Category: Sleep

Finally, it feels like fall. The leaves are turning, the air is getting cool and crisp, and the days are beginning to get shorter. It's time to get out your favourite sweaters and enjoy pumpkin-spiced everything.

This weekend, with the aide of Thanksgiving dinner, of course, most of us will sleep very well. But, then what? As some of you may already have discovered, our summer sleep habits just aren't working with the change of the season. Are you beginning to feel tired midday? Having trouble getting out of bed in the morning even though it's your usual wake-up time? It's time to make some seasonal updates to your sleep habits to combat these issues.

Happy World Sleep Day!

How familiar are you with sleep culture? We spend a third of our lives in bed, so we are all experts on our own sleep habits, but have you ever wondered what kind of sleep habits other people have all over the world?

Check out our infographic to find out how the world sleeps!

Many of us assume that the whole point of sleeping is to get some rest, and while, if you’re lucky, you do wake up feeling rested, your body isn't ‘resting’ at all. While you’re sleeping, it’s very busy preparing you to take on the next day.

You may have noticed that when you don’t get enough sleep, you have less patience and feel more cranky, but a deficiency of sleep can also lead to all sorts of issues like a weakened immune system, memory issues, weight gain and higher susceptibility to more serious health conditions like heart disease and diabetes. This is because you’re not allowing your body enough time to do all the work it needs to in order to prepare you for the next day.

Our advice: give your body enough time to do all of its work while you’re sleeping so that you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle your day.

Here are six amazing things your body does while you’re sleeping:

Sleep not only affects your mood and cognitive ability but, it also hugely contributes to your physical health in many ways. Joy Elena, Sleepenvie founder and Dr David Klein, Senior Sleep Medicine Physician at MedSleep Canada, Board certified in sleep medicine and assistant professor of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, chat with the Sleep Forum about how sleep affects our health, the health benefits you can realise when getting a good sleep, how to get the sleep you need and more!

Prioritise your health this year by getting great sleep.

A ‘normal’ night’s sleep is all relative to what you’re used to. For some, this means waking up refreshed in the same position in which you fell asleep. Others are not always so lucky--sleep can get a little weird.

Have you ever woken up suddenly because you felt like you were falling? What about raiding your fridge while still sound asleep? You’re not alone. Check out our list below of strange things that happen while we are sleeping.

Let's face it: today, we live in a highly interconnected and digital world.

We are supposed to be available almost 24/7, running around with our cell phones, answering texts and emails and watching YouTube videos late at night.

The downside?

Sleep is often seen as an obstacle, many times neglected and not taken seriously. Nowadays, most people can’t wind down and sleep well at night.

Let’s consider some stats from the US National Sleep Foundation...

Did you know that 48% of Americans report insomnia occasionally? What’s even stronger is that 22% of them say to have insomnia almost EVERY night.

Aren’t these numbers crazy?

Nevertheless, research shows that quality sleep is a critical factor for success and well-being. A good night's sleep strengthens your immune system, boosts your metabolism and raises your energy levels for a productive next day at work.

If you CAN’T fall asleep at night and this happens regularly, you risk all kinds of health issues, including obesity, diabetes, depression and even cardiovascular diseases.

BUT...

You can work your way around.

In his book “Sleep Smarter”, Shawn Stevenson recommends 21 proven strategies to optimise your sleep. The principles of this book have been applied by high-performing entrepreneurs such as Tim Ferriss, Lewis Howes and Pat Flynn.

Below, I will explain the three most important strategies, using two fictional characters: Jim and John.

To be clear: Jim does everything wrong and doesn’t sleep well. John does things right and sleeps like a baby.

Ready? Let’s go.