Sleep is an important part of your day, if you don’t get enough of it your body doesn’t perform optimally and there is a decline in the physiological systems of the body. Lack of sleep can reduce your memory function, information processing and increase anxiety levels, if this occurs consistently you may find irritable mood and personality changes.
Other signs of poor sleep are within the neurotransmitters within our brain, which regulate mood. If you a losing sleep regularly, or aren’t getting into a deep sleep, you may be over reactive in anticipatory processes increasing levels of anxiety and depression.
To avoid negative health risks such as increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and weight gain, you should aim to get 7-8hours of sleep a night. Over this 7-8hours of sleep, your brain will go through 4-5 sleep cycles. Each sleep cycle consists of different recovery states and brain wavelengths, therefore if you are consistently waking or have shorter sleeps you miss out on vital periods of bodily recovery.
So how do you get better sleep? There can be several ways of improving you sleeping patterns, first of all is exercise regularly. Getting 30mins of exercise a day can improve you sleep by allowing you to drift into sleep more effectively. When you exercise, your body needs recovery and your brain will also get the recovery it needs at the same time.
Another useful way of improving your sleep pattern it by having a sleep routine. This is a routine you got through within the last 45-60ins of being awake. An example might be reading a book, performing a simple task or drawing. This routine should be completed with a dimmed light to assist the retinas in reducing strain on the eyes.
A good nutritional diet can help with maintaining sleep throughout the night and assist in sleep cycle regulation. Having a well-balanced diet and being consistent with your eating habits has links with brain function and sleep cycle transitions, allow you to move from one sleep stage to another without interruptions.
To get more specific information on how nutrition and exercise can help with your sleep pattern, contact out Allied Health Team to book a consultation today.
Monday –Friday. Visit https://fitlab.com.au/allied-health-rehabilitation-unit-toowoomba/ or call The Fit Lab on (07) 4638 7645 to make an appointment.