The latest episode of our podcast, ‘My Pocket Psych’ is available to download now. You can access it via your preferred podcast platform, via Spotify, or simply listen via the embedded player at the bottom of this post.
This time round, Pilar and I wrap up our series of discussions about wellbeing, turning our attention to the importance of sleep. It’s something we can take for granted – until we don’t get enough of it! Without adequate sleep, we make poorer decisions, find it hard to regulate our emotions and can even contribute to accidents in the workplace.
Prolonged and chronic sleep disruption can have a serious negative impact on both our psychological and physical health. So it’s definitely something to pay attention to.
Thankfully, there are some things we can do to improve both the duration and quality of our sleep. Collectively, we call these habits ‘sleep hygiene’ and basically it’s all about having a good routine, a suitable sleep environment and avoiding any stimulants that could interfere with our sleep.
Yes, that post-dinner coffee you have in the restaurant could definitely make it harder to sleep. As could sitting up in bed with your laptop, cranking out work emails. Or even taking vigorous exercise in the gym too close to your bedtime.
A regular bedtime and a routine that we follow in the run up to bedtime can help give our brains a gentle reminder that it’s almost time for ‘closedown’.
Let us know if you have any comments or feedback about this episode, if it prompts any questions about your own sleep habits, and let us know what you’d like us to cover in future episodes.
Thanks for listening!
