When should I sleep?

Our levels of alertness and attention are influenced by our circadian rhythms, as shown in the figure below. Circadian rhythms allow us to feel more alert during the day and less alert during the evening. This is the primary reason it is difficult to stay awake at night and why we may struggle to sleep…

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Optimising sleep for night shift

In a 2018 article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ 2018;360:j5637 doi: 10.1136/bmj.j5637 [Published 1 March 2018]) the topic of optimsing sleep for night shift was covered with the aim……

What is fatigue?

Fatigue is not a condition, but rather a symptom of many different situations, illnesses or conditions and can be defined quite simply as a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack……

An introduction to sleep

Sleep is common throughout the animal kingdom. We do know there is still a lot to be leaned about sleep, despite considerable research. All animals require sleep and no permanent……

Napping

Effective napping is a skill, which cannot be achieved by everyone. Napping cannot replace sleep, but can assist in times of sleep debt, extreme tiredness and/or when heightened alertness is……

Mood & physical activity

Think about the last time you took a brisk walk. How did you feel afterwards? I bet you felt good! You don’t have to wait for the good feeling physical……

Exercise and sleep

Regular exercise can considerably improve the quality and quantity of sleep, as well as, having other benefits to general health and wellbeing. Exercise improves sleep by improving the release and……

Is it possible to have too much sleep each night?

It is still largely unknown how many exact hours of sleep per day are needed in adults, according to their age, their environmental and socio-cultural characteristics. It is generally cited……

Building fatigue resilient workplaces

Imagine being able to do everything in your working and personal life without thinking: “I don’t have the energy to do this”? The good news is that you can take……

Sleep debt

Sleep debt is the cumulative effect of not getting enough sleep. Two kinds of sleep debt have been proposed: 1) partial sleep deprivation; or 2) total sleep deprivation. Partial sleep……

Sleep medication

Sleeping medication may be helpful to overcome short term needs or significant life events, such as grief or high stress events. Sleeping medication can be used to improve sleep quantity……