We’ve all experienced a terrible night’s sleep. But when that becomes your nightly routine, it can seriously affect your daily routine. There are also a variety of long-term health issues that come with constant sleep deprivation. But you can curb those bad bedtime habits that are cutting your sweet dreams short.
- How old is your mattress? The Better Sleep Council recommend that you change your mattress every seven years for a better night’s sleep.
- Sleeping between seven and nine hours a night can relieve stress, improve memory and help keep your weight down.
- The negative effects on health from disordered sleep are serious and linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk factors.
- Experts say that excessive use of smartphones, tablets and televisions in bedrooms is contributing to our poor sleep levels.
- The “blue” light emitted by smartphones, tablets, laptops and televisions blocks melatonin, the hormone that controls sleep and wake cycles.
- Avoid the negative effects of “blue” light by banning electronic devices from the bedroom or by simply switching them off at bedtime.
Editor’s pick: health bite of the week.
Hannah McLaren I've worked at DC Thomson for six years! I began as an intern at My Weekly and The Scots Magazine, which was extended by a few months to help out at The People's Friend. I then covered maternity as Celebrity Editor for My Weekly, before I became Multimedia Journalist at The Scots Magazine. Currently I'm writing digital content across each title.
