We spend a third of our lives asleep and that is because it is essential to our physical and mental health. In my practice I put a lot of emphasis on the importance of sleep, and work with people suffering with sleep deficiencies, many of which do not even realise or know of the damage it could be doing. Some of the key effects of sleep deficiency are:

• Increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke.
• Increased risk of obesity, as sleep helps maintain a healthy balance of the hormones that make you feel hungry (ghrelin) or full (leptin). When you don’t get enough sleep, your level of ghrelin goes up and your level of leptin goes down. This makes you feel hungrier than when you’re well-rested.
• Sleep also affects how your body reacts to insulin, the hormone that controls your blood glucose (sugar) level. Sleep deficiency results in a higher than normal blood sugar level, which may increase your risk of diabetes.
• Greater risk from infections.
• Studies also show it alters activity in some parts of the brain. If you’re sleep deficient, you may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling your emotions and behaviour, and coping with change.
• Lack of sleep can be linked to depression, suicide and risk-taking behavior.
• Children and teens who are sleep deficient may have problems getting along with others. They may feel angry and impulsive, have mood swings, feel sad or depressed, or lack motivation. They also may have problems paying attention, and they may get lower grades and feel stressed.
• After several nights of losing sleep – even a loss of just 1-2 hours per night – your ability to function suffers, as if you haven’t slept at all for a day or two.

REM sleep is crucial for our mental wellbeing
It’s also worth remembering what an amazing job sleep does when we are getting the right amount and enough of each individual stage. Recent studies have shown that sleep improves learning by helping you pay attention, make decisions and stay focussed for longer. Rapid-Eye-Movement (REM) sleep is crucial for our mental wellbeing, yet is capped at around 20% of our night’s sleep.

Physically we know that sleep is involved in the healing and repairing of your heart and blood vessels, whilst also supporting healthy growth and development. Deep sleep triggers the body to release the hormone that promotes normal growth in children and teens. This hormone also boosts muscle mass and helps repair cells and tissues which is vital for everyone. So it is clear that sleep is very important!

For more information on sleep and how important it is, visit www.hhhypnotherapy.co.uk