Highlights:
- A survey conducted in Australia found that only 25 per cent of people sleep eight hours a night, while 37 per cent say they sleep seven hours and another 24 per cent of those surveyed sleep six hours
- Sleep can be affected by a large number of medical, physical and psychological issues, so the treatment of insomnia will depend on the specific circumstances of each individual
- Going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day, healthy eating, and exercising during sunny hours help you get a restful sleep
This story is a part of the SBS health and well-being initiative Mind Your Health launched on World Mental Health Day (10 October). Click to visit the SBS Mind Your Health portal, featuring digital stories, podcasts and videos in English and multiple languages.
Different people need different amounts of sleep with the average for adults being eight hours per night, although for some, far fewer hours are sufficient.
However, a new study conducted with 10,308 participants from the United Kingdom and published in the journal indicates that sleeping less than five hours a night can cause a raft of health issues, including cancer, heart disease or depression.
An eight-hour, restful sleep has become the exception rather than the rule. Source: AAP
However, at age 60, participants who slept less than five hours had a 32 per cent risk, while at 70, it was 40 per cent.
, conducted in 2021 and in which nearly 26,000 people participated, reveals that only 25 per cent of respondents sleep eight hours a night, while 37 per cent say they sleep seven hours and another 24 per cent of those surveyed sleep six hours.
The pressures of work or family life are some of the factors that can deprive people of sleep, but health professionals insist there are certain habits which can make sleep more restful.
Healthy diet, exercise can facilitate sleep
A light, nutritious meal eaten in the early evening facilitates a better sleep.
“The diet should be balanced, with not too much meat, pasta or fat, in other words, all (food groups) in moderation,” Dr Barrera said.
The ideal meal should contain a quarter of protein, another quarter of carbohydrates and the rest made up of fruit and vegetables.Dr Magaly Barrera
“Eating vegetables and salads at night will do you good because you're going to be able to digest it," Dr Barrera says.
"In this way, you're getting fibre for intestinal health. There are many ways to eat at night without overloading your gut."
Health professionals agree that routine is beneficial, so they advise practising the habit of going to bed and waking up every day at the same time to keep the biological clock at a constant pace and thus facilitate sleep cycles.
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Sleep Cycle alarm clock
Dr Barrera advises against exercising at night before going to sleep, since the body and brain are stimulated at a time when we need to slow them down.
“It's better to exercise during the day and especially in the morning," she says.
"Sunlight stimulates the brain through the retina, allowing the body to secrete melatonin and sleep well at night.”
Self-medicating with alcohol not recommended
A common practice among people who have difficulty falling asleep is to drink alcohol to relax before going to sleep, something that Dr Barrera does not recommend.
“If a person has an addictive personality, one suddenly wonders what is really going on? Does this person need alcohol as part of their bedtime ritual or is it because their body is craving alcohol?” she says.
Drinking alcohol to get to sleep can lead to reliance and addiction, says GP. Source: AAP
“Alcohol is more harmful to women in general, we are more susceptible to the damage that alcohol causes to the liver,” she says.
Sleeping tablets are only a short-term 'fix'
Sleep can be affected by a large number of medical, physical and psychological problems, so the treatment for insomnia will depend on the specific circumstances of each individual.
According to the Sleep Health Foundation, most situations of acute (short-term) insomnia are due to stressful life events. This can be managed with supportive care or with the short-term use of sleeping pills under the direction of a doctor.
In 2015, the foundation conducted a survey of 1,050 Australians. The results revealed that sleep medication was more common in women, with 8.34 per cent of women using some type of medication, compared to only 3.76 per cent of men.
The number of users of sleep medications increases with age, and, according to the survey, 14.90 per cent of these are people aged over 55, compared to 6.86 per cent aged 35-54 and 2.48 per cent aged 18-34.
Dr Barrera warns against the abuse of these medications, especially in the case of benzodiazepines.
Basically, they're hypnotic and all of them are addictive. There isn't one that isn't, and if you take them for years, you no longer know if you're taking the medicine because you're still having insomnia or because you're addicted.Dr. Magaly Barrera
The doctor also points out that these situations can bring additional risks, especially to older people.
“If you take these medications and wake up at night when you're fragile and don't take the precaution of sitting in bed for a moment, putting your feet down and shooting out to the bathroom, for example, or drinking a glass of water, you can fall and break your hip,” she says.
