Too busy to sleep

Unfortunately, because modern day life is so busy with school, social media, friends, hobbies and homework most of us don’t get enough sleep and this has a big impact upon how we; learn, interact and deal with different situations. Not only do we not get enough sleep, quite often our sleep patterns and quality of sleep aren’t healthy either. Have you ever had a nap in the afternoon and then not been able to sleep that night? Or woke up in the night to check your phone, then not been able to get back to sleep? Or stayed up late and not been able to wake up when your alarm? If these type of issues happen on a regular basis, long term they can lead to serious health problems such as; obesity, depression, anxiety and impaired learning. Other side effects of poor sleep include being forgetful and having little or no energy. 

So what external influences impact on our sleep?

• Caffeinated drinks – many of us drink at least one a day (lucazade, monster, red bull, coffee)
• TV’s in our bedrooms – We often binge on movies or series on Netflix
• Mobile phones – Calls, texts and social media late into the night 
• Routine – Some of us just have bad habits with no bedtime or set routine
• Bedroom layout – How tidy is your room? Sleeping surround by crisp packets, cans or piles of homework can increase stress (even while you sleep!)