General

Sleep is one of the body’s most natural functions, powering it down to rejuvenate physically and mentally. But not all sleep is the same and some types are better than others. This is a simple guide to getting a great sleep.

How Much?

The average adult needs between seven-and-a-half and nine hours of sleep, but that may vary depending on your age. It’s likely you’ll need different levels of sleep at various stages of your life, but the research is clear: too little can lead to heart disease, moodiness, forgetfulness, drowsiness, depression and anxiety, while too much sleep can also have similar effects.

What Type?

There are two main types of sleep but a variety of phases. The first type is REM sleep where you dream and crystallise the information from the day. The second is non-REM sleep, which works through a range of phases:

• Light sleep – where you doze but little rejuvenation is undertaken
• Middle sleep – which is slightly restorative
• Deep sleep – when the body does its repairs.

How To Get It

It’s one thing to talk about the type of sleep you need and another to actually get it. A good night’s sleep is like a great meal full of quality elements that come together to guarantee satisfaction. In the case of sleep they are:

The Right Environment

Your bedroom is a place of rest, so avoid too much stimulation from electronic devices and try not to complete work in there. Ensure you are sleeping on a mattress that is less than 10 years old and suits your firm or soft preference and health requirements. Retailers like Sleepy’s have a great range available to choose from, so be picky until you find the ideal sleeping surface for you.

Lack Of Stimulants

To fall asleep easily and stay in a restful slumber, you should restrict caffeine consumption to before 3pm. Heavy meals should also be avoided just prior to bedtime – an early dinner is a good idea.

A Sleep Routine

If you find it hard to get to sleep, consider a sleep routine involving activities like a warm shower, light yoga or meditation. Meditation can also be helpful if you often find yourself solving the problems of the world at 3am, as the process of meditating before sleep helps ensure your dozing is more restful.

Monitor Your Sleep

There are a host of apps, websites and DVDs available dedicated to helping people sleep. These include some that guide your dreams and others that monitor your sleep patterns and wake you from your lightest sleep in the morning during a wake-up window.

A variety of apps also provide meditation techniques and ambient noise to assist you in falling into slumber.

If you’ve ever had to do without it over a lengthy period of time, you’ll know the consequences of sleep deprivation and the havoc it can wreak on you mentally and physically. Like food, it’s an essential element of human functioning, so consider the above advice and sleep on it.

I’m always a little disappointed to see autumn coming at first.  The summer is coming to a close and it takes a little while to shake off that sense of regret before getting into the season that’s arrived.  Once I get over that initial feeling though, I love some of the joys that come with autumn.  For me the key way to get in tune with the season is to get out in the fresh air and do some autumnal things.

One thing I do is make the most of nature’s autumn bounty.  I’m out picking blackberries to make jam and I’m starting to think about making chutney.  We didn’t have too many gluts in our vegetable garden this summer, but I’ve got loads of tomatoes that just aren’t going to ripen, so I think I’ll be making a batch of green tomato chutney.  It’s the first year I’ve had enough tomatoes to do that and I’m looking forward to trying out a recipe that I’ve got tucked away.

For me apples are an essential part of autumn and we have already taken delivery of a batch of cooking apples from our former neighbour’s garden.  I might need to go and get an ‘apple fix’ from one of the many apple events that the National Trust are running this year in time for Apple Day.

I love watching the colours changing on the leaves and there’s little better than a walk through the woods scrunching through the fallen leaves.

We’ve heading towards the Autumn Equinox quickly now.  Close on its heels this on 28 September this year there will be a lunar eclipse too.  For me this makes it seem like quite a spiritual time of year.  For a lunar eclipse to happen there has to be a full moon and if it is a clear night you will be able to see the moon go dim and maybe red.  It certainly sounds worth staying up for, although you’ll need to be prepared as it will happen in the early hours.  I’ve never seen a lunar eclipse so it will be something new to tick off the list this autumn.

As a teenager every time I visited the dentists I was a little bit worried that I’d be told that I needed braces.  I was already wearing the National Health Service’s hideous glasses (the blue model to start with and the John Lennon ones later) and the last thing I needed was a lot of ugly metal in my teeth too.  I think that all that concern was misplaced as my teeth are actually quite straight naturally thank goodness, but the worry was very real at the time, especially as quite a few friends had braces fitted and seemed to wear them for ages.

Thankfully things have moved on over the years and there’s now no need to be self-conscious about wearing braces because they have found ways for them to look a lot less obvious, but which still do the job just as well.  The answer is Invisalign. Invisalign is a new type of orthodontic system. It makes use of clear plastic aligners to straighten the wonky teeth, instead of the traditional, fixed, metal braces. Each aligner is worn for just two weeks and is then replaced with the next one in the series. By custom-making the aligners, each one can be slightly different to allow room for movement. The Invisalign treatment is planned in advance using sophisticated computer software, so you can actually see what your treatment will achieve before you start to wear your aligners.

Obviously the benefits of not being about to see the aligners is huge for many of those facing orthodontic treatment, but there are other pros to enjoy too. Invisalign aligners also have the advantage that they are easily removable.  This gives patients more freedom and choice about how they wear their aligners.  It also avoids any problems with eating or cleaning your teeth.