How Important is Sleep?

We all have nights when we find it difficult to get to sleep or find ourselves waking up in the middle of the night. There are lots of different factors that can affect our sleeping patterns, such as stress – particularly around exam time, the environment that we sleep in and social distractions.

Sleep problems usually sort themselves out within a month but longer stretches of bad sleep can start to affect our lives.

Signs of sleep problems

• Finding it difficult to fall asleep
• Lay awake for long periods during the night
• Waking up several times
• Waking up early and not able to get back to sleep
• Feeling down or low in mood
• Difficulty concentrating
• More irritable than normal
• Feeling like you have not slept well when you wake in the morning

So how much sleep do we need?

Teenagers should be getting around 9-10 hours sleep each night. Young adults 18-25 years should aim for around 7-9 hours sleep.

Top sleeping tips

• Keep regular sleep hours – go to bed when you feel tired and getting up at the same time helps to teach your body to sleep better
• Avoid napping where possible
• Create a restful environment – dark, quiet and cool environments generally make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep
• Exercise – being active can help you sleep better, you could even try yoga
• Write down your worries – if you find yourself lying awake worrying about tomorrow, make time to write down your worries before you go to bed
• Avoid caffeine – caffeine is known to affect sleep. Try to avoid caffeine close to bedtime

If you are struggling to sleep can  also speak with your School Nurse, they can help you to understand why you may be having difficulty, and offer you some suggestions on how you can improve your sleep.

There are lots of other charities that can also offer you support too such as Young Minds, Changes and the Samaritans.