How To Fall Asleep

We spend about a third of our lives asleep. Sleep is essential – It is as important to our bodies as eating, drinking and breathing, and is vital for maintaining good mental and physical health. Sleeping helps us to recover from mental as well as physical exertion.Sleep and health are strongly related – poor sleep can increase the risk of having poor health, and poor health can make it harder to sleep. Sleep disturbances can be one of the first signs of distress. Common mental health problems like anxiety and depression can often underpin sleep problems. We explored sleep and mental health via Mental Health Awareness Week in 2011 – undertaking one of the biggest surveys ever on sleep and its effect on mental health. We all know about the myth of telling people to get out of bed and pull themselves together, but lethargy, tiredness, and disturbed sleep can be part of having a mental health problem or a side effect of taking medication. Addressing sleep and sleep disorders as part of mental health treatment is very important, and can be overlooked.Sleep is especially challenging in shift based work, and in safety-critical industries like the railway, so it’s even more important to make sure we get the right amount of good quality sleep.We can all benefit from improving the quality of our sleep. For many of us, it may simply be a case of making small lifestyle or attitude adjustments in order to help us sleep better. Up to one third of the population may suffer from insomnia (lack of sleep or poor quality sleep) or other sleep problems. These can affect mood, energy and concentration levels, our relationships, and our ability to stay awake and function at work during the day.Often basic techniques can improve your sleep. If they don’t work speak to your doctor about other treatments, especially as sleep problems can indicate other health issues.If you keep having sleep problems, it’s possible there may be an underlying issue, which you should discuss with your GP. Treating sleep problems alongside mental health problems can help address both symptoms and causes, leading to quicker recovery.If you want to learn how to sleep effectively, this is the book for you!