“To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil…..”
This famous quote from Hamlet emphasises both the good of sleep but also the torment of disturbed sleep when the dreams of a restless mind are of no comfort at all, even making a person wish for death rather than experience terrible nightmares.
Sleep is a necessary thing. When deprived of sleep, we experience an increase in anxiety and in general, mental illness is made worse and memory is badly affected. To improve the quality of our sleep, we need time, relaxation and darkness.
In the busy lives of today, the need to have an average of 8 hours sleep every night can almost feel like a waste of time. While some feel they need more sleep and some less, 8 hours is the average time required to maintain good health. While sleeping, the body both heals and re-programs the mind, to help us face the next day mentally refreshed, with renewed physical vigour and even a healthier immune system.
Biologically, a lot of changes occur while we are asleep. We dream to refresh our minds, even though we often don’t always remember what we dreamed about. You may have noticed that problems seem easier to manage after a good night’s sleep and wounds even seem to have healed a bit upon waking. In fact, sleep is complex, with many professionals dedicating their careers to understanding how it all works and how to manage the problems people have with sleeping. (See a TED talk entitled “Sleep is your superpower”, with Matt Walker, to illustrate the importance of sleep)
Sleep problems can be as a result of many things including; difficulties metabolizing vitamin levels; thyroid problems; eating food too late at night; high alcohol consumption; stress, worrying, chronic pain, nightmares, too much adrenaline and depression.
Each person’s sleep issues can be unique to them. Maintaining a good routine, less multi-tasking, good time management; light physical exercise - not too late in the day; calming routines including breathing techniques, meditative relaxation and easy reading activities, darkness; and stable relationships all contribute to a good sleep.
It is believed that the following activities; exercise, volunteer and altruistic work, spirituality, social interaction and sleep are the main things that contribute to our overall happiness, so make sleep a priority, and be a healthier person!
