I was reading the other day about the six good doctors we need in our lives to stay healthy. As I was reading through the list it occurred to me that these six doctors are particularly applicable to our mental health. They are:

·       Fresh air and sunshine

·       Exercise

·       A good diet

·       Sleep

·       Friends/community

·       A Purpose in life

Looking down this list it’s easy to nod wisely and then move on, but it’s worth taking the time to evaluate all these things and see how our lives measure up. This week: Sleep.

My husband was very grumpy this morning. The reason? A neighbour’s burglar alarm had gone off in the early hours, woken us up and kept us awake for what seemed like ages but was probably only twenty minutes until it switched off. It took a long time for either of us to get back to sleep and both of us awoke feeling that we had not gone to bed at all. I don’t know about my husband, but I feel tired, sluggish and depressed.

The thing is, we both got a reasonable amount of sleep, it was the disturbance that was the problem. Whether it is a burglar alarm, bad dreams or insomnia that keeps us awake in the small hours, it has an inevitable effect the next day.

Sleep is one of the most important things we often ignore. We know we have to sleep, yet often we resent the need, as we have so much to do. If only there were more hours in the day, we cry, and are tempted to steal some of those hours from the time we should be sleeping.

Yet study after study has shown that we need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. Sleep repairs the body and the mind. We think better, our bodies function better and heal better if we have enough sleep. How many of us, however, actually get our eight hours of rest that is recommended?

Experts recommend something they call good sleep hygiene. This involves having a set routine every night – preparing the body for sleep. A hot milky drink is sometimes a good idea; having the bedroom a few degrees cooler than the rest of the hours – 16 degrees is supposed to be ideal; banning the TV from the bedroom, and so on.

Even if we try all of that, sleep can still elude us. I know my own sleep is so much better since I gave up alcohol but sometimes I still awake with nightmares. I find it helps to come downstairs, make a drink and have a snack; maybe read a chapter of my book and then go back to bed and try to sleep. Just lying there awake leads to worrying about various problems which always seem bigger in the middle of the night.

Lack of good quality and a good quantity of sleep cannot but affect our mood. My honest advice is to do everything you can to prioritise your sleep and get your eight hours in.

Mary

A Moodscope member