Sleep Tips

The first steps on the journey to better sleep start with giving yourself the best opportunity for sleep. Known as Sleep Hygiene, these simple tips address several behaviours and environmental factors that might be getting in the way of us getting a good night’s sleep. Although not a treatment in it’s own right, Sleep Hygiene is a solid foundation upon which to start building up good sleep patterns.

Caffeine

We all know that a cup of coffee a day keeps drooping eyelids at bay. What not many people realise is how long the effects of caffeine can last.

Over the course of the day, we naturally build up a molecule in our bloodstream known as adenosine, principally as a consequence of the metabolic process. Adenosine interferes with neural activity in the body making us feel sluggish and sleepy and thereby “encouraging us” to go to sleep. We typically reach a peak in adenosine in the bloodstream in the evening and sleep it off overnight. Caffeine molecules also happen to “fit” the body’s adenosine receptors and so mask the sleepiness-inducing effects of the adenosine. When the caffeine itself is metabolised, however, the body recognises the adenosine is present and we feel tired once again.

What people don’t often realise that caffeine has an approximately six-hour half life in adult humans, meaning that it takes the body around six-hours to eliminate half the caffeine present. Imagine that, half that cup of coffee you had at 4pm is still in your system at 10pm that night! People vary greatly with their tolerance to caffeine but if you’re struggling to sleep, sticking to having your coffee in the morning is probably your best bet!

SUGAr

Just like caffeine

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