Nature's night nurse: sleep well naturally

Not getting enough sleep could do more than make you a little grouchy the next day – it could damage your health. Follow our tips and learn to sleep tight every night.

Is bedtime veering ever closer to midnight as you try and squeeze as much as possible into your day? Do you fall into bed exhausted every night, only to find your mind won’t switch off? If so, you’re not alone. It’s estimated that about a third of us suffer from sleep problems at any one time.

The speed of modern life is commonly cited as the chief culprit. “The 24/7 society has had a negative effect on our sleep,” says sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley. “The brain needs sleep to process all the knowledge it has gathered during the day, but often, we’re not getting the amount we need to cope with the information we’re constantly being bombarded with. Lack of time also means that adults are tending to push their sleep back further and further to accommodate the rest of the day.”

Aside from making us feel tired and bad-tempered, there’s growing evidence to suggest that regularly depriving the body of enough sleep could increase the risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, depression and even cancer. “Human beings are designed to be awake during the day and asleep at night,” Dr Stanley explains. “If we keep going against this evolutionary fact we will pay a heavy price with our health.”

Increased appetite

A lack of sleep could be on a par with not getting enough exercise and eating an unhealthy diet in terms of increasing our vulnerability to health problems. For a start, it seems to make us fatter. “There is now a lot of evidence pointing to a link between shorter sleep and obesity,” says Dr Shahrad Taheri, a consultant physician at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital. One reason for this could be that a lack of sleep appears to make us want to eat more. “Short sleep duration is associated with higher levels of ghrelin – a hormone that is released by the stomach to signal that you are hungry,” Dr Taheri explains. “Sleep loss also makes people tired and therefore less active,” he adds.

Sleeping for less than six hours a night on a regular basis increases a person’s risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, according to Professor Francesco Cappuccio, leader of the Sleep, Health and Society Programme at the University of Warwick.

In a study published in the journal 'Sleep', Professor Cappuccio and fellow researchers found that people who sleep for less than six hours each night are more likely to die prematurely than those who get between six and eight hours sleep. “More work is needed,” he says. “But our feeling is that health & beauty if you regularly go below six hours sleep a night there is a rapid increase in the risk to your health.”

Hormonal imbalance

It’s not just how much you sleep, but also when. Research from Harvard University suggests that women who regularly work night shifts have a nearly 50 per cent increased risk of developing breast cancer. One suggestion is that exposure to artificial light at night stops the body from producing melatonin, a hormone with an important role in helping to control the body’s internal clock.

“There is evidence – though it’s not conclusive – that melatonin could help protect against cancer and that if there is a disruption of melatonin production which takes place over a long period of time there could be an increase in hormone-related cancers such as breast and prostate,” says Professor Andrew Watterson, head of the Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety Research Group at the University of Stirling.

Dark moods

We all know a bad night’s sleep can make us feel irritable and sometimes even a bit weepy the next day, but insomnia could also be a trigger for depression. “There is now compelling evidence showing that difficulties getting to or staying asleep are likely to be a factor in causing a number of emotional and psychological problems,” says Dr Daniel Freeman, a clinical psychologist at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London. “Research has shown that suffering from insomnia is associated with three times the risk of developing depression and more than two times the risk of developing anxiety.”

How much?

Professor Cappuccio believes we should aim for between seven and eight hours of sleep a night, though Dr Stanley is not prescriptive about the exact number of hours we should be getting.

“Everyone has different sleep needs,” he says. “A good guide as to whether you’re getting the right amount for you is that if you’re sleeping well at night you shouldn’t be feeling sleepy during the day.” So, it’s time to stop thinking of the hours you spend in bed as wasted time – as far as your health is concerned, it could well be the most important part of your day.

Natural ways to sleep better

● Upping your levels of the hormone serotonin may improve sleep, according to Azmina Govindji, a dietician and spokesperson for The British Dietetic Association (bdaweightwise.com). “Carbohydrates can increase the level of serotonin,” she says. ”But choose slowly digested carbs, such as wholegrain bread and pasta. ”The body also needs the amino acid tryptophan to make serotonin – find it in poultry, dairy products, meat and eggs, Azmina says. “That’s why a milky drink – which contains both protein and carbohydrate – is a good choice at bedtime.”

● ”Regular exercise is a great promoter of good sleep because it tires us out,” says Dr Freeman of King’s College London. Simply spending time outside may help, says Phillip Hodson, spokesperson for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. “Just walking against the wind is tiring in a nice way.” Don’t exercise too close to bedtime, however, as this could keep you awake.

● Certain herbs have long been associated with better sleep. “Fill a small fabric sachet with lavender or hops and place next to your pillow at night,“ says Peter Conway, a medical herbalist at The Wellspring Clinic in Tunbridge Wells (thewellspringclinic.co.uk). “The aromatic compounds have a sleep-inducing effect.” And if you have a mild sleep problem, camomile tea can really help. Other herbs thought to aid sleep include Jamaican dogwood, passionflower and valerian.*

● Homeopathy is great for insomnia, says homeopath Kate Mead (07773 344306). “If you are feeling agitated, try coffea cruda. And nux vomica can be used for sleeplessness caused by eating too much rich food.”

● One of the golden rules for sleeping well is to keep regular sleep hours – which means going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. A relaxing bedtime routine is also essential for quietening the mind. Begin winding down at least half an hour before bed, Dr Freeman advises. If you’re kept awake by worry – try saving up all your worry for a 30-minute worry period during the day.