Your health: Sleep

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Lack of sleep can affect our health and wellbeing, yet many people don't get enough. Some people spend enough time in bed, but their sleep is not refreshing. Fatigue is the number one preventable factor in road accidents and work injuries, can cause stress and depression and heavy snoring and breathing difficulty in sleep may increase the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease.

This fact sheet was written by Dr Brett Gardiner, Director of Medical Services at HKHS. It is part of our Health Hotline series.

How do you know you're not getting enough sleep?

Common symptoms are irritability, waking up unrefreshed, heavy snoring with choking episodes and problems with short-term memory and concentration.

How can you improve sleep?

Keep lights low before bedtime. Bright lights will delay the production of melatonin, a natural sedative chemical your brain produces to feel sleepy.

• Try to get up at the same time each day.
• Avoid caffeine in the evening and nicotine. Nicotine, like caffeine, is a stimulant.
• Be wary of alcohol. Although it can make you relax and fall asleep, the relaxed feeling wears off, making you wake up in the early hours of the morning, feeling alert. Alcohol can also cause snoring which can disturb your sleep and that of others.
• If you're doing work at home, allow one hour to unwind. A hot bath or shower helps you to relax. Follow the same bedtime routine, such as having a warm drink or a light snack, reading or listening to music: let your body know you're getting ready to sleep.
• If you are not sleeping well and watch TV in bed, try not to as this can give your brain the idea that bed isn't just for sleeping - and this can keep you awake. If you can't sleep, get up, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy. This is another way of 'training' your brain to associate bed with sleep.

Should you take sleeping pills?

Sleeping pills prescribed by a doctor are useful occasionally, to help you sleep during a crisis, for instance, or to help break a cycle of sleeplessness. However, because they have side effects and can reinforce poor sleeping patterns, talk to your doctor about taking them as sleeping pills are not good in the long term. When you stop taking sleeping pills it may be harder to fall asleep for two or three nights, but don't worry; your body will let you get the sleep you need.

If you have a problem with sleep, see your doctor who can refer you to a Sleep Disorders Clinic or offer more advice on lifestyle changes that could help you can wake up refreshed and ready for the day once again!

Printable version

Related links:

• Printable version
• Sleep medicine VMOs
• Self help: Hearing loss
• ACAT
• Memory clinic
• Fact sheets