The importance of a good night's sleep
About
A good quality night’s sleep can do wonders for your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
The benefits of sleep go beyond boosting your mood and energy levels. Adequate sleep can benefit your heart, weight, mind and more. Not getting enough sleep can affect all aspects of your life, from being moody and unpleasant to being physically unwell.
Benefits of a good night’s sleep
- Improves concentration and memory.
- Increases creativity.
- Helps recovery from physical activity.
- Lowers the risk of depression.
- Improves your immune function.
Work stress, university deadlines, family and community responsibilities, and unexpected challenges can all lead to stresses that affect the quality of your sleep. While it’s not always possible to control the life factors that interfere with your sleep, you can create healthy habits that encourage better sleep.
What to do
If you’re in need of a good night’s sleep, these tips may help.
- Try to go to bed and get up at similar times.
- Avoid going to bed too full or too hungry.
- Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet.
- Avoid napping during the day.
- Limit your caffeine intake, especially in the afternoons and evenings.
- Move your body every day: this could be running, walking, dancing, swimming, doing yoga, riding your bike, or something else you enjoy.
- Unplug from technology 1-2 hours before you go to bed.
- Participate in calming activities before bedtime to help your mind unwind.
- Notice what time you start to feel drowsy and aim to go to bed then – you’re more likely to fall asleep easily if you feel drowsy.
Getting support
Nearly everyone has trouble sleeping every now and again, but if you have trouble sleeping on a regular basis and you find it is affecting the quality of your waking hours, consider speaking to a health professional. You can book an appointment with Deakin Medical Centre or Deakin's Counselling service.
The DeakinWELLBEING app can help you find balance and develop healthy habits, which may help improve the quality of your sleep.
More help and advice
Visit the Sleep Health Foundation or the Better Health Channel websites for more information on sleep difficulties.
The Deakin website has information about relaxation techniques you could try to help you wind down before bed.