Getting good quality sleep is essential to your health and wellbeing, both mental and physical. When we are well rested, our immune system functions most efficiently, we are more likely to maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure and positive outlook on life.
Temporary sleep disturbance can happen throughout life, due to new babies, sick family members, short term stress or medication.
However, if your sleep is regularly disturbed, it is wise to seek advice from a health professional, such as your GP.
When you are sleep deprived, it is hard to maintain perspective, and estimate just how much sleep your are getting. To help your health professional advise you, it is a good idea to keep a sleep diary for a few nights and take it with you to your consultation. The information contained in your sleep diary will help them see the full picture and make a comprehensive recommendation.
A sleep diary tracks the length and quality of your sleep, along with external factors that may be contributing to sleep disturbance (food, drink or physical activity for example).
Keeping a sleep diary may help you answer questions for yourself too. To find out more about how to set up and keep a sleep diary, click here for more information.
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