It’s now February and hopefully we are all feeling fitter, lighter, happier, relaxed or all of them depending on our New Year’s resolutions. Hopefully we are keeping them up. The most popular resolutions we tend to make are usually to do with losing weight, eating healthier or organising our life and finances better, but one that is just as important, but tends to be forgotten, is sleep. Sleep is something we do every day but we don’t think about it until we’re tired or have trouble sleeping. The BBC’s article “Why do we sleep?” says
“In broad terms researchers believe it is to enable our bodies and especially our brains to recover. “
It also says
“sleep is also an opportunity for the brain to be cleared of waste.”
That’s understandable because we all lead busy lives and throughout the day we a bombarded with so much information our brains feel full, then we get tense and stressed. Which can lead us to being unable to sleep, and a vicious circle begins.So how can we make sure we sleep well? The main thing is to have a sleep routine, going to bed and getting up at the same time every night as this will help our body clock to get used to a set routine. The Sleep Foundation says “Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual” because “a relaxing, routine activity right before bedtime conducted away from bright lights helps separate your sleep time from activities that can cause excitement, stress or anxiety which can make it more difficult to fall asleep, get sound and deep sleep or remain asleep.”
Getting adequate sleep is especially important if you are undergoing treatment for cancer. Cancer Center.com tells us
“A good night’s sleep not only feels good, it has significant benefits for cancer patients. Dr. Laurence Altshuler says “patients need as much vitality and energy as possible to fight their cancer. Sleep allows the body to relax and recoup.” Dr. Altshuler is the head physician of the Sleep Lab at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) in Tulsa.
“Without sleep, the body becomes even more stressed, which can interfere with its ability to fight cancer,” Dr. Altshuler says. “In fact, lack of sleep can depress the immune system, as well as hamper recovery from major illness or injury.”
People are starting to see the importance of sleep. The big trend for 2017 is Clean Sleeping… endorsed by Gwyneth Paltrow and the Goop team. Metro magazine explains “Clean sleeping is, essentially, just getting a decent night’s sleep on a regular basis. That means at least seven or eight hours of sleep a night (or more, if you fancy), free of interruption and distraction. It’s all about taking sleep a bit more seriously and dedicating the time to getting the sleep we all need. No excuses.
Another thing that can help us sleep is to wear a comfortable sleep bra at night which can stop sore or swollen breasts keeping us awake. You can try any of the post surgery bras on our site for sleeping in and you will be surprised what a difference it makes.
So, sleep isn’t just something we do, it’s important for our health and wellbeing. All we have left to say then… is have a great night’s sleep!
