Personal Health Risk Assessment
Sleep
The benefit of sleep is often ignored. Sleep is not just about the number of hours you sleep but also the quality of that sleep.
Sleep can be disrupted for a number of reasons:
- Illness
- Stress
- Too much rich food or alcohol
- Shift work or jet lag
- Staying away from home
Occasional interruptions to sleep patterns are not a problem and recovery is normally quite quick. However if sleep is disturbed on a prolonged basis then this can lead to excessive tiredness, risk of accidents and eventually illness.
Most adults need 7-8 hours sleep per night and if you have slept well you should feel rested and ready to face the day. If your sleep has been of poor quality then you will still feel tired.
A couple of nights sleep disruption can be “caught up”, but more than this cannot.
Here are a few helpful tips for a good nights sleep:
- Always make time for sleep and plan 7-8 hours per night
- Ensure that your bedroom is comfortable, not too hot and preferably with a window open (unless a hay fever sufferer or external noise is a problem)
- Make sure your bed is comfortable – remember beds do not last forever and need changing every 10 years on average
- A good quality pillow is also important
- Do not eat a heavy meal too late at night
- If having problems keep a sleep diary
- Try to cut down on caffeine or alcohol late at night
- Some people like a warm milky drink before bed
- Some people benefit from a warm bath, relaxing music and a good book
- Try to unwind from work on the way home
- Try taking a walk or exercise in the evening – nutrition and exercise will help
- Bedrooms are for sleeping, not watching TV or playing with games consoles
