Am I sleeping well?

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Am I sleeping well ?

Sleep is a crucial aspect of human life that helps to restore and rejuvenate the body and mind. It is a naturally recurring state of mind and body, characterized by altered consciousness, reduced muscle activity, and reduced sensory awareness. The quality and quantity of sleep play a significant role in an individual’s overall health and well-being. In this article, we will discuss the functioning of the sleep cycle, factors affecting the quality and quantity of sleep, and factors promoting good sleeping habits.

Functioning of Sleep Cycle

The sleep cycle is a natural process that helps to regulate the body’s internal clock and maintain proper sleep patterns. The sleep cycle comprises four stages: Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.

Stage 1 is a transition phase between wakefulness and sleep. During this stage, the body starts to relax, and the brainwave activity slows down. Stage 2 is a light sleep stage, where the body temperature drops, and the heart rate and breathing rate decrease. This stage is followed by Stage 3, which is a deep sleep stage. During this stage, the body undergoes physical restoration, and the brain activity slows down even further.

REM sleep is the final stage of the sleep cycle and is characterized by increased brain activity, rapid eye movements, and vivid dreaming. REM sleep is essential for cognitive functions such as memory consolidation, learning, and emotional regulation. The sleep cycle usually lasts for 90-120 minutes, and the body goes through four to six cycles of sleep each night.

Factors Affecting Quality and Quantity of Sleep

Several factors can affect the quality and quantity of sleep. Some of the common factors include:

  1. Stress: Stress is a significant factor that can disrupt sleep patterns. High levels of stress can cause anxiety, which can make it challenging to fall asleep or stay asleep.
  2. Environment: The sleeping environment can also affect the quality of sleep. Factors such as noise, light, and temperature can impact sleep quality.
  3. Diet: A diet that is high in sugar and processed foods can affect the quality of sleep. Consuming caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine can also disrupt sleep patterns.
  4. Medical Conditions: Medical conditions such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and chronic pain can affect sleep quality and quantity.
  5. Medications: Some medications, such as antidepressants and beta-blockers, can interfere with sleep patterns.

Factors Promoting Good Sleeping Habits

Several habits and practices can promote good sleeping habits. Some of these habits include:

  1. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule: Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day helps regulate the body’s internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up.
  2. Creating a sleep-conducive environment: The bedroom should be quiet, cool, and dark to promote sleep. Using comfortable bedding and pillows can also improve sleep quality.
  3. Avoiding stimulants: Avoiding caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol before bedtime can improve sleep quality.
  4. Engaging in regular exercise: Regular exercise can improve sleep quality by reducing stress and promoting relaxation.
  5. Relaxation techniques: Techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, and yoga can promote relaxation and improve sleep quality.
  6. Avoiding electronics before bedtime: Exposure to electronics before bedtime can interfere with sleep patterns. It is advisable to avoid using electronics for at least 30 minutes before bedtime.

Consequences of sleeping less

Sleep is essential for our physical and mental health. When we do not get enough sleep, it can have several consequences on our overall well-being. Here are some of the consequences of sleeping less:

  1. Poor cognitive function: Lack of sleep can impair cognitive function, including memory, attention, and concentration. It can also affect decision-making abilities and reaction time, leading to accidents and errors.
  2. Mood disturbances: Sleep deprivation can cause irritability, mood swings, and emotional instability. It can also increase the risk of depression and anxiety.
  3. Increased risk of chronic diseases: Lack of sleep is associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Sleep deprivation can disrupt the body’s hormonal balance, leading to metabolic changes that contribute to these diseases.
  4. Weakened immune system: Sleep is critical for the proper functioning of the immune system. When we do not get enough sleep, our immune system becomes weakened, making us more susceptible to infections and illnesses.
  5. Reduced physical performance: Sleep is essential for physical recovery and repair. Lack of sleep can lead to decreased endurance, strength, and coordination, making it difficult to perform physical tasks.
  6. Increased risk of accidents: Sleep deprivation can impair cognitive function and reaction time, leading to an increased risk of accidents, particularly when driving or operating heavy machinery.
  7. Reduced quality of life: Sleep deprivation can negatively impact overall quality of life, leading to reduced productivity, social relationships, and overall well-being.

Conclusion

In conclusion, sleep is an essential aspect of human life that helps to restore and rejuvenate the body and mind. The quality and quantity of sleep play a crucial role in an individual’s overall health and well-being. Factors such as stress, environment, diet, medical conditions, and medications can affect the quality and quantity of sleep. Engaging in habits such as maintaining a consistent

Blog written by mental health professional, Ms Titiksha

References

Altun I, Cınar N, Dede C. The contributing factors to poor sleep experiences in according to the university students: A cross-sectional study. J Res Med Sci. 2012 Jun;17(6):557-61. PMID: 23626634; PMCID: PMC3634295.

Bianco A, Nobile CG, Gnisci F, Pavia M. Knowledge and perceptions of the health effects of environmental hazards in the general population in Italy. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2008;211:412–9

Büyükyýlmaz FE, Sendir M, Acaroglu R. Evaluation of night-time pain characteristics and quality of sleep in postoperative Turkish orthopedic patients. Clin Nurs Res. 2011;20:326–42

Sorscher AJ. How is your sleep: A neglected topic for health care screening. J Am Board Fam Med. 2008;21:141–8.

Yilmaz D, Tanrikulu F, Dikmen Y. Research on Sleep Quality and the Factors Affecting the Sleep Quality of the Nursing Students. Curr Health Sci J. 2017 Jan-Mar;43(1):20-24. doi: 10.12865/CHSJ.43.01.03. Epub 2017 Sep 27. PMID: 30595850; PMCID: PMC6286721.

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      1 (s) I found it hard to wind down.

       

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      2 (a) I was aware of dryness of my mouth.

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      3 (d) I couldn’t seem to experience any positive feeling at all.

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      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
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      4 (a) I experienced breathing difficulty (e.g. excessively rapid breathing,
      breathlessness in the absence of physical exertion).

      0 - Did not apply to me at all.
      1 - Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time.
      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      5 (d) I found it difficult to work up the initiative to do things.

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      1 - Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time.
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      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      6 (s) I tended to over-react to situations.

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      1 - Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time.
      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      7 (a) I experienced trembling (e.g. in the hands).

      0 - Did not apply to me at all.
      1 - Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time.
      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      8 (s) I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy.

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      1 - Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time.
      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      9 (a) I was worried about situations in which I might panic and make a fool
      of myself.

      0 - Did not apply to me at all.
      1 - Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time.
      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      10 (d) I felt that I had nothing to look forward to.

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      1 - Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time.
      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      11 (s) I found myself getting agitated.

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      1 - Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time.
      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      12 (s) I found it difficult to relax.

      0 - Did not apply to me at all.
      1 - Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time.
      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      13 (d) I felt down-hearted and blue.

      0 - Did not apply to me at all.
      1 - Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time.
      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      14 (s) I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with what I
      was doing.

      0 - Did not apply to me at all.
      1 - Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time.
      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      15 (a) I felt I was close to panic.

      0 - Did not apply to me at all.
      1 - Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time.
      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      16 (d) I was unable to become enthusiastic about anything.

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      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      17 (d) I felt I wasn’t worth much as a person.

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      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      18 (s) I felt that I was rather touchy.

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      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      19 (a) I was aware of the action of my heart in the absence of physical
      exertion (e.g. sense of heart rate increase, heart missing a beat).

      0 - Did not apply to me at all.
      1 - Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time.
      2 - Applied to me to a considerable degree or a good part of time.
      3 - Applied to me very much or most of the time.

      20 (a) I felt scared without any good reason.

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      21 (d) I felt that life was meaningless.

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      Locus of control

      A big question we all feel - am I in control of my life?

      This test helps you ascertain the degree of control that you believe  you have over your life and the events that occur. This belief plays a huge role in the satisfaction levels that we feel.

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      1 / 10

      Is there some bad habit, such as smoking, that you would like to break but can’t?

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      Do you take steps, such as exercise and diet to control your weight and fitness?

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      Do you believe that your personality was firmly laid down in childhood so there is little you can do to change it?

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      Do you make your own decisions, regardless of what other people say?

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      Do you find it a waste of time to plan ahead because something always causes you to change direction?

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      If something goes wrong, do usually reckon it’s your own fault rather than just bad luck?

      7 / 10

      Are most of the things you do designed to please other people?

      8 / 10

      Do you often feel you are the victim of outside forces you cannot control?

      9 / 10

      Do you usually manage to resist being persuaded by other people’s arguments?

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      Are you sceptical about the extent to which your horoscope can tell you what you should do and what’s going to happen to you?.

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          How do You Cope with Anger?

          (The Behavioural Anger Response Questionnaire, BARQ)

          What do you most likely to do when you experience anger? This 34-item measure assesses your anger responses for children and adolescents – and may tell you which response you tend to favour when experiencing this strong, unpleasant emotion. A list of statements are provided below. State whether each of the statements are not true, sometimes true, or often true. This measure was developed specifically for children and young adolescents.

          /34

          1 / 34

          I say something nasty to the person who made me angry.

          2 / 34

          I use strong gestures (for example, make a fist, wave my arms, or give a hand sign).

          3 / 34

          I swear or curse, at the person who made me angry.

          4 / 34

          I hit or push the person who made me angry.

          5 / 34

          I express my anger by slamming a door, or hitting something.

          6 / 34

          I shout.

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          I wait until I am calm again and then talk to the person who made me angry. 

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          I carefully think it over and then tell the person who made me angry how I feel.

          9 / 34

          In a calm voice, I tell the person who made me angry how I honestly feel.

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          I try to understand what happened, so I can explain things to the person who made me angry.

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          I stay calm, and I try to talk about the problem and the person who made me angry. 

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          I leave the situation in order to calm down, and then try to solve the problem.

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          I do not show my anger but I talk about what happened with someone afterwards.

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          I leave the situation and look for someone who will agree with me.

          15 / 34

          I leave the situation, find someone to listen to my story, and ask for advice. 

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          I think about the problem first and then talk about it with someone.

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          I leave the situation and call a friend or family member to tell him/her how I feel. 

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          Even without planning it, I usually end up talking about my feelings with someone.

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          I get rid of my anger by playing music, writing, or painting. 

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          I just keep busy, until I stop feeling angry.

          21 / 34

          I work off my anger by doing some sport. 

          22 / 34

          I stay on my own to get rid of my anger.

          23 / 34

          I simply get very busy with other things to get rid of my anger.

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          I work off my anger by doing something else, like playing on the computer.

          25 / 34

          I tell myself that what happened is not important.

          26 / 34

          I try to forget what happened.

          27 / 34

          I put what happened out of my mind.

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          I do not want to have to cause trouble, so I keep my feelings to myself.

          29 / 34

          I just wait to feel better.

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          I try to keep busy so I can forget about what happened.

          31 / 34

          I keep thinking about what I wish I had done, but didn’t do.

          32 / 34

          I find it hard to stop thinking about what happened.

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          I am upset for a long time after this kind of situation.

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          In my mind, I go over the situation that made me angry again and again.

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          Are You Kind to Yourself?

          (The Self-Compassion Scale – Short Form, SCS-SF)

          Are you kind to yourself, and accepting of your personality? Self-compassion relates to your ability to ‘hold one’s suffering with a sense of warmth, connection and concern (Neff, 2003). This ability consists of self-kindness, self-judgement, the view that others suffer too (common humanity), feelings of isolation from others when one fails, as well as mindfulness towards one’s difficult situation and the extent to which one over-identifies with failure. This 12-item measure assesses your self-compassion ability. Simply answer each statement from ‘almost never’ to ‘almost always’ to indicate the extent to which you engage in these behaviours during difficult times of challenge and setbacks.

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          1 / 12

          When I fail at something important to me I become consumed by feelings of inadequacy.

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          I try to be understanding and patient towards those aspects of my personality I don’t like.

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          When something painful happens I try to take a balanced view of the situation.

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          When I’m feeling down, I tend to feel like most other people are probably happier than I am.

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          I try to see my failings as part of the human condition.

          6 / 12

          When I’m going through a very hard time, I give myself the caring and tenderness I need.

          7 / 12

          When something upsets me I try to keep my emotions in balance.

          8 / 12

          When I fail at something that’s important to me, I tend to feel alone in my failure.

          9 / 12

          When I’m feeling down I tend to obsess and fixate on everything that’s wrong.

          10 / 12

          When I feel inadequate in some way, I try to remind myself that feelings of inadequacy are shared by most people.

          11 / 12

          I’m disapproving and judgmental about my own flaws and inadequacies.

          12 / 12

          I’m intolerant and impatient towards those aspects of my personality I don’t like.

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          How Mindfully Aware and Attentive are You?

          (Mindful Attempt Awareness Scale; MAAS)

          Being mindful means being consciously, deliberately attentive towards your present circumstances and environment, and being curious and non- judgmental towards the thoughts and emotions that arise as a result of one’s situation. This 15-item measure of mindfulness, called the Mindful Attempt Awareness Scale (MAAS) is designed to assess how mindful you generally are.

          /15

          1 / 15

          I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of it until sometime later.

          2 / 15

          I break or spill things because of carelessness, not paying attention, or thinking of something else.

          3 / 15

          I find it difficult to stay focused on what’s happening in the present.

          4 / 15

          I tend to walk quickly to get where I’m going without paying attention to what I experience along the way.

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          I tend not to notice feelings of physical tension or discomfort until they really grab my attention.

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          I forget a person’s name almost as soon as I’ve been told it for the first time.

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          It seems I am “running on automatic” without much awareness of what I’m doing.

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          I rush through activities without being really attentive to them.

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          I get so focused on the goal I want to achieve that I lose touch of what I’m doing.

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          I do jobs or tasks automatically, without being aware of what I’m doing.

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          I find myself listening to someone with one ear, doing something else at the same time.

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          I drive places on “automatic pilot” and then wonder why I went there.

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          I find myself preoccupied with the future or the past.

          14 / 15

          I find myself doing things without paying attention.

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          I snack without being aware that I’m eating.

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          The brief resilience scale

          (Brief Resilience Scale, BRS)

          The Brief Resilience Scale was created to assess the perceived ability to bounce back or recover from stress. The scale was developed to assess a unitary construct of resilience, including both positively and negatively worded items.

          The possible score range on the BRS is from 1 (low resilience) to 5 (high resilience).

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          1 / 6

          I tend to bounce back quickly after hard times.

          2 / 6

          I have a hard time making it through stressful events. 

          3 / 6

          It does not take me long to recover from a stressful event. 

          4 / 6

          It is hard for me to snap back when something bad happens.

          5 / 6

          I usually come through difficult times with little trouble. 

          6 / 6

           I tend to take a long time to get over setbacks in my life.

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          The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale

          (WEMWBS)

          The WEMWBS was developed and tested by a group of researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Warwick.
          The WEMWBS is used to measure subjective well-being in adults ≥16 years.

          As defined by the developers, mental well-being relates to a person’s psychological functioning, life-satisfaction and ability to develop and maintain mutually benefiting relationships. Psychological wellbeing includes the ability to maintain a sense of autonomy, self acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life and self esteem. Staying mentally healthy is more than treating or preventing mental illness.

          Below are some statements about feelings and thoughts. Please tick the box that best describes your experience of each over the last 2 weeks

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          1 / 14

          I’ve been feeling optimistic about the future

          2 / 14

          I’ve been feeling useful

          3 / 14

          I’ve been feeling relaxed

          4 / 14

          I’ve been feeling interested in other people

          5 / 14

          I’ve had energy to spare

          6 / 14

          I’ve been dealing with problems well

          7 / 14

          I’ve been thinking clearly

          8 / 14

          I’ve been feeling good about myself

          9 / 14

          I’ve been feeling close to other people

          10 / 14

          I’ve been feeling confident

          11 / 14

          I’ve been able to make up my own mind about things

          12 / 14

          I’ve been feeling loved

          13 / 14

          I’ve been interested in new things

          14 / 14

          I’ve been feeling cheerful

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          Role Fitment

          The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS)

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          The brief resilience scale

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