If you are sleeping for less than seven hours for three nights or more every week, you are probably sleep deprived. Care of family members, long working hours, or an over-active social life can rob you of “Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleeve of care.”
You may believe you are fine with less sleep, but research shows that the more sleep deprived we are, the less likely we are to notice the effects. With our amazing brains, we can often talk ourselves into beliefs and activities which actually harm our health. We may be hard-wired to underestimate our sleep loss.
Skimping on sleep has a high price. It has been linked to increased risk of diabetes, coronary heart disease, strokes, weight gain, and even Alzheimer’s.
For many of us, sleep loss is not a choice. Up to 20% of adults suffer from insomnia: a difficulty in getting to sleep, staying asleep through the night, or waking up too early.
Insomnia is diagnosed when sleep problems persist for at least 3 nights every week for 3 months or more. “I can’t sleep no matter how hard I try.” Actually trying hard to sleep often makes the problem more persistent.
Worrying about poor sleep while we are trying to get to sleep can lead to a racing mind, muscle tension, and high blood pressure, and a vicious cycle of fatigue, anxiety, and even depression.
Here is some really good news…
Dr. Colin Epsie offers an online program called sleepio.com. He is a Professor of Sleep Medicine in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN), University of Oxford where he founded the Experimental & Clinical Sleep Medicine research programme in the Sleep & Circadian Research Institute (SCNi), and he is also Clinical Director of the Oxford Sleep Medicine Training.
Since 2012, Sleepio has been tested by a number of carefully controlled scientific studies and has been found to help people with insomnia get to sleep and stay asleep. It has been studied in a variety of settings, including national health care systems and Fortune 500 companies. Results show it is effective at helping poor sleepers improve their sleep, and reduce their anxiety and, possibly, their depression.
Sleepio is really interesting because it uses Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) which is the basis of Rational Thinking. (see Disputing Your Irrational Thoughts)
You can find out more about Sleepio at sleepio.com.
As William Shakespeare says:
“Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleeve of care,
The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,
Chief nourisher in life’s feast. “
Macbeth (2.2.46-51)
Don’t miss out on your precious sleep. Here’s a list of ways you can get a better night’s sleep.
If you would like more scientific information about how the flushing mechanism of the brain during sleep which when you get enough sleep, reducing your risk of Alzheimer’s, or if you want to know more about the science behind Sleepio, please email me at epease@eileenpease.com.
