Sleep
Why do we need to sleep?
Sleeping well is just as important for our health as eating a well-balanced diet and keeping active; it helps our bodies and minds recover from the day and prepare for the next. Sleeping requires less energy from your body’s cells, making it easier for your body to heal injuries and self-repair, which explains why we might need more rest when we are sick. Sleeping also means our brains can process information and catalogue memories, like a librarian sorting out bookshelves at the end of a day.
The amount of sleep you need tends to change as you get older. For example, The Sleep Council recommend 10-11 hours of sleep a night for 7-12 year olds, and 8-9 hours of sleep for 12-18 year olds. However, the amount of sleep we need is a very personal thing, so it can be more useful to focus on how you feel. If you are well rested and alert during the day then you are probably getting enough sleep, but if you often feel tired, sleepy or lacking in energy then it might be that too little sleep is the issue.
Our sleep cycle is broken down into four different stages which we cycle through during the night – lightest sleep, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM, where most of our dreams occur. Each stage serves important functions for our body’s recovery and can affect how we feel when we wake up. For example, if you are woken up from deep sleep, you might feel confused or experience a mental fogginess.
A bit more science…..
Sleep is also linked to our circadian rhythm – an internal process which regulates our sleep-wake cycle controlled by a ‘master clock’ located in our brain. This sleep-wake cycled repeats roughly every 24 hours, and is our bodies’ way of aligning our sleep with the world around us. Circadian rhythms are especially sensitive to light, which is why we turn the lights off to indicate to our bodies that it’s night-time and we need to rest. Circadian rhythms can also explain why we get jet-lag when travelling long distances – if we cross a time zone, our bodies sense of day and night becomes misaligned with our environment.
Sometimes we might have difficulties getting a healthy amount of sleep or feeling well-rested. This could be linked to specific stresses or worries, for example with exams, bullying, or family life, or you might find that sleep difficulties can be more persistent.
Changes to medication can often affect our sleep, as can using drugs or alcohol. Mental and physical health conditions, and neurodivergence (for example, ADHD or autism) can also have an influence on the quality of our sleep and how much sleep we need. Additionally, environmental factors can be significant, as sleeping somewhere where you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, or where you’re easily disturbed, can negatively impact our sleep quality.
Disruptions in sleep or poor sleep can negatively affect our mental health. Likewise, if you are already struggling with your mental health, you might also find it harder to sleep well. Experiencing problems with sleep might lead to us feeling more anxious or depressed, feeling lonely or isolated, struggling to concentrate or make decisions, feeling irritable, or being more impacted by existing mental or physical health problems.
At the same time, scientists have found a strong link between getting enough sleep and feeling well and happy, so working on improving our sleep can be a really important step in improving our mental health.
• Finding it hard to fall asleep, stay asleep, or waking up earlier than you’d like to – this can be known as insomnia
• Having experiences that disturb your sleep, such as panic attacks, flashbacks, or nightmares
• Often feeling tired or sleepy
• Sleeping a lot, including at times when you need to be awake
Related to Sleep
Advice to help me
Make sure your bed and bedroom are comfortable – not too cold and not too warm.
If silence makes it harder to sleep, you could try listening to nature sounds, music, or a podcast at a quiet volume.
Consider adapting how you use devices with screens, like your phone or laptop, to limit their effect on your sleep. You could try avoiding or cutting down on using screens shortly before sleeping, reducing the brightness of any screen you use, and reducing distractions by switching on silent, airplane, or do not disturb mode, if you can.
Try and keep to a routine – wake up and go to bed at the same time everyday, and keep your alarm set for the same time. It might also help to do something relaxing everyday just before you go to bed, like reading.
Avoid having caffeine, sugary foods and drink, or eating large meals too close to bedtime.
Avoid doing activities like studying or watching TV from bed. Try and keep these for another room.
Try to do some physical activity during the day as this can help you feel tired. But, avoid intensive exercise too late at night as you might find this makes you feel more awake.
If you are awake in bed for more than 20 minutes then get up and do something else until you feel more sleepy. Don’t try and force sleep.
Who can help me?
Accessing support in your local area, or on-line, may be useful if you are experiencing mental health difficulties that are having mild or moderate impact on your daily life . Based on your symptoms, age and where you live, the support below might be useful for you:
Thrive hubs can help you understand your options.
Our service is designed to advise, guide, signpost and get help for young people within Manchester currently facing mental health and emotional wellbeing issues.
Learn more about Thrive HubsFor young people looking for emotional wellbeing support, this website offers a range of information and services, including counselling, psycho-social support, and cognitive behavioural therapy.
An on-line resource with lots of advice and information for young people.
We provide mental health support within education settings across Manchester, including primary and secondary schools and colleges
Offering counselling support for young people with anxiety, depression, anger, difficult life experiences, panic attacks, struggling to cope, low self-esteem, hearing voices, unwanted thoughts or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Offering a 10-week Junior Physical Activity Referral Service (PARS) Their Children’s Healthy Lifestyle Practitioners will connect families to fun activities in your local area.
We provide mental health support within education settings across Salford, including primary and secondary schools and colleges.
A mental health charity offering online counselling to those aged 8-21, who cannot afford or access support quickly. No wait times and available nationally, we provide vital support to those who need it right now.
We provide mental health support within education settings across Trafford, including primary and secondary schools and colleges.
CAMHS Services
A referral to a CAMHS service might be useful if you are experiencing mental health difficulties that are having a significant impact on your daily life. Based on your age, symptoms and where you live, the following services might be appropriate for you:
CAPS supports parents and carers to help their children (under 5) to develop to their fullest potential and be ready for school. This includes promoting improved quality of parent/child relationships; and supporting parents and carers with their children’s social, emotional development and wellbeing.
The Tertiary Paediatric Fatigue Team is a team made up of different professionals who can support you to manage fatigue. The team can provide you with help to manage your symptoms and find strategies to manage your day-to-day life. We support you with conditions such as ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and Post-covid Syndrome (Long Covid). The service provided is based on NICE Guidance- this is to make sure treatments are safe, effective and based on research. You will receive medical reviews based on your needs at that time, while taking steps towards feeling better.