Sleep is not wasted time. While you are asleep, your body is working hard to repair itself and prepare you for the next day.
During good sleep, your heart can slow down, your blood pressure can fall and your body can rest. Your brain also uses this time to organise memories, balance your emotions and control important hormones.
When you regularly do not sleep well, your body stays under stress. Your heart may need to work harder, your blood pressure may rise, and your body may find it more difficult to control sugar and fat. Poor sleep can also make you feel hungrier, less active and more likely to choose unhealthy foods.
Over time, insufficient or poor-quality sleep may increase the risk of high blood pressure, weight gain, type 2 diabetes, irregular heart rhythms, heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
Most adults need approximately seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Sleep quality and regularity matter too: try to go to bed and wake up at about the same time each day.
Loud snoring is not always harmless. If you snore loudly, stop breathing during sleep, wake up choking, have morning headaches or feel very sleepy during the day, you may have a condition called sleep apnoea. It causes repeated pauses in breathing while you sleep and may place extra strain on your heart. Please speak to a healthcare professional if you have these symptoms.
To help your body sleep well
You do not need to change everything at once. Start with one, and repeat it.
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Keep a regular bedtime and waking time
Your body has an internal clock, and it works best when you go to bed and wake up at similar times each day.
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Give yourself enough time to sleep
Count backwards from your waking time. Going to bed is not the same as falling asleep.
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Avoid caffeine late in the day
Caffeine can remain active for several hours. For many people, avoiding it for at least six hours before bed helps.
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Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol
Alcohol may make you feel sleepy at first, but it can disturb sleep later in the night. Nicotine keeps the brain alert.
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Put screens away before bedtime
Bright light and stimulating content can keep your brain active when it needs to slow down.
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Keep your bedroom quiet, dark and comfortable
Check the light, the noise, the temperature and your bed. Keep work, meals and scrolling away from it.
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Stay physically active during the day
Regular activity helps your body feel ready for sleep. Avoid intense exercise right before bed if it leaves you alert.
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Ask for help if poor sleep continues
Sleep problems that last are worth raising with a healthcare professional rather than living with.
Sleep well: a seven-day challenge
Small changes can help you sleep better, feel better and protect your heart. Over the next seven days you will try one small action each day and discover what works for you.
Before you begin
- What time do you usually go to bed?
- What time do you usually wake up?
- How many hours do you normally sleep?
- Do you wake feeling rested?
- Do you feel sleepy during the day?
- Do you snore loudly, or has anyone noticed pauses in your breathing?
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Day 1
Give sleep a regular rhythm
Choose a realistic bedtime and waking time, and try to keep both within the same 30-minute window every day, including weekends where possible.
- My chosen bedtime
- My chosen waking time
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Day 2
Give yourself enough time
Most adults need approximately seven to nine hours. Count backwards from your waking time and leave enough room, including some quiet time before bed.
- How much time will I give myself tonight?
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Day 3
Watch what you drink
Coffee, tea, energy drinks, cola and some medicines may make it harder to fall asleep. Choose a caffeine finishing time, and avoid using alcohol or smoking as a way to get to sleep.
- My caffeine finishing time
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Day 4
Create a screen-free ending
Put phones and other screens away for at least 30 minutes before bed. Read, listen to quiet music, take a warm shower, prepare for tomorrow, or practise slow breathing instead.
- What will I do instead of using a screen?
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Day 5
Prepare your bedroom for sleep
Is it dark enough? Is it quiet? Is the temperature comfortable? Is your bed comfortable? Can you reduce unnecessary light or noise?
- One improvement I will make tonight
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Day 6
Move during the day
Aim for twenty to thirty minutes of activity suited to your health and ability. Walking, dancing, cycling, gardening and active household tasks all count.
- What activity will I try?
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Day 7
Build your personal sleep plan
Which change helped most? What made sleep more difficult? Did you feel more rested? Did your daytime energy improve? Choose three habits to keep.
- Habit one
- Habit two
- Habit three
I will protect time for sleep, because sleep helps my body rest, recover and protect my heart and my whole health.
When to ask for help
Speak to a healthcare professional if:
- Poor sleep continues for several weeks.
- Sleep problems affect your mood, work or daily life.
- You feel very sleepy during the day.
- You regularly need sleeping medicines or alcohol to sleep.
- You snore loudly, wake choking, or stop breathing during sleep.
- You have morning headaches, or high blood pressure that is hard to treat.
These symptoms may indicate insomnia, sleep apnoea or another condition that can be assessed and treated.
You have been shown what is happening inside you. This is where you can go back to it — as often as you like, at your own pace, and read about the things that shape it.
Go inside