This weekend, it becomes a little bit harder to get up in the mornings. The clocks go back on Sunday, signalling the end of British Summer Time and colder darker mornings.
Poor quality sleep affects more than 40 million adults year-round and 85 per cent of us believe we need to make sleep more of a priority, according to a new survey by nocturnal cramp treatment, Crampex.
Most of us catch up on precious ZZZZs at the weekend, with the average person sleeping in up to an average of 11 hours at the weekend, rather than seven hours in a typical week night.
However, while it may be tempting to sleep in Sunday morning, breaking a sleep routine, coupled with the clocks going back, can wreak havoc with your body clock, making Monday morning’s even more difficult to wake up to.
To make sure you aren’t flagging come Monday morning, Nocturnal cramp treatment Crampex has teamed up with former chairman of the British Sleep Society, Dr Neil Stanley, to create a sleep plan to help you adjust your body clock this weekend.
(Based on ideal bedtime of 10.30pm)
Dr Neil Stanley’s guide to readjusting your body clock:
- 10.30pm, Saturday night: Adjustment
Adjust your clocks back by one hour, back to 9.30pm. This is in preparation for the clocks going back at 2am on Sunday – when you are unlikely to be awake!
9.30am may seem an early time to go to bed, but “if you can’t resist the urge to stay up late on a Friday night, going to bed a bit earlier on Saturday can help ease your body clock back into the routine.”, says Dr Stanley.
- 2.00am, Sunday morning: clocks actually go back by one hour
- 7.30am, Sunday morning: Forget the lie-in!
There is method in what seems like too-early-for-Sundays madness. Sticking to a routine by getting up at the time you would do in the week, can help your body clock adjust and survive the clocks going back. You’ll thank your bright-eyed, bushy-tailed self on Monday!
“Changing our sleeping routine can leave us feeling disorientated and irritable, rather than rejuvenated. Sleeping for longer at the weekend can make it tricky to get decent sleep on Sunday nights, especially if you go to bed early with the specific purpose of being bright eyed and bushy tailed for Monday.”, says Dr Stanley.
- 6.30pm, Sunday night: Get the gym out of the way
“If you can’t fit it into your day, get your exercise done as early as possible in the evening. Exercising later in the night will make it difficult for your mind and body to switch off when you go to sleep”, says Dr Stanley.
- 7.30pm, Sunday night: Eat your dinner to leave time to digest food
“Diet can also affect your sleep so don’t go to bed hungry but do try to avoid eating late or drinking caffeine or alcohol before bedtime. 7.30pm is the ideal time to eat your evening meal, to allow enough time for your body to digest your food slowly, to minimise indigestion”, explains Dr Stanley.
- 8.30pm, Sunday night: Time to wind down
“You need a quiet mind and body before going to bed so wind down by watching a relaxing TV show, put a DVD on or read a book – whatever helps you to unwind. Now you’re mind is relaxed, it’s time for your body. Have a relaxing bath, get your partner to massage your feet or treat yourself to a face pack”, advises Dr Stanley.
- 10.00pm, Sunday night: Time to prepare for bed
“It’s time to start getting ready for bed, so brush your teeth and get into your pyjamas. Preparing what you are going to wear and getting your possessions together the next day ahead, will help you mentally shut down by making you feel more prepared. If you have lots to do the next day, write them down so you are better prepared to deal with them and they don’t play on your mind at night”, says Dr Stanley.
- 10.30pm, Sunday night: The all important switch off
“Limit laptops, phones and TVs to the living room as they can disturb sleep. Once all is set, snuggle under the duvet and drift off”, says Dr Stanley.
- 7.30am, Monday morning: You’ve survived the clocks going back!
What to do if you wake up?
- If you wake up in the middle of the night and start worrying about things, you’ll then start to worry about getting back to sleep so distract yourself by doing something mundane such as the ironing
- If you are woken up by digestion problems, make your lunchtime meal your main meal of the day, and minimise alcohol and spicy food late at night
- If your partner’s snoring or fidgeting is keeping you awake, or if you have very different night time routines, it may be time for separate beds. This is becoming increasingly common and should not affect intimacy with your partner
- If it’s a medical condition that is keeping you awake such as sleep apnoea, depression, night cramps or back pain, see your GP for further advice
Crampex is the only product available without prescription for the prevention of nocturnal muscle cramps. Tips and advice can be found at www.goodsleepadvice.com.
Tagged in Health Sleep Sleeping Tips