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A lack of sleep may cause fatigue, lower energy levels and reduce our cognitive ability.
Sleep is vitally important in the formation of memory, how we learn and how we make decisions.
And in the same way as alcohol affects our judgement, sleep deprivation makes it harder for us to assess how impaired we are when we are tired.
So if you're having problems nodding off at night you might want to follow the advice below:
Tom said: “When a customer comes in with a sleep problem, I first look at their lifestyle and sleep routine. Exercise during the day will help to reduce worries about sleep, try to improve your ‘sleep hygiene’ by winding down with a bath before you go to bed, keeping gadgets out of the bedroom and keeping your bed for sleeping, not TV watching.
“Ensure you’re set up for a good night’s sleep and make your bed a sanctum,” Tom adds.
“It might sound silly, but only sleep when you are tired.”
When someone requests a sleeping tablet, the first question I ask, as a pharmacist, is whether they are struggling to get to sleep or to stay asleep.
“If it’s getting to sleep, short-term over the counter remedies are available to help with this but can create drowsiness and may also cause you to feel groggy in the morning.
"However, they can be useful to help re-establish a good sleep pattern.”
Stress and sleep go hand in hand.
When we can’t sleep, we worry. And if we worry, we can’t sleep. But it goes deeper.
If we haven’t had enough sleep, we have less resistance to stress.
Being deprived of sleep may also cause weight gain by disrupting hormones that regulate the metabolism of glucose and appetite.
A University of Bristol study found a ‘sleep debt’ of as little as 30 minutes a day can have an effect on obesity.
“It goes back to decision making,” explains Tom.
“Be aware of the choices you’re making and avoid foods high in simple carbs and sugars.
"Also, avoid heavy meals last thing at night because our digestion system is not programmed to work hard overnight.”
Boots nutritionist Vicky Pennington adds: "A milky drink at bedtime might help because it promotes serotonin, a hormone that may make you sleepy.
"And alcohol should be avoided, although you may think that it can help you to nod off, it may affect the quality of your sleep.
"It acts as a diuretic, so you may lose fluid, and relaxes the muscles in your throat so you may snore - which could also impact on others."
If you're still struggling to sleep Boots has a range of products which may help with the relief of temporary sleep disturbances. Ask your pharmacist for advice about these.
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