I wish... I went to bed earlier (part 4)

Do you want:

• decreased dependence on coffee?
• increased memory?
• decreased inflammation?
• decreased fat?
• increased creativity?
• longer life?
• decreased risk of depression?
• lower stress?

Yeah, me too. 

Want to know how?

No, it's not dress up as Scooby Doo or pass out on the Tube.

It's sleep for 7 hours or more every night.

Today somebody very special to me sent me a link to this: A Report On Sleep by The Do Lectures. I read it and I loved it and I read it again. It reassured me in so many ways that my wish of the month is important.

Here's why...

According to the report, the average amount of sleep per night is 6 hours. With increasingly busy lives and more distractions online than ever before (ahem), sleep is being sacrificed.

Have you seen the Virgin Media advert, Introducing Night Owl? The owl sits in bed watching box sets on a laptop whilst her partner sleeps. Apparently that's OK and perfectly normal. 

Worrying, isn't it.

The report goes on to say that 72% of people don't sleep well after alcohol. I can testify to that! You'll know why if you read my last blog post. 

Furthermore, 88% of sleep problems are caused by stress and anxiety. Perhaps many of those people see their GP about it, because the report goes on to state that 24% of people in the UK were prescribed sleeping pills in 1 year alone. That's 15,300,000 people!

So, as a nation, we're either downing caffeine to stay awake, popping pills to go to sleep, or watching Game of Thrones until the early hours. No wonder we're all so bloody tired. 

And I haven't even mentioned children or neighbours or jetlag... Let's not go there.

So what's the answer?

The report lists 6 tips:

1. Take 3 deep breaths before you close your eyes (to reduce worry and stress).
2. Before you sleep, write down what you will do when you wake up (to ease your mind).
3. Invest in some top notch ear plugs (to block out disruptive sounds).
4. Exercise in the day (to get rid of restless energy).
5. Set a sleep schedule and stick to it (for consistency).
6. Set a timer before you nap for 15 minutes (to avoid long naps).

Do those 6 things, plus switch off your gadgets as much as possible, give alcohol and caffeine a miss, and go to bed a bit earlier... and you might get those magic 7 hours of sleep.

There are only a few more sleeps left this month. I intend to make them good ones.

(This blog post contains information interpreted by me from A Report On Sleep by The Do Lectures. I suggest that you read the original report for accuracy.)

Still awake? What do you wish you could do? Do it in July. It's only a few days away.