Professor Colin A Espie
Professor of Sleep Medicine, Sir Jules Thorn Sleep & Circadian Neuroscience Institute,
and Senior Research Fellow, Somerville College, University of Oxford
Professor Daniel J Smith
Chair of Psychiatry and Head of the Division of Psychiatry
Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh
Learn the science behind sleep. Personalise your routine based on your unique needs and chronotype to optimise sleep quality and overall health.
We need oxygen to breathe, food to eat and water to drink, but sleep is often overlooked as another fundamental of life. Sleep enables us to function on a day-to-day basis. Our physical, cognitive and emotional health also depend on getting sufficient sleep of the right quality.
How much sleep, and when should we sleep?
Sometimes, sleep needs are oversimplified — reduced to social media trends or a gimmicky solution. However, science tells us that there is no single answer to these two questions. We have individualised requirements for the sleep that we personally need, as well as the best timing for our sleep.
Although sleep is essential for everyone, we are not identical sleepers, just as we are not the same in any other way. Consider even your shoe size. How do you know what it is? Did someone tell you? No, you always try shoes on because styles vary if you want a comfortable fit.
Although sleep is essential for everyone,
we are not identical sleepers, just as we
are not the same in any other way.
Find your best sleep fit
Personalising sleep is about experimenting, and World Sleep Day offers an opportunity for you to become your own scientist. How long do you need to be in bed to get enough sleep? You need to prioritise getting enough sleep; but if you are willing to take time to discover your best ‘sleep window,’ you will find your best sleep fit. Personalising is also about differences in our ‘circadian chronotype.’ That is, when is the best time for you to go to bed and get up?
Embrace your chronotype for better sleep
‘Night owls’ begin to feel sleepy later in the evening and feel sleepy for longer into the morning. ‘Morning larks’ are the opposite; feeling sleepy earlier in the evening and waking earlier in the morning. To some extent, these chronotypes are ‘hard-wired,’ but they are not necessarily set forever: most teenagers are night owls, and we all become morning larks as we get older.
Accept who you are and personalise your sleep by getting the sleep that you require — and when you require it. You will then find that the amount of sleep you need, and your experience of sleep quality, will begin to match up. The ‘5 principles’ of good sleep health can help you with more in-depth information.
