Shut Eye

Did you know that scientists still haven’t nailed exactly why we need to sleep? And how come cats sleep for up to 20 hours a day and giraffes only need about 30 minutes? What we do know is that as humans, our ability to cope with #life – both physically and mentally – is closely linked with spending enough time with our good friend ‘bed’.

We’ve all experienced it. We can burn the candle at both ends for a while but eventually it does catch up with us. We end up tired, grumpy and on a very short fuse. When we’re under the pump, sleep can seem like a waste of time, but know your ability to be effective – at work or study – and to feel in control and happy, is improved with enough sleep.

The rule of thumb is about 8 hours but like everything, it’s very individual. Some of us can operate perfectly well on 6 hours a night, and some need 10 hours of beauty rest to function at their peak.

Good sleeping habits include routine – so getting to bed at about the same time on most nights of the week. There are plenty of apps to help monitor sleep and even remind you when it’s coming up to bedtime.

If you’re a shift worker, your job may force your sleep pattern to be erratic, however be aware that choosing to habitually stay up well into the night and sleeping into the day is now thought to negatively impact mental health.