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Sleep and rest are vital for maintaining good health,but so often we suffer from tiredness, lack of motivation and reduced productivity due to missing out on crucial hours of good, quality sleep.
According to the NHS, 1 in 3 adults suffer from sleeping problems, often blamed on work-related stress and computers, which over time, can put people at risk of serious medical conditions. Matthew Walker, the author of Why We Sleep argues a causal link between sleep-deprivation and physical health such as chronic conditions (diabetes, digestive problems, migraines), heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s, as well as our mental health including anxiety and depression to name a few. The recommended amount of sleep for the average adult is around 8 hours, but with the busy working lifestyles of today, many function on just 6 hours due to a restless sleeping pattern.
Disrupted or poor sleep is often a sign we’re out of balance. Sleep issues aren’t simply due to whatever happens when we place our head on the pillow, but rather they reflect the myriad of choices we’ve made throughout the day. How often do we rest throughout the day so that we don’t bring an overloaded system to bed?
Based on an average person being on Earth for around 79 years, 26 of these years will be spent sleeping. That’s a whole third of your life! Clearly this is as important as the food we eat and the air we breathe.
How can we get better sleep and what’s so great about rest and sleep?
Sleep and rest are important for many different reasons – they boost both our mental and physical health while helping with weight regulation, immunity and fertility. Who knew?
But if you’ve fallen victim to a poor sleeping pattern, it can be a vicious circle to make a change – while poor sleep contributes to poor health, which can then make it even harder to sleep. So it’s good to make sure you’re always getting the right amount.
The good news is there are some ways you can ‘heal’ from a period of poor sleep or better yet, prevent it altogether!
This isn’t just about sleeping or falling asleep, but also waking up with amazing energy to thrive in your day.
This isn't just about sleeping or falling asleep, but also waking up with an amazing energy to thrive in your day.
1. Good sleep hygiene – is your bedroom sleep-friendly? Avoiding watching TV or being on your phone while in bed will help you associate the room more with sleeping, giving you better conditions for falling asleep.
2. Establish a good routine – a gentle wind-down routine and more strict ‘bedtime’ that gives you enough hours of sleep to function best the next day.
3. Avoid caffeine after 3pm – allowing the body time to process and eliminate the affects of stimulation
4. Rest more – undertaking activities such as yoga or meditation during the day can help take the stress and ‘weight’ off the nervous system, leaving you to enjoy better quality of sleep
5. Get to bed before midnight – research shows the hours of sleep before midnight are much better quality, so you’ll wake feeling much more rested
Want to learn how to get a healthy sleeping pattern? Try a Deep Relaxation class
At Whitespace Studio, our Introduction to Deep Relaxation course in Stony Stratford offers you the chance to find ease within the body and mind, which will aid you in developing a healthy sleeping pattern. During this 3-week course, you’ll learn the best relaxing practices for you, which will support periods of stress and help you relax the mind to prepare for sleep while enhancing your overall wellbeing. We welcome all levels of students to take part in this course, including complete beginners.
Take a look at the course details below…
Week 1: Yoga Nidra – an ancient Indian technique on how to quieten the mind and open up your innate healing intelligence.
Week 2: Somatic Movement – how we can unwind and release stress.
Week 3: The fluid breath – discovering the fundamentals of breathing.
If you’d like to try out Deep Relaxation before committing to our 3-week course, we have a great charity class coming up in support of World Sleep Day, on Friday 13th March, where all proceeds will be donated to the British Sleep Society.
How to maintain your healthy sleeping pattern
To help stay on track with your new and improved sleeping routine, try any of our weekly calming classes on the schedule. These classes include Breathing Space, Meditation, Mindfulness, Restorative Yoga, Recharge & Restore, Gentle Somatics and Yin Yoga.
Once we see the value and importance in a good nights sleep, we can work to let go of the stresses in daily life and invest in rest using the power of yoga. Join us in our inviting, light-filled studio for the chance to feel relaxed, restored, rejuvenated and ready to claim back those precious hours of deep sleep.
