Sound sleep is an essential component in distress tolerance.

Sleeping not only allows you to recover your physical and mental energies but also helps you function cognitively and emotionally.

We need sleep as much as we need water, oxygen and food to survive.

Inadequate sleep can cause:

• Reduced Alertness
• Shortened attention span
• Poor memory
• Reduced decision-making skills
• Moodiness and bad temper
• Loss of motivation
• Strain on relationships

How to improve the quality of your sleep

Be active during the day, whether it be walking around the block during lunch or taking a sports class. As long as you exercise regularly, you’ll burn more energy.

Drink plenty of water during the day, this regulates your temperature and helps you sleep at night.

Allow “wind down” time prior to going to sleep. By having the same routine every night before you go to bed, you can improve your chances of falling asleep quickly. A short routine can involve easy things like washing your face and cleaning your teeth. A hot bath for 20 minutes might also prove beneficial.

Be aware of things in your environment that can interfere with your sleep. Pets can disturb your sleep if they’re most active in the nights or if they prevent you from moving freely in your bed.

Only lie down to sleep when you’re feeling sleepy. This way you will fall asleep quicker and experience deeper sleep.

Digital clocks can be distracting if they glow or flash. Just turn the clock to face the opposite direction if it irritates you.

If you’re finding it hard to go to sleep, get out of bed and do a non-arousing activity. Read the newspaper, relax your muscles just don’t watch television.

Things to avoid

Recognise if you worry during the night and tell yourself “Stop. I’ll worry tomorrow, now is the time to sleep.”

Avoid drinking caffeine four hours before you hit the sack. Drinking alcohol, taking drugs or smoking are harmful habits and shouldn’t be sleep aids.

Do not take sleeping pills unless instructed to by a doctor.

Going to bed on an empty or full stomach can keep you awake.

Did you know?

• A majority of deep sleep occurs during the first five hours of the night.
• Staying awake for 24 hours leads to a reduced hand-eye coordination that is similar to having a blood alcohol content of 0.1.
• One third of your life is spent sleeping.
• As you grow older you require less sleep.
• More sleep is lost worrying about “not sleeping” than through any other cause.