Building a strong association between your bedroom and sleep is one way to get a good night's rest. Getty Images
Building a strong association between your bedroom and sleep is one way to get a good night's rest. Getty Images
Building a strong association between your bedroom and sleep is one way to get a good night's rest. Getty Images
Building a strong association between your bedroom and sleep is one way to get a good night's rest. Getty Images

How to get a good night's sleep: expert tips to help you relax at bedtime


Panna Munyal
  • English
  • Arabic

The importance of getting a good night's sleep is instrumental, not only for us to be able to function in our day-to-day lives, but also for our overall health.

And a new study has revealed that middle-aged adults who regularly sleep fewer than six hours a night are at greater risk of dementia. People between age 50 and 70 with a pattern of consistently shorter sleeping periods face a 30 per cent higher risk of the condition, found a study that tracked nearly 8,000 Britons over three decades.

The study, published on Tuesday in Nature Communications, is worrying in a year where people's routines – including their sleep patterns – have been uprooted by a global pandemic.

Dr Jessamy Hibberd, a chartered clinical psychologist, and author of The Imposter Cure and This Book Will Make You Sleep, says: "Sleep is not an indulgence, it's a necessity. It is essential to maintain a functioning brain and body, and is a simple way of looking after your mental health, which is especially important at the moment."

Here are some factors that may impact your sleep cycle and tips to better your sleep quality.

Stress and uncertainty

There are steps you can take throughout the day to help you get a good night's sleep. Getty Images
There are steps you can take throughout the day to help you get a good night's sleep. Getty Images

Uncertainty is one of the key triggers for anxiety. Dr Hady Jerdak, sleep specialist and chief executive officer of Harley Street Medical Centre in Abu Dhabi says: “Anxiety and stress decrease serotonin in the brain, which can lead you to wake up multiple times during the night.”

If you ignore how you're feeling in the day, night can be a time when everything catches up with you

Hibberd further details the rationale behind this: “Thanks to evolution and survival of the fittest, our brains have a wired response to uncertainty, which shifts control to the limbic system – the place where emotions, rather than rational thought, are generated. In the face of uncertainty, fear ensured survival.

“The trouble in our modern world is that we’re far less able to manage uncertainty as everything is instant now. Generally our response is to increase certainty, but this is impossible - nothing in life is a given, and that’s more clear than ever at the moment. So, instead of trying to be more sure, the best way to manage uncertainty is to increase your tolerance of this feeling,” he explains.

One trick for when you’re too stressed to sleep, says Hibberd, is thought-blocking: that is repeating a word that has no emotional connotations (for example, “the” or “one”), as “it’s difficult to think of two things at once”.

More importantly, he says: “Allow time for thoughts and feelings in the day. If you ignore how you’re feeling, night can be a time when everything catches up with you. It’s important we give ourselves time to adjust to the current situation.”

Screen overload

Make your bedroom a no-screen zone one hour before sleeping. Getty
Make your bedroom a no-screen zone one hour before sleeping. Getty

Working from home has upped the amount of screentime we indulge in. Jerdak puts it simply when he says: “Electronics and screens spell catastrophe when it comes to sleep quality.”

He admits that while it is more difficult than ever to stay away from our gadgets, this needs to be inculcated at least one hour before bedtime. “Read books, not screens, to entertain yourself; even a Kindle is better than an iPad because the blue waves from the latter stops the secretion of melatonin in your brain, which disrupts sleep.”

Electronics aside, avoid arguments, watching or reading the news and adrenalin-bound exercises before bedtime

“As noted, being unable to maintain quality sleep or to go back to sleep is a common disorder during these uncertain times, but the best tip for when you wake up is do not turn to your phone, because what would have taken you 10 minutes to go back to sleep will become an hour. Read instead, or eat an apple, but do not turn to an electronic device.”

Hibberd adds that red waves are the best for recreating the feel of natural light, so “stick with red-wave bulbs where possible and low watt bulbs in the bedroom”.

Restricted screentime aside, Shetty advises “practising sleep hygiene, which means avoiding arousing situations – arguments, watching or reading the news and adrenalin-bound exercises – before bedtime”.

Sleep surroundings

As we increasingly spend more time at home, lines get blurred and the bedroom may function as your sleep space, home office and dinner table all rolled in one. This, say Hibberd, is a mistake. “Build a strong association between your bedroom and sleep, so that as soon as you walk into your room, you think sleep. If you can’t sleep, leave the bedroom.

“One tip is to trick yourself into believing you don’t care about sleep to let go of the pressure you put on it - this is called paradoxical intention therapy and is proven to work.”

Shetty adds: “Ensure the area you sleep in is reserved only for sleep. This means no eating in bed, no talking on the phone and certainly no working from there. Restrict this area as a zone for relaxation.”

Hibberd shares some tips to make your room conducive to sleep. “A comfortable bed is vital; it’s the foundation of a good night’s sleep,” he says. “Also reduce your light exposure – think a bright bathroom – 30 minutes before you sleep.

“Calm colours, and an uncluttered, comfortably cool and quiet space – so no noisy clocks –are some other ways to make your room conducive to sleep. Finally, when you wake up, use daylight: light exposure in the morning is very good at setting the biological clock.”

Napping in the day

A long nap can disrupt your mood in the day and sleep quality at night. Getty
A long nap can disrupt your mood in the day and sleep quality at night. Getty

As tempting as it might be while the hours away by indulging in a mid-day siesta, a long nap may do more harm than good. “As a general rule, we should not need to sleep at any other time other than the designated nocturnal sleep period,” says Dr Irshaad Ebrahim from the London Sleep Centre in Dubai, adding that a midday nap needs to be “well-calculated”.

A 20 to 30-minute nap should get you enough restoration to gain a second wind

He explains that our first deep-sleep phase usually starts within five to 10 minutes of falling asleep. This can ­actually be the most restorative part of our sleep cycle, because it’s when our growth hormones are active.

“A 20 to 30-minute nap should get you enough restoration to gain a second wind. But any more than this will result in you entering the deepest sleep stage, which is generally difficult to rouse from.”

In other words, a snooze – of 30 minutes or less – may well help you to get through each day with energy and enthusiasm, but avoid taking a long, deep-sleep-inducing nap as this could have a detrimental effect and leave you feeling more out of sync than before.

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

The Bio

Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride

She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.

Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years

Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves

She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in

Previous men's records
  • 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
  • 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
  • 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
  • 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
  • 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
  • 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
  • 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
  • 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
  • 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
  • 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E680hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E800Nm%20at%202%2C750-6%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERear-mounted%20eight-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E13.6L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Orderbook%20open%3B%20deliveries%20start%20end%20of%20year%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh970%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RoboCop%3A%20Rogue%20City
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETeyon%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENacon%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%205%2C%20Xbox%20Series%20X%2FS%20and%20PC%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

FIXTURES

Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney

Note: d/n = day/night

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Rest

(Because Music)

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Premier Futsal 2017 Finals

Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side

Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

Cherry

Directed by: Joe and Anthony Russo

Starring: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo

1/5