Lorraine: Daisy Maskell discusses living with insomnia

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Sleep is a crucial part of the body’s processes.

It’s a time for the body to rests, recuperate and recover.

Lack of it can have some negative consequences beyond feeling irritable.

The NHS recommends that people should get at least eight hours of sleep every night.

As mentioned, one bad nights’ sleep can make people feel irritable and lack focus the next day.

However, consecutive bad night’s sleep isn’t good either; as well as exacerbating the mental health ramifications, it can also affect overall health.

A lack of sleep can make people more prone to obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

The reason why people are more likely to gain weight if they don’t sleep well is because those who are sleep deprived develop a chemical called leptin that makes people feel full.

While increasing levels of leptin, a lack of sleep will also lead to an increase of ghrelin; this is the hunger stimulating hormone.

As a result, people can be in the strange predicament of feeling both full and hungry at the same time.

To improve sleep, a number of methods and tactics can be employed.

Relaxing is one of them.

This may sound obvious given sleep is a relaxed state but relaxing before sleeping is crucial.

Ways to do this include having a warm bath, writing to do lists for the next day, relaxation exercises or yoga, listening to audio designed to help people fall asleep and reading a book are all ways recommended to help you relax before bed.

So too is avoiding looking your phone, tablet, or laptop.

Looking at these devices an hour before trying to sleep can have a negative effect; this is due to the light emitting from the screen rather than what a person is reading on it.

The NHS also recommends that people try to avoid using their bedroom for activities other than sleep or sexual activities.

Researchers claim there’s a strong association in an individual’s mind between the bedroom and sleep.

Furthermore, try to keep the bedroom at a temperature no higher than 24 degrees.

If struggles with sleep continue, contact and consult with your GP.

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