NEW RESOURCE: What does a good sleep cycle look like?

Sleep is something we can’t live without. It’s where our bodies rest and our minds are free to wander. It’s out of our voluntary control and it’s vital for our health and wellbeing. Most importantly, we can’t function properly without it, and frequent deprivation can lead to long-term health problems. That’s why it’s important to do all we can to get quality sleep.

FACTS ABOUT SLEEP

? The average person will spend 24 years of their life asleep.

? Adults who sleep between six and eight hours a day tend to live longer.

? Frequently sleeping less than seven hours a night increases the risk of impaired brain function, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, depression and death by 12 per cent.

? Frequently sleeping more than eight hours a night increases the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and death by 30 per cent.

THE 100 PER CENT SLEEP CYCLE

Sleep is largely controlled by how tired we are and our body clock, which runs on a 24-hour cycle and regulates all of our biological and physiological processes. The normal daily routine consists of morning wakefulness and alertness that continues throughout the day and reaches a peak in the evening. We tire after being awake for about 15 hours and from then on the urge to sleep increases. Darkness is the cue to head for bed. A good night’s sleep consists of at least five stages; a disturbed sleep cycle consists of far fewer.

To read more sleep cycles, please visit the CMHAA website to read the full resource: https://cmhaa.org.au/our-resources/resource-what-does-a-good-sleep-cycle-look-like/

We would like to thank Centre for Corporate Health and Commonwealth Bank for their assistance in the compilation of this factsheet.

This resource is not and should not be considered as advice or support. Anyone who may have a need for such support should seek professional advice. This information is provided for CMHAA and is provided for general information purposes only.