This simple sleep test will tell you how much shut-eye you really need

27 March 2017 - 13:09 By Sian Ranscombe
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
The blue light from digital devices wrecks the quality of your snooze.
The blue light from digital devices wrecks the quality of your snooze.
Image: iStock

In an ideal world, we would all drift off at 10pm every night, awakening refreshed and revitalised at 6am the following morning. An ideal world this is not ...

We asked the experts for advice on how to ensure you get a brilliant night's sleep.

GET INTO THE HABIT

"Eight hours of sleep is what we need," says Dr Paul Kelley from the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford. "It's not a rigid rule but a good habit. If you're going out with friends, don't worry - and try to get more sleep the next day. Don't sleep during the day - the sleep does not have to be replaced hour for hour, just sleep until you wake naturally. Some of us need an hour extra; some are fine with an hour less.

"Still, eight hours a day to relax in your daily routine is a good way to live. Combined with exercise and healthy food (don't eat a lot in the last couple of hours before sleep, and stop consuming coffee in the early afternoon), good sleep is a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle."

story_article_left1

PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE

"A 'normal' sleep pattern depends on individuals and their own circadian rhythms (biological clocks)," says Faye Langworthy, product director at This Works, a skincare solutions company.

"Therefore we do not believe that one size fits all. But there are rules that everyone can follow to improve sleep quality. Keep the room dark and relatively cool (between 16C and 18C) and don't look at digital devices in the final hours preceding sleep. It's essential people limit their exposure to blue light in the few hours before they go to bed."

DO A SLEEP TEST

"We go through a series of cycles and phases needed to fully restore our energy, " says time management expert Cory Cook. "Not getting enough sleep short-circuits the process, which affects our ability to function at our best."

"The amount of sleep we need is unique to each of us, so an effective way to work out what we need is to perform a sleep test. Get to bed at a set time each night, and don't set an alarm, allowing yourself to wake naturally the next day. A few days of this and you'll likely begin to wake around the same time, indicating the amount of sleep optimal for you." - The Daily Telegraph

This article was originally published in The Times.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now