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Take the sleep testThe clocks going forward is often dreaded by sufferers of sleep problems as their poor sleep pattern is usually impacted by the loss of an additional hour in bed. In this blog, I discuss how you can ease the process, using helpful tactics and tips.
Did you know that when the clocks go forward this may throw your body clock out of sync and affect health? Here are some tips to help you adjust.
This Sunday (31st March at 1am) the clocks go forward by an hour. While this may not sound like a big deal, what you may not realise is that any shift to regular sleeping patterns can take a toll on health. Getting enough good quality sleep is vital for wellbeing. For most of us this means getting an average of anything from six and half to eight hours a night.
It’s currently estimated that 1 in 5 people aren’t getting enough sleep and that a third of people in the UK are affected by insomnia at some point. Insomnia means you regularly have a problem getting to sleep. This can be triggered by stress, anxiety, depression or grief, breathing problems or pain, also eating late and drinking alcohol.
Lack of sleep, either through insomnia, or for other reasons, may cause depression and have a detrimental effect on emotional and physical health, relationships, work performance, mood and general thinking. Studies show that sleep deprivation weakens the immune system and may lead to health problems including high blood pressure, depression, low mood, poor memory, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Moving the clocks forward, even by one hour, may be enough to temporarily throw the internal body clock that governs our circadian rhythms (including the sleep wake cycle and hormone release) out of sync. It can then take a few days to re-adjust. During this time you may feel more tired and physically out of sorts. If you’re already run down or, have problems sleeping, this will only make things worse.
More seriously, a recent study (at the university of Alabama, US) has also shown that when clocks move forward by an hour, this is associated with a 10% increased risk of having a heart attack in the few days afterwards. The exact reasons for this aren’t clear. But, one theory is that sleep deprivation has a detrimental effect on the immune system and may trigger an inflammatory response that can trigger cardiovascular problems.
So, even if you consider yourself to be generally healthy, it’s a good idea to help your body re-adjust to the forthcoming time changes. By preparing yourself, this will help you to counteract the effects of losing sleep.
Worried that you’re not sleeping as well – or as long as you should be? Here are some tips:
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Answer 5 simple questions in our sleep test for a brief evaluation and some advice.
Take the sleep testAs the A. Vogel Sleep advisor, I recommend Dormeasan®, a natural sleep remedy made from fresh extracts of Valerian root and Hops.
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