Times are changing. Friends are suggesting dinner at 7pm instead of 8pm, co-workers discuss sleep hacks rather than late night TV shows, and many of us are in the habit of checking our smart watch or phone app first thing in the morning to discover our sleep ‘score’.
This might be a sign we’re getting better at prioritising rest. But a new trend for ‘sleep maxxing’ suggests our desire for peak sleep is reaching new heights. From wearing chin straps and mouth tapes to reduce snoring to dozing under weighted blankets to trigger the release of the sleep hormone melatonin, sleep maxxers are ensuring no nighttime hack is left untested or untracked.
“Surviving on next to no sleep is no longer the badge of honour it used to be.”
‘People are definitely more knowledgable about the benefits of sleep than they used to be,’ says Dr Allie Hare, a consultant in sleep medicine at the Royal Brompton Hospital. ‘Surviving on next to no sleep is no longer the badge of honour it used to be, and now trying to get enough sleep has become a sign you’re truly invested in your health and wellbeing.’
And this cultural shift is a good thing, right? After all, with study after study telling us that a lack of sleep is linked with serious health issues including weakened immunity, high blood pressure, obesity, poor mental health and even dementia, anything that puts our nighttime habits in the spotlight seems to be a smart health move.
Sleep anxiety
But could this obsession with perfect sleep be keeping us awake? Although there’s no question that getting enough sleep, and identifying the issues keeping you awake, is hugely beneficial for your health and wellbeing, there’s a caveat. Experts are warning that over worrying about sleeping ‘right’ can ironically cause you to rest less.
‘Constantly thinking, “Am I doing this right? Is this the right kind of sleep?” can backfire and make you anxious, keeping you awake at night,’ says Dr Hare. ‘Sleep doesn’t respond well to over-focus.’
“Experts warn over worrying about sleeping ‘right’ can ironically cause you to rest less.”
What is orthosomnia?
An unhealthy fixation on achieving perfect sleep even has a name, orthosomnia. ‘Being aware of sleep is a good thing, but the modern desire to collect metrics for sleep can trigger problems,’ says Dr Guy Leschziner, a neurologist and sleep medicine lead for sleep disorders at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital.
Take the sleep trackers that many of use to gauge our sleep quality. ‘Tracking your sleep isn’t like tracking your activity levels,’ says Dr Leschziner. ‘A pedometer highlighting that you’ve only walked 500 steps might inspire you to walk more, but a sleep tracker informing you that you had a rubbish night sleep – something you often can’t control – isn’t helpful. Anything that creates worry around sleep outweighs any potential benefit. To sleep, we also need to feel calm and safe, and not that bedtime is the start of a challenge, race or competition.’
Orthosomnia means an unhealthy fixation on achieving perfect sleep.
The good news is that, when it comes to the long-term health conditions that may be linked to a lack of sleep, the research doesn’t always tell us the full picture. With dementia, for example, although there’s some evidence to suggest a lack of sleep may increase your risk, researchers don’t currently know for sure how sleep and dementia are linked. Does poor sleep increase dementia risk – or does dementia lead to poor sleep? It could be that both of these theories are true, and the relationship could be circular.
‘As researchers, one of the things we’re trying to understand is whether sleep is a symptom of health conditions or if disrupted sleep actually drives conditions and makes it worse,’ says Dr Vikki Revell, associate professor of the Surrey Sleep Research Centre.
How to cope with disturbed sleep
‘It’s normal to have the odd night when you don’t sleep well – you can’t literally “make” yourself sleep,’ says Dr Hare. Had a bad night? ‘My advice is to get up, get on with your day and try to move on from it as best as you can,’ says Dr Hare. ‘Trust in the physiology and biology of sleep, and in your resilience. If you have enough opportunities to sleep on a regular basis, chances are, most people will get what they need.’
It’s also reassuring to know there’s no ‘ideal’ amount of sleep. While eight hours is the so-called holy grail, in reality, different people need different amounts. The NHS say the majority of adults require around seven to nine hours of sleep, but age, health and personal circumstances can affect this.
“Eight hours is the so-called holy grail, in reality, different people need different amounts.”
‘Our sleep need also changes through life – young adults may need up to 10 hours, and this reduces to seven to eight during midlife, and then further still in later life,’ says Dr Revell.
To improve sleep, focus on the tried-and-true rules – going to bed and getting up at the same time every day (weekend lie-ins can wreck havoc with circadian rhythms), reducing alcohol consumption, not eating too late, reducing caffeine and making time to relax and wind down in the evening. ‘The simplest answer to whether you’re getting enough sleep is to ask yourself if you feel sleepy or non-refreshed when you wake up,’ says Dr Revell.
Dr Hare agrees. ‘The most important data you receive won’t come from a tracking app or statistics – it’ll come from yourself and asking how rested you feel. If you’re suffering from sleep disruption – which might be when you’re regularly having problems sleeping at least three times a week and it’s impacting your daytime or your mood – contact your GP for advice.’
Help might be offered in the form of a discussion about CBT-I (cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia) or investigations into sleep apnoea, which can cause snoring and frequent waking. But if there’s one takeaway, it’s that trying to improve the quality of your sleep isn’t something you should lose literal sleep over.
