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Focus on Sleeping Better
We've got some tips and advice to promote the importance of sleep, explore the difficulties many of us may experience with disrupted sleep, and share some tips and techniques on how to sleep better.
How much sleep do I need?
Everyone needs different amounts of sleep, but the NHS recommends an average of:
7 to 9 hours for adults
9 to 13 hours for children
If you find that you always feel tired through the day, you are probably not getting enough sleep and should think about how you can improve your sleeping habits.
Watch this great video from legendary grime star D Double E as he uses his distinctive flow to help guide you into a restful sleep. Try practicing these tips if you have trouble sleeping.
Sleep Problems
We all have problems with sleeping, waking, or having bad dreams sometimes. If sleep issues are affecting you, we have information and advice that can help.
There is a close connection between sleep and your mental health. If you’re having difficulty sleeping, this can make coping with daily life hard, and if you’re struggling with your mental health, you may find you can’t sleep.
Causes of Sleep Problems
Lots of people struggle with sleep problems, but there are things you can do to help improve your sleep and reduce restless nights.
If you’re having problems with sleeping, you’re not alone. Most of us have trouble with getting enough sleep at some point. There are many reasons why you might not be able to sleep, and the things that affect our sleep are different for everyone. Below are some possible causes of sleep problems. Below is a list of the most common causes. Expand each one to find out more...
Anxiety, stress or worries:
You may find yourself waking up in the night, or having difficulty getting to sleep in the first place, because you’re feeling anxious or stressed about something. You might have difficult feelings about something that’s happening now, something from the past, or worries about the future.
This could include being stressed or worried about:
friendships or bullying
school work and exams
problems at home
divorce, separation or other changes in your family
changes in routine such as a new school or moving house
money or work
You may also be anxious or worried about being alone, being in the dark, or about something bad happening during the night. You might feel you want someone there with you as you drop off to sleep or if you wake in the night.
Medication:
Taking certain medications, or coming off medications, can lead to a lack of sleep. For information about the effects of specific medications, take a look at our medication advice guides and glossary.
Where you sleep:
The environment where you sleep is also important for getting a good night’s sleep. If you sleep somewhere uncomfortable or noisy, for example, this may disturb your sleep or keep you awake.
Lack of routine or altered sleep:
Not having a set routine and set time for when you go to bed can cause sleep problems. You may find it difficult to manage your sleep routine around your daily life commitments, for example if you have carer responsibilities, if you’re a shift worker or if you work at night.
If you like to stay up late watching TV, gaming or scrolling through your phone and talking with friends, this may also alter your sleep patterns. The light from screens can keep you awake for longer and make it harder to fall asleep.
Struggling with your mental health:
If you’re struggling with your mental health, this can cause difficulties with sleeping. For example:
Anxiety can cause worries that keep you awake or perhaps cause panic attacks at night.
Depression can make you sleep more or less than you need.
Current or past trauma can cause nightmares or night terrors. You may also feel unsafe in the dark.
Psychosis can make sleep difficult – you may hear voices or see things that scare you.
Mania may give you feelings of energy meaning you don’t feel tired.
A lack of sleep can also make it more difficult to cope with the symptoms of a mental health problem. Being sleep deprived, for example, can make it more difficult to go about your daily routine or deal with difficult emotions. You might:
feel more anxious or stressed during the day
feel lonely or isolated because you don’t have the energy to see people
struggle to concentrate in school or at work
feel more irritable
be more affected by other mental health problems such as depression or mania
Tips and support
There are lots of things you can try to help improve your sleep, but remember, different things work for different people. You should only try tips and suggestions that you feel comfortable with and try not to put too much pressure on yourself to try these.
Try to establish routine
Having regular sleeping habits may help you if you are experiencing lack of sleep. Try going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, or you might find it helps to only go to bed when you really feel tired.
Having a wind-down routine can also help. Try doing something calming before bed or as you go to sleep to help you to relax. This could include breathing exercises, grounding techniques, journaling such as writing down your worries, or listening to calming music or sounds.
Try relaxing without your phone
Do something relaxing before you go to sleep, that doesn’t involve your phone.
Rather than looking at a phone until you're tired, relax by reading a book, writing a journal entry or listening to music.
Make your sleeping area warm and comfortable
You may not have much control over where you sleep, but there are small changes you can make to improve your sleeping area. Think about the noise, the temperature, the light and the bedding.
Put a soft blanket on top of your mattress as this can help you relax. You could try and wrap yourself up in the duvet as this can help with sensory issues.
Change your screen setting
Using screens in the evening can negatively affect your sleep. Try to avoid using your phone or laptop before bed. You can also adjust your device settings to change the brightness, add a night filter or set it to do not disturb mode.
If you're on your phone right up until you sleep, it’s a good idea to download a blue light filter.
Other young people share their experience of dealing with sleep problems.
Take a look at some of their tips:
"I recommend turning your phone off and simply practising some simple breathing exercises to relax before sleeping".
"If you experience anxious thoughts when you're trying to sleep, remind yourself that there will be plenty of time to think about those things in the daytime".
"Give yourself time to wind down before bed. Try to do something relaxing or boring so that you’ll feel tired".
"Things that help me are, listening to relaxing music, trying to stick to a time to go to bed and get up, smells you associate with calmness, limiting screen exposure and a notebook to jot down any worries".
"We’ve all experienced that annoying feeling – you’ve had a busy day and all you want to do is go to sleep, but there seems to be a constant flow of thoughts swirling around in your brain that makes this simple task almost impossible. During my struggle with mental health, I tried to overcome this problem by establishing a routine with the hope of improving my sleep". by Laura.
Where to get further help...
If something is keeping you up at night, even if you're not sure what it is, here are some services that can support you.
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