Useful resources for employers
Listen to the podcast
Activities to try
Sleep – get good rest to be at your best
Sleep is vital to us all. It re-charges our batteries, lets our bodies repair damage and allows our brains to function properly. We all need sleep but, for some people, their relationship with sleep can be a difficult one. Modern life, with all its pressures, can lead to struggles with sleep which could result in ill health.
In this topic, we will help you to understand why we need to sleep, what happens when we sleep and what happens when we don’t. As we begin to appreciate the importance of good quality rest and recovery, we can often identify problems surrounding our own relationship with sleep. In turn, trying some of the simple but effective tools and techniques, could help you to make practical changes to your sleep routine and encourage a better sleep experience.
So why not listen to the sleep podcast, to help you understand the science of sleep and tips to improve your sleep? There’s also a supporting toolkit to download along with an informative poster and digital banner to help your company share the activities with your colleagues and signpost them to further support.
Problems associated with sleep are more common than you may think:
- 36% of UK adults struggle to get to sleep on a weekly basis, 1 in 5 have trouble falling asleep every night and nearly half of people in the UK have trouble falling asleep at least once a month (1)
- Research suggests that women have more difficulty falling asleep than men and that people aged 45-54 years struggle the most when trying to fall asleep (1)
- A Mental Health Foundation survey found that 48% of adults and 66% of teenagers agreed that sleeping badly has a negative effect on their mental health (2)
Sources: (1) Formulate Health Insomnia Statistics UK 2021 , (2) Taking Sleep Seriously: Sleep and our Mental Health (UK) report (Oct 2020)
Podcast: Sleep – get good rest to be at your best
This podcast lasting 12 minutes, is full of information and tips to help you to understand why sleep is so important to health and wellbeing and what you can do to improve your quality of sleep.
Key topics covered:
- The science of sleep
- The impact of stress on sleep
- Where you can go for help and support
Click here to download the resources mentioned in the podcast
Activities to help improve your quality of sleep
Below are a few simple activities to help you understand more about sleep and how to improve the quality of your rest and recovery.
S.L.E.E.P tips to use everyday
Sleep is a natural function that we’re designed to carry out but it doesn’t always come easy to some people. The pressures of modern life, 24/7 connectivity and working shift patterns can all contribute to unhealthy relationships with sleep, limiting our rest and recovery.
S leep routine – do the same thing every night
Just like any other routine, bedtime routines establish habits that can help our brains recognise when it’s time to sleep. By doing the same things in the same order every night, your brain comes to link those activities with sleep.
• Try to keep to a set bedtime – this will help you work with your natural in-built rhythm
• Write down your worries – give yourself permission to deal with them tomorrow
• Take a warm bath – when we fall asleep our body temperature drops. By taking a warm bath we can mimic this as the body warms up in the bath but then cools as we get out. This can make you feel tired and relaxed
L ight – get outside during the day
Knowing which light to embrace and which to avoid can really help to improve the quality of sleep. We need daylight to help us to get a good night’s sleep, but artifical/blue light can also prevent this from happening.
Try to get outside in the morning and throughout the day. Being exposed to natural light stimulates the Pituitary gland to produce melatonin, encouraging quality sleep later in the day. Avoid artificial/blue light by turning off your smartphone, TV and other gadgets well before bedtime.
E nvironment – create the right space for sleep
A key way to improve sleep is to ensure your sleeping environment is relaxing and conducive to sleep.
- Temperature – the ideal room temperature for sleep is 15–18 degrees celsius
- Minimise light – make the room as dark as possible. Consider black out curtains or even an eye mask
- Oxygen – open the window or at least a door to allow more air to circulate
E xercise – move more to get physically tired
You probably know exercise is important to our health, but do you know that exercise can have a positive effect on the quality of your sleep?
Moderate to vigorous exercise impacts how long it takes you to fall asleep at night – the more physically tired you are the more your body needs sleep. However, any exercise can have a positive impact on sleep as it helps to stabilise your mood meaning you may worry less. Plus, if you exercise outside during the day you will be exposed to more natural light – reinforcing your circadian rhythm. Exercise is also linked to avoiding excessive weight gain which can lead to sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
P ut down the pick me ups – caffeine, alcohol and nicotine
Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine are stimulants which can stop you falling into the deeper stages of sleep. If you struggle with sleep, try cutting down on your alcohol and caffeine intake, and putting down the cigarettes, particularly close to bedtime.
Combine a regular routine with a good sleeping environment to give yourself the best chance of a good night’s sleep.
If, after trying these simple S.L.E.E.P tips, you’re still struggling to get a good night’s sleep, it could be worth talking to your GP. Remember, they are there to help.
Watch this 2-minute NHS video for help with sleep problems
Professor Colin Espie, professor of sleep medicine at the University of Oxford, says: “It really helps if you’re on a wind-down curve some while before you go to bed.”
Write down your worries
Lying awake in bed and letting your worries play over and over in your mind is a sure fire way to a bad night’s sleep. If you have something on your mind before you go to bed, try writing it down on a ‘worry list’ and tell yourself that you will deal with it tomorrow. This engages the logical part of your brain and ‘quietens down’ the emotional part. Your worry will still be there in the morning, but after a good night’s sleep you will be better prepared to work through it.
Check out the NHS ‘Every Mind Matters’ video link – Tackle your worries
Take the sleep quiz
Useful resources for employers to download
To help your company promote the activities to your workforce and signpost to support, we’ve designed an A4 printable poster, digital banners to use on social media or your intranet page and a handy toolkit which includes exercises and helpful handouts to help your employees get good rest to be at their best.
Feel free to download and share, print and put them up, or email them to your employees.
Toolkit
The toolkit is full of exercises and links to help support your employees and to introduce simple tools and techniques to help them get a better night’s sleep.
Poster
This A4 PDF poster is full of helpful tips to help your employees get good rest to be at their best. Feel free to download, print and put up or share it with everyone you work with via email.
Digital banners
You can use these digital banners to signpost employees to available resources. Use them on your own wellbeing hub, intranet or on your internal social media channels.
Useful links
All the videos and links to further information shared below, have been peer reviewed, continue to be free at the time of writing this campaign and can be used to read, learn and contact others in order to support you. Many of the sites have downloadable fact sheets and takeaway information.
Find your sleep score – This short test from Sleepio will give you a ‘sleep score’ plus practical tips and advice for improving your sleep.
https://assets.nhs.uk/tools/self-assessments/index.mob.html?variant=72
How to check if you have insomnia
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia
Help to overcome insomnia – Sleepful is a free sleep management programme based on cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia https://sleepful.me/
Relaxation exercises to help you fall asleep – The Sleep Foundation have more exercises to help you breathe and relax your body
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/relaxation-exercises-to-help-fall-asleep
Breathing exercises for better sleep – Headspace has lots of sleep tips and a 45 minute piece of music called ‘Slumber’
https://www.headspace.com/sleep/breathing-exercises-for-better-sleep
Learn more about mindfulness – Find out how it can help your mental wellbeing
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/mindfulness/
Read the blog article
The human body has all the processes it needs to rest and recover, physically and psychologically – sleep! Find top tips on how to ‘get good rest to be at your best’ in our blog which is on our Sovereign Health Care website.