So what’s the big deal with sleep? It’s an unavoidable necessity which takes up about a third of our lives. And despite this time-consuming significance, we don’t really understand it that well.

Every part of our biology is dependent on a good night’s sleep. Everything from regulating our immune system to consolidating our memories. However, how much sleep we need can differ from person to person. Though it doesn’t take an expert in neurobiology to know that lack of sleep isn’t any good for you. This can have major implications on our physical health as well as our mental wellbeing.

It’s well established that mental health problems can negatively affect your sleep and be a tell-tale sign of a psychological issue. Anxiety can cause the mind to race. Depression can keep you stuck in bed and oversleep. Post-traumatic stress disorder is often associated with re-occurring nightmares making it more difficult to sleep.

However, it’s a two-way street. It’s become more apparent now that many mental health problems may actually arise from poor sleep.

Not enough hours in the day

I bet many of us have thought this during our hectic lives. There is not enough time in the 24 hour clock to get everything done. Do we really need to sleep 8 hours? Couldn’t we just stay up and get more work done? This mindset has worsened in the developed and working environment as sleep is often wrongly associated with laziness. We are in such a fast-paced world that too often do we declare our all-nighters proudly and wear our lack of sleep as a badge of honour.

This might work sometimes, but in reality this is not good for us. Lack of sleep leads to tiredness. Tiredness means we struggle to cope with our daily lives. When we’re not quite 100%, we’re more likely to get stressed and worried about our sub-par work. Then we have to stay up in order to get the work properly done. Rinse and repeat.

Studies have highlighted that this poor quality of sleep can often be associated with a whole repertoire of problems including depression, anxiety, loneliness, isolation and an inability to rationalise worries. On a personal note, I have experienced sleep deprivation in a slightly more unconventional way. Once as part of a charity 24 hour radio presenting marathon event and on another occasion as part of a sleep deprivation study here in Manchester. Interestingly on both occasions I noticed that around the 4am mark (after being up for about 20 hours) was when I hit the wall. Even at this minimally sleep deprived state I started to hear and see things that weren’t there – message notifications and flickers in the corner of my eyes. It was bizarre.

So what’s a potential solution to getting a better nights sleep?

Improving your sleep hygiene

Looking after your sleep hygiene requires considering lifestyle and environmental factors which might help to improve the quality of your sleep.

• Establish a routine. Designate regular times to go to sleep and wake up. We are creatures of habit. In the same way we set aside time to do experiments, cook dinners, and go to the gym. Set aside time for your sleep.
• Keeping a sleep diary to record your habits – how long you sleep, timings, rank the quality, any nightmares and dreams.
• Relax before going to bed. Do whatever helps you switch off. Whether that’s listening to music, breathing exercises, visualisation techniques or meditation. Just find out whatever works for you to mellow out.
• Optimise your sleep zone. Arrange your environment so it’s quiet, dark and a moderate room temperature.
• Dedicate some tech-free time before you go to sleep. Yup, that means saying no to Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.
• Regular exercise – mild (doing some much-needed housework) to moderate (running around the park) exercise to just physically tire yourself out.
• Moderate your caffeine, alcohol and nicotine intake. These can stimulate your biology in a variety of ways and impair your ability to sleep, and the quality.

These little lifestyle changes are just small steps to improving your sleep quality. Our postgraduate lives can be difficult and stressful. Universities across the UK are prioritising the importance of good mental health and wellbeing. This has led to the set-up of counselling services and support groups for everyone from carers, families and individuals. However, we also need to do what we can to look after our home life as well.