[Need to know] Wellbeing series: Lesson 4 - Don't Sleep on Sleep: The Critical Role of Rest in Optimal Performance and Health

When it comes to laying the foundations for physical health, sufficient sleep quality is the ultimate base. Just like you can’t outwork a bad diet, you can’t outwork a poor sleep pattern either. Research shows time and time again that poor sleep quality leads to increases in your risk to whole host of diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Obviously, you want to curb that risk as much as possible. To help you out with that, the next three steps will help you navigate where the challenges are, and the opportunities lie.

Step 1: Benchmark

As with anything, before you change something understanding how it looks now is an important marker to assess. A quick and validated one is to use the RU-SATED assessment developed by Dr. Buysse of the University of Pittsburgh. The tool is comprised of 6 questions and three responses for each question.

The scoring is easy and ranges from 0 to 12. Scores that are closer to 0 would suggest a poorer sleep health status, whereas scores closer to 12 would indicate a more positive one. Simply answer each question tickly to determine which statement is true to you (rarely, sometimes or usually/always). Then add up your scores of each question for your total score to see how you’re doing.

Step 2: Assess your sleep hygiene. 

How you set up for sleep is just as important as actually getting sleep. To check on your sleep hygiene, you’ll need to grab a notebook or use the notes app in your phone. Then put on your research hat. Yes, it’s going to take a bit of time and thinking about it, but it’s a process that you should only have to do once to make improvements.

Split up your page into two sections:

·      Routines

·      Environment

Routines

Your current routines have a profound impact on your sleep health. Consider your “normal” every day before you go to sleep, and list out everything you do normally right up until you nod off. After, consider which is worth paying further attention to. Common questions to consider while you’re reviewing your routines are:

• How many cups of coffee do you have?
• Do you exercise in the evening?
• Are you on any medications that could impact sleep?
• How much alcohol do you consume?
• How was your stress level on a scale of 1-10 (1 = poor, 10 = no problem)?
• What time do you normally stop working for the day?
• What time do you put your phone/iPad/laptop down?
• What do you do to fall asleep, read/watch TV?

Environment

The environment in which you sleep in is a big driver of health behaviour, your sleep environment in particular, will therefore play a massive role on whether its driving healthy or unhealthy sleep behaviour. Again when you review consider the following questions:

• How does your mattress feel?
• What is the temperature of the room?
• What does the room smell like?
• How much light is in your room?
• Are your pillows lumpy or saggy? Do you have enough pillows or too many?
• What noises do you hear?
• Is the room tidy or cluttered?

Temperature and light are two very important variables when it comes to sleep. Creating a sound sleep environment will help you get a higher overall quality of rest. Pay attention to how many times you wake up throughout the night and why. Are you too hot? Does your neck hurt from a saggy pillow? It’s easy to ignore these things in a drowsy state, but taking a closer look will uncover the hidden factors that affect your sleep. Other key considerations to take note of include:

Circle anything you feel is worth tinkering with or changing and put it into your checklist in the next step.

Step 3: Create a checklist to overturn sleep-sacrificing habits

Once you’ve got a better understanding of the potential standing between you and a solid night’s sleep, the next step is to write down a checklist that will keep you on track for replacing those behaviours or things with sleep-friendly ones. Start with choosing a bedtime that is eight hours before your waketime. Then, work back from there.

Your checklist may look like this:

1.   Set your alarm for 10 minutes before your intended bedtime so you have time to wash your face and brush your teeth ____ p.m.

2.   Turn off all your screens one hour before ____ p.m.

3.   Stop drinking alcohol three to four hours before ____ p.m.

4.   Stop drinking coffee six to eight hours before ____ p.m.

5.   Stop working at least one hour before ____ p.m.

6.   Have a warm bath/shower before _____ p.m.

7.   Buy new pillows at the weekend

Summary

Avoid cutting corners when it comes to sleep. Neglecting sleep will have short term and long term repercussions. Make sure to protect your sleep by being proactive and taking steps to ensure that you're setting yourself up for both quantity and quality rest. In the end, sleep can either be your best friend or your worst enemy, so it's important to treat it as a valuable and essential part of your daily routine.

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About the Author

Declan is a leading health and wellbeing consultant working for Health at Work (Part of the Medicash Group). He prides himself on being able to combine the evidence base with the practical “know how” to solve real world problems for people and organisations. When he’s not working, you’ll likely find him reading the latest research study, competing in duathlons or cleaning up the mess his youngest daughter leaves daily!