Ramlakhan has her list of “five non-negotiables, which can help you sleep more deeply. You know what you need to do: exercise, nutrition, stress reduction. The way we sleep is a reflection of the way we live, says Ramlakhan, “so if you want to sleep better, you have to live better”. ’ Photograph: Jordan Siemens/Getty Images ‘If you want to sleep better, you have to live better. “Those changing hormones can disrupt those patterns, and it’s the same with the menstrual cycle.” Adopt healthy habits “Oestrogen can promote sleep, and so can progesterone, by making you more relaxed and less anxious,” says Foster. Menopause affects women’s sleep in several ways, including body temperature – if you sleep with a partner, consider getting separate duvets to help with this – and changing hormone levels. Hormones underpinning urine production also change as we age, which is one reason why older people often need to get up to go to the loo at night. We tend to wake up more as we age, says Foster, “because the robustness of the circadian drive for sleep reduces – we’re probably not going to get the sleep that we got when we were younger”. Those emotions, if they’re not expressed, have a tendency to pop up in sleep, either in nightmares, or in difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep.” Consider your life stage “Don’t push problems away, don’t deny that you’re not feeling great about your relationship or your job or whatever it is that’s bothering you. It’s important to de-stress.” Talking to a therapist and tackling unresolved problems might be helpful some simple meditation or gratitude practice might be enough, says Nerina Ramlakhan, physiologist and author of Fast Asleep, Wide Awake. In our waking life, Foster advises “finding techniques that work for you, whether it’s mindfulness, yoga, whatever. “Most of us don’t have a sleep problem, we have an anxiety and stress problem,” says Foster. When we can’t get back to sleep, it’s usually because our minds are busy or we’re worried about something (though to rule out a sleep problem such as restless legs or sleep apnoea, it’s best to see your GP). If you can disengage from the struggle, you’re more likely to get back to sleep.” Emotions have a tendency to pop up in sleep, either in nightmares or in difficulty getting to sleep Tackle stress “Smiling releases serotonin and dopamine, and triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the opposite of the system that controls your fight and flight response. Try to move away from this idea that being awake in the night is a dreadful thing that’s going to lead to terrible consequences.” Camilla Stoddart, a sleep coach, advises smiling, which may stop or slow the spiralling. “‘I’m going to perform really badly at work tomorrow, then I’ll lose my job, then my partner will leave me’ – it can escalate quite quickly. It’s easy to catastrophise in the middle of the night, says Alanna Hare, consultant in sleep medicine at the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals.
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