The facts about sleep

There are two main types of sleep:

• Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep: During REM sleep, our muscles become relaxed, our eyes move very quickly, and our bodies become temporarily paralysed. We normally only spend a short time in REM sleep – about 25%. REM sleep is also the stage of sleep where we are most likely to dream.
• Non-Rapid Eye Movement (non-REM) sleep
• Stage 1: This is very light sleep, often that period when you are dozing off yet still semi-conscious. We start to experience very small changes to brain activity in this stage.
• Stage 2: This sleep stage is what we often picture when someone is asleep and no longer aware of their environment. In this stage, breathing and heart rate slows, muscles stay relaxed and body temperature drops.
• ​​​​​​​Stage 3: This is the deep sleep stage, where we are least likely to be woken up. This sleep stage helps our bodies recover and grow and helps boost our immune system. In this stage, we become even more relaxed, our blood pressure gets lower, and our breathing and heart rate become even more slower.
• Did you know: The average sleep cycle lasts 90 minutes and most people will normally have 4-6 sleep cycles a night.

How much sleep do we need?

Typically, it is recommended we get the following hours of sleep:

• 9-12 hours for primary school aged children (6-12 yrs)
• 8-10 hours for teenagers (13-18yrs)
• 7+ hours for adults (18 yrs+)

While the number of hours of sleep recommended reduces over time, there are many individual reasons (see below) including your genetics which might mean the amount of sleep needed is slightly more than other people your age.

Consider the following examples:

• having one or more health problems, especially ones that require you to rest regularly
• having a sleep disorder
• noticing you *need* your caffeine buzz to get through your daily tasks.
• needing more hours of sleep to be able to kickstart your day
• noticing you tend to sleep in more and for longer periods of time when you can.
• having a physically demanding job and/or playing sports regularly

Don’t be afraid to experiment and work out what your “ideal” number of hours is when it comes to sleep. The key will be consistency to truly work out what is right for you and your lifestyle.

So, how can I work out the cause of my ongoing issues with sleep?
Sleep problems are very common and getting support is important to reduce possible serious health consequences.

When trying to work out possible causes, first ask yourself:

Has there been any recent temporary or permanent changes in your life?

Consider:

• recent travel or currently being away
• changes to your diet
• increased stress
• noise disruptions, for example road works
• shift work
• changes in work hours or longer work days
• recent or current sickness
• low iron levels
• impact of health problems on sleep interruptions, for example, experiencing hypos while asleep, waking due to pain, frequently getting up to use the toilet

The examples above are only some factors which may be affecting your sleep and overall sleep quality.

For other people, sleep may be affected due to having an underlying sleep condition, being impacted by insomnia, or having regular nightmares. Insomnia is present when people consistently report challenges for at least one month with:

• falling asleep
• staying asleep
• returning to sleep when woken up

Insomnia can often be linked with other mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Did you know: It is common to wake up multiple times a night. However, for most people, they won’t remember and can roll over and fall asleep again quite quickly.

When and how to get help?

It is very important to get help especially when you or others start to notice regular patterns of poor or irregular sleep. Usually, the first stop would be to see your local doctor or GP to make sure there isn’t anything else that could be explaining your current concerns. Your GP may suggest or recommend any of the following below, depending on what could be the cause:

• blood tests
• scans
• referral to a sleep doctor
• referral to complete a sleep study
• medications
• referral to a mental health professional, such as a psychologist

A referral to a psychologist can be useful in helping to:

• build coping skills to help manage stress
• support other mental health problems
• improve sleep habits
• shift worry and anxiety related to sleeping
• helping reframe unhelpful thoughts especially related to sleep and bedtime routines

Learn more here about the benefits of seeing a diabetes-specific psychologist or head to Diabetes Victoria Clinic for information about our psychology service.

Finally, whether you have any sleep related concerns or not, creating healthy sleeping habits are key and is the first step in getting a good night’s sleep.

Click on the link below to find out 15 different tips to help improve your sleep hygiene.

Click Here for Sleep Hygiene Tips

Resources

For more information and resources on sleep, check out the following below:

Sleep Health Foundation | Australia's Leading Advocate for Healthy Sleep

Best Sleep Apps of 2024 | Sleep Foundation

Sleep Diary (health.wa.gov.au)

Please note the information above is intended as general information only. Please consult a doctor or health professional for more targeted and specific advice for your circumstances.