An insomniac friend unwittingly hijacked my sleep recently.
I’d never had trouble staying asleep before, but my friend started texting at 2am to pass the time.
I keep my mobile phone on my bedside table, so his texts disturbed me, even with the phone on vibrate – the buzz, accompanied by a lit screen, jolted me awake.
Eventually I activated a do-not-disturb setting: my phone remained blissfully silent and dark when I received unwanted texts between 11pm and 8am, and my sleep returned to normal.
Mobile phone alerts, trips to the bathroom or other things spoil many people’s nightly rest.
Research by the Sleep Health Foundation has found between 33 and 45 percent of Australians have poor sleep patterns that lead to fatigue and irritability.
International guidelines suggest that adults should sleep between seven and nine hours nightly.
Chronic sleep deprivation isn’t just making us groggy; it can harm our health.
Research shows that adults who don’t sleep enough are more likely to be sedentary and obese, and are at greater risk of diabetes, heart disease, depression and common illnesses such as colds.
“Sleep is so important to physical and mental health,” says British sleep researcher Dr Neil Stanley.
“Anything that causes poor sleep on an every-night basis can have associations with risk factors for diabetes, obesity, depression and other problems. You have to look at things that you potentially can do to improve the situation.”
Fortunately, you don’t have to swear off coffee, rely on sleeping pills or buy a fancy mattress to get a good night’s rest. These practical tips may help improve the quality of your slumber.