Most students around the country are enjoying their first half-term break of this academic year, and many are looking forward to spending time with friends, holidaying abroad, or pursuing their hobbies – yet one thing most are looking forward to is the opportunity to sleep in.

Many are taking advantage of this week-long break to repay the “sleep debt” they’ve accumulated from skimping on sleep on school days.

This trend isn’t unique to students; many adults, especially those with demanding schedules, suffer from a lack of sleep regularly too. 

Do you notice people around you looking half-asleep in the mornings?

According to a 2022 survey by YouGov, 70% of adults in the UK get seven hours of sleep or below nightly – the NHS recommends adults to get between seven to nine hours of slumber daily.

On top of that, in the same YouGov survey, nearly half of respondents reported that they believe that they do not get enough sleep each night, indicating a trend where many do not get the amount of sleep that their bodies require. 

It goes without saying that sleep is crucial for a person’s mental, physical, and emotional well-being, so the general trend of a lack of sleep amongst Britons is a worrying one. 

The benefits of sleep

Getting enough sleep is directly correlated to improved focus and concentration, and boosts performances in settings such as school, work, and sports.

On the contrary, sleep deprivation hampers your attention span and cognitive abilities, increasing the risk of accidents, poor performance, your decision-making abilities, and your reaction time.

This is especially dangerous if you are a driver – according to the Sleep Federation, being awake for 20 hours is equivalent to a blood alcohol reading of 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, which is the legal limit for driving in England.

Sleep deprivation is also linked to an increased risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke.

Your heart rate and blood pressure drops while you rest, allowing your heart to rest and recuperate; a lack of sleep prevents your heart from doing so, and thus increases your risk for long-term cardiovascular problems.

Getting a good night’s rest is also linked to reducing a person’s stress levels, which improves your mental well-being. 

Improving your quality of sleep

Reduce blue light intake an hour before bed

‘Blue light’ refers to a wavelength of light that is emitted by artificial light sources, which includes your devices, such as tablets, phones, and televisions. 

It has shown to negatively affect your circadian rhythm and sleep quality, causing you to have trouble with falling asleep as well as waking up feeling tired. 

To combat the effects of blue light on your sleep, it is advisable to put your devices away at least an hour before your bedtime, minimising the impacts of blue light on your sleep.

59 percent of secondary school students reported that they used screens (such as computers, tablets, phones, television) just before bed, which is worrying considering how big an effect it has on their sleep.

It takes some self-control to put your devices away, and it takes time to break your habit of using your phone, but with practice it can be done.

If you’re not ready to go cold-turkey with your phone, you can turn on a yellow tint on your device designed to reduce blue light emissions — this is labelled as ‘night light’ on devices such as iPhones and some Windows PCs. 

Even though this isn’t as effective as avoiding device use altogether, it has shown to have some positive effect on sleep quality. 

Keeping a regular routine, even on weekends

Our circadian rhythms are the clocks in our bodies that run on 24-hour cycles, signalling to our bodies when we should feel awake or tired.

According to a 2022 YouGov study, nearly three in ten people go to bed at different times each night, showing that it is not uncommon for Britons to lack a solid sleep schedule. 

It’s really important to keep a regular sleep schedule so that you don’t throw your circadian rhythm off, which would make it more difficult for you to fall asleep at night or get through your day without nodding off. 

It requires lots of self-discipline to adhere to a schedule and go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, which, when you’re still trying to adjust to having a solid schedule, is especially exacerbated by grogginess and tiredness when you wake up, or being overly energetic when you’re meant to be in bed.

However, you reap what you sow – it will pay off in the long run as your sleep quality would improve, benefitting many aspects of your day-to-day life.

As much as getting adequate sleep is difficult, its innumerous benefits show that it is much better for your long-term wellbeing, health, and academics if you improve your sleep.

As such, you could take small steps to improve your sleep duration and sleep quality, which would allow you to perform better when you’re awake.