I'm a sleep guru – here's how your bedtime can 'increase your risk of silent killers' | The Sun
WORRYING about how much sleep you’re getting? You’re not alone – lots of us are preoccupied with just how many Zzzzs we’re able to grab each night.
But some experts say it’s actually your nighttime sleep habits that could shine more light on your health than the number of hours you clocked in the land of nod.
Sleep expert Jeff Spires says: “There is no denying that the amount of sleep we get is incredibly important for our health and wellbeing, but often we overlook our daily bedtime routines.
“I often hear people say things like, ‘I’m a night owl,’ or ‘I’m just someone who survives on little sleep’.
“But the truth is, we are not born with these sleep habits, we all fall into our own bedtime routines and it’s these personal sleep patterns that impact our health.
“Our sleep timetables often change when our health or lifestyle changes, so if we identify them we can learn the impact they are having on our health and we can try and change them.”
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Jeff reveals what your bedtime routines say about your health…
YOU’RE ALWAYS LATE TO BED
You have every intention of going to bed at a reasonable hour, but you just can’t motivate yourself to get up off the sofa and get yourself ready for sleep.
Before you know it, it’s 1am and you’re only just cleaning your teeth….
What does it mean?
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- You might be lacking vitamin D
Going to sleep in the early hours of the morning and waking late morning results in you missing out on a large amount of daylight, especially in the winter months.
Vitamin D is really important for our health – both physical and emotional.
A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities, muscle weakness and a weakened immune system, along with increasing your risk of depression and anxiety.
- Too much caffeine
Going to bed late could be a sign you have too much caffeine in your diet.
On average, caffeine has a half-life of five hours, but research shows that enjoying caffeine six hours or less before bedtime can significantly reduce your sleep quality and your ability to fall asleep.
I recommend stopping any caffeine consumption six hours before you go to bed, this includes dark chocolate, coffee and tea.
YOU HAVE DIFFERENT BEDTIMES EVERY NIGHT
You get to bed at 9pm on Monday but don’t get your PJs on till 12am on Tuesday.
Wednesday you’re snoring by 10pm but Thursday you’re wide awake until 1am.
What does it mean?
- You don’t have a healthy circadian rhythm
Our bodies are trained to know the difference between night and day.
Known as our circadian rhythm (or body clock) it refers to the physical, mental, and behavioural changes we go through over 24-hours.
Having a good and effective circadian rhythm ensures we get good quality sleep.
One of the main ways our body keeps a healthy rhythm is exposure to daylight during the day, and darkness in the evening.
When we get into the bedtime routine of going to sleep late in the evening (or in the early hours of the morning) it can be a sign that our circadian rhythm is out of sync.
Without the signalling we need from our body's internal clock, we can struggle to feel sleepy when we should.
As a result the total amount of sleep we get is often reduced as a disrupted circadian rhythm gives us shallower, lower-quality sleep.
Most people have a similar bedtime, give or take half-an-hour, but there are some who fail to establish that nighttime regularity.
- You are more at risk of heart disease
When our body clocks are out of sync we get a poorer quality of sleep and studies show that consistently missing out on good quality sleep results in a higher risk of developing high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
A lack of regular, good quality sleep can also point to kidney disease, diabetes and strokes.
YOU CAN’T DROP OFF TO SLEEP
You are tired, you get into bed at a reasonable time, but the minute you close your eyes you feel awake and unable to drop off.
What does it mean?
- You could have long Covid
It might sound surprising but a difficulty going to sleep is a common symptom of long COVID.
This could be due to factors such as stress or an autoimmune response to the virus.
A 2022 study of people with long COVID revealed that 40 per cent of them experienced moderate to severe sleeping difficulties.
- You may have depression/anxiety
According to a 2019 study, close to 90 per cent of people with depression experience poor sleep quality.
Experiencing low mood or anxiety can severely impact our ability to fall asleep and our circadian rhythm due to chemical imbalances in the body.
If you struggle with falling asleep, check in with your mental health and consider speaking to your GP if you think this could be affecting your sleep.
YOU WAKE REGULARLY
You fall asleep without a problem but wake up throughout the night and struggle to drop back off.
What does it mean?
- You have a high fat diet/obesity
What we eat can impact our sleep – and our health.
Researchers found that diets high in fat lead to less high quality, REM sleep, and increased waking during the night.
Reducing your intake of high fat, high processed foods like sausages and takeaways can help not only improve your sleep, but also your overall health.
- You're struggling with stress
A racing mind and high levels of the stress hormone cortisol impacts our ability to sleep.
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Stress can increase your risk of heart disease, strokes and mental health problems.
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