[CHAT] ZZZZZZleep!
Imagine you wake up to the sound of your alarm with only 4 hours of sleep - you feel horrible and tired, not ready to face the day ahead.
OR you’re awakened by the tone of your alarm and you’ve had 8 hours of restored sleep, you wake with a smile and jump out of bed ready to face the day. Which scenario best describes your usual morning awakening?
For most people in this day and age, lack of sleep is becoming popular, with all our busy lives quality of sleep is decreasing as is bad sleep hygiene practices.
Sleep is more than just a resting mechanism it is a way your body biologically repairs and prepares you for the day ahead. It is important for a number of reasons including mental sharpness, emotional stability and physical health. Many disorders and diseases are related to inefficient sleep and poor sleep quality.
Sleep involves 2 main stages, NON-REM (rapid eye movement) and REM sleep. NON-REM occurs first and involves 3 main stages, which are followed by REM stage, when dreaming occurs and your eyes are actually moving back and forth.
The quality of your sleep is just as important as the quantity. One can have 8 hours of sleep but still wake feeling sleep deprived because the quality of their sleep wasn’t ideal.
Join us to discuss all things zzZzzleeep on Monday 28th at 8pm AEST. We want to hear from you, how you feel when you’ve had a good night’s sleep or a terrible pillow-covers-the-face “I don’t want to get out of bed” sleep.
Don't worry @bumble-d, I hadn't heard of it until my GP recommended it to me. It is basically a tea blend that designed to be very soothing and relaxing. You can buy it from Woolies. The brand is Celestial and it has a sleeping bear on the package.
Oh my god the sleeping bear in a hammock and in a rocking chair on the pack? @stonepixie @bumble-d What a dude!
@hartley_ Yes! That's the one. I think it is a tiger in the hammock.
Do you know what other things that sleep is important for, apart from not falling asleep in class
I think sleep is very important for your nutrional health aswell as your mental state of mind. Your cognition, memory, and general mood is really impacted by sleep
So we all agree that a good nights sleep is useful for not feeling haggard the next day, but what other things is it good for? A A good sleep routine and good "sleep hygiene" is important for maintaining good mental health and the treatment of a number of mental illnesses
Do you know what other things that sleep is important for, apart from not falling asleep in class?
Good sleep helps with maintaining good mental and physical health, enables me to concentrate better, and also helps me maintain my relationships with others because I'm a bit happier and chilled rather than cranky lol.
Speaking of sleep, I really need some zzz's as I need to get up early tomorrow. Thanks for an interesting discussion, and thanks to @hartley_ and @m-y93 for facilitating :). Wishing you all a good night's sleep! 😄
@delicatedreamer Thanks so much for your contribution! Goodnight 🙂
Ps so true, its helpful in a number of areas!
Do you know what other things that sleep is important for, apart from not falling asleep in class?
> For general concentration and cognition 
There's also preventing your eyes from hurting too
What a great session thank you everyone for your input.
Our last question for the night is.....
What is your number one relaxation tip for getting sleep ready or trying to sleep when you can’t?
Hmmm, so many pointers but number one tip I would have to say is be mindful of when you are veering into thinking too much etc and bad habits with sleeping
Being aware you are doing it so you can snap yourself out of it and continue to try and relax and get to sleep is good or you can very easily be laying there thinking for an hour bfore you realise hey.... my eyes are wide open
What is your number one relaxation tip for getting sleep ready or trying to sleep when you can’t?
A nice warm bath with lavender essential oil. Deep breathing. Mindfulness. Relocating when I get frustrated. Using a moisturiser that has lavender, chamomile and ylang ylang in it.
What is your number one relaxation tip for getting sleep ready or trying to sleep when you can’t?
> Closing my eyes, lying on my back and doing some meditation. Having a glass of water or some tea can also be quite relaxing too.
thank you @delicatedreamer hope you enjoyed the chat good night
@Myvo i find tea very soothing and relaxing preparing me for a good nights sleep 🙂
ylang ylang what exactly is that @stonepixie
i loveeeee having a very hot shower then sleeeping gets me extra tired and sleep like a baby
@m-y93 it is an essential oil that has a calming effect on the mind and body. 🙂
Its true, not many people will look back and remember the nights that they had a big sleep, but sleep is pretty important, not just to re-energise but to keep our moods stable and our minds fresh. Research shows that adolescents need 7-9 hours sleep per night and a decent amount of light per day so that your brain knows when to produce important hormones and chemicals that keep our moods in check. In our busy lives, somedays its hard to keep the energy drinks to a minimum, but things like caffeine, exercise, chronic pain, mental illness and environmental issues can keep us up thinking for hours, feeling too awake or tossing and turning and it can really put your sleep schedule out of whack!
Good sleeping habits and sleep routines aren’t just for nerds, a good sleeping environment and the right sleeping routine can help you feel rested and relaxed – not up all night tossing and turning. Keeping your room well ventilated, avoiding strenuous exercise or crazy suspense tv shows straight before bed, listening to some calm music, setting a time you sleep and wake each night – these are just a few of the things we can do to set up a good sleep routine and get a good night sleep!
We have had some great suggestions in tonight’s Getting Real session and some of the top relaxation tips to get nice and sleepy are:
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Don’t look at the clock and freak out about the hours of sleep you could be getting slipping away! It will only make it worse (trust me)
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Keep technology at distance thats if far enough that you cant be bothered getting up to get it. Arms length at least
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Dont run a marathon, watch a fast paced movie (Or a mind boggling Matrix style movie) before bed
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Listen to calming music, drink sleepy tea, dim the lights and wind down for a while before you actually plan on sleeping
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Try mindfulness and practice meditation such as that taught on Smiling Mind! (http://smilingmind.com.au/)
Well thats it for us tonight, thanks for joining us and we hope you were able to stay awake long enough to get some great tips on sleep habits and good sleep routines that will have you snoozing your way through rainy winter nights and beyond!
And remember, if you need help with sleep (or lack of) don’t hesitate to contact your GP, your local Headspace center (http://www.headspace.org.au/) or the many fact sheets here on ReachOut!
http://au.reachout.com/How-to-get-a-good-nights-sleep
http://au.reachout.com/All-about-sleep-problems
http://au.reachout.com/Getting-into-a-sleeping-routine
http://au.reachout.com/having-trouble-sleeping
http://au.reachout.com/Circadian-rhythms-and-depression
http://au.reachout.com/insomnia
Goodnight!
Great post @hartley_
Thanks for your all your help and wise knowledge
Thank you too everyone for joining us I hope you walk away with something that will help your sleeping
Have a very very very good nights sleep and enjoy your refreshed day tomorrow
🙂
Do you know what other things that sleep is important for, apart from not falling asleep in class?
It improves your cognitive function, makes you more alert, and your body uses that time to repair itself.
@hartley_ , @stonepixie - haha, a bear in a hammock? now I'll have to check this out!
thanks for joining us tonight @N1ghtW1ng hope you have a good nights sleep
@delicatedreamer I like to drink sleepytime tea. Although it doesn't affect me as the name would suggest, it does relax me.
