting go of non-valuable memories)
Are you getting enough sleep?
Some of the potential downsides of getting less than 8 hours of sleep on a regular basis:
- Reduced ability to remember tasks
- Relationship to diabetes
- Significant increase in the chance of being involved in a car accident or accident at work
- Association between sleep deprivation and increased body fat
- Less creativity
- Less ability to regulate our emotions
- More addictive tendencies
- Relationship with a lower life expectancy
- Higher rates of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and a whole host of other disorders
- Lower rates of subjective wellbeing (happiness)
- Increased likelihood of cancer
- Increased probability of cardiovascular disease
What can you do about it?
Firstly don't stress about it! We all have times in our lives when sleep doesn't come naturally.
Try and develop a relaxed attitude to sleep. The more worried we become about it, the harder it seems to come. The researchers haven't understood yet the preventative effect on our brains of being a new parent, enjoying a good sex life or meditation techniques. All these things may counteract the damaging impact of getting less than 8 hours of sleep a night
Your next step to getting great sleep
There are so many great techniques, which we can learn to aid sleep. These include guided imagery, tapping, self-hypnosis, autosuggestion, CBT, breath work and mindfulness.
Booking a session
To find out more about each of the therapist's treatment plans, pricing and availability by clicking on their biographies and contacting them directly.
They are available for face to face session or remotely via Zoom or Skype.
