It refreshes the mind and repairs the body. Most scientists agree that sleep is important for restoring physical and mental health. I am still amazed by the difference that good sleep makes, grateful for the sense of security that knowing that I will sleep deeply and wake refreshed provides.Īnna McKay is co-inventor of the Zeez Sleep Pebble and will be at the Dementia and Care Expo Stand D553.Sleep is as essential for good health as oxygen, food and water. For me now, bed is a wonderful sanctuary, and sleep is to be relished. Good quality sleep is achievable at any age. I am proud of the results we have had with people with Parkinson’s and dementia. No headset, no electrodes, no currents through the brain. My own North London start-up developed the Zeez Sleep Pebble, an under the pillow device that uses extremely low power pulses which match the frequencies of good sleep to prompt good sleep patterns.
![not enough deep sleep not enough deep sleep](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/swckEczgD5upgQUa774yN8-970-80.jpg)
I just don’t like the idea of a current through my brain. These devices are safe, but still, I can’t bring myself to try them. All to influence the brain and enhance sleep. Other devices, including the NeoPhythm, use powerful magnetic fields to induce electrical changes in the brain. The Modius headset sends an electrical pulse into the vestibular nerve. The Fischer Wallace and Alpha–Stim devices pass electrical currents through the brain to stimulate specific nerve cells. This technique isn’t suitable if we already lack sufficient deep sleep brainwaves. Tubingen University pioneered the use of sound to amplify the power of deep sleep brainwaves, reflected in the Philips and Dreem headbands. Sleeping pills tend to damage rather than enhance sleep quality, increasing our risk of dementia. These techniques often work, especially if used along with other methods. Sleep hygiene, cognitive behaviour therapy and mindfulness can all calm our mind.
#Not enough deep sleep skin
Go outside in the morning, spend 1/2 hour in the sunshine with your skin exposed whenever your shadow is shorter than you, and reduce screen time at night. Night-time ”blue” light from screens decreases our melatonin and disrupts our circadian clocks. Lack of daylight and sunlight limit our ability to make Vitamin D, serotonin and sleep hormone melatonin. It can’t function properly if we are dehydrated. 80% of us lack magnesium and given its role in relaxation and sleep it can be particularly useful.ĭeep sleep is a demanding activity for the brain. If you wake in the night, stick to protein and vegetables in the evening, with good fats to provide the energy that we need to sleep well.Ĭonsider your need for Vitamin D, B12, B6, magnesium, iodine and selenium, all essential for good sleep. Sugar and carbs fragment sleep and lighten sleep quality. How can we improve our sleep? These strategies can help:
![not enough deep sleep not enough deep sleep](https://latenightparents.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Screen-Shot-2020-08-08-at-12.19.07-AM-934x1024.png)
For many of us, deep sleep decreases with age, Patterns of too-light sleep resulting from listening out for young children, stress, or diet become hard to shift although we have the capacity to sleep deeply at any age. In deep sleep, our brain activity slows to 0.5 - 4 Hz. When we are thinking, stressed, busy, our brain produces fast “beta” brainwaves, around 13-30 pulses / second (12-30Hz). Our consciousness is disengaged, but the electrical power of the brain during deep sleep is greater than at any other time of day. Think sleep is a time when the brain switches off? No.
![not enough deep sleep not enough deep sleep](https://www.wakefit.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/The-Deep-Connection-Between-Sleep-And-Mental-Health.jpg)
#Not enough deep sleep how to
The spectre of dementia- linked proteins building up inexorably in my brain haunted me until I leant how to sleep.ĭeep sleep is clearly important, but what is it, exactly?ĭeep sleep is the slowest, most powerful stage of our sleep. A lack of deep sleep is associated with greatly increased risks of certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes, dementia, mental health issues, and obesity. During deep sleep muscles repair, our immune system functions most effectively, memories are laid down, and protein debris is removed from the brain. Groan when you hear the alarm, put it on snooze, and eventually crawl towards the coffee? You didn’t.ĭeep sleep is vital to our health and wellbeing, and it is no wonder that we feel awful if we don’t get enough. Bounce out of bed, ready for the day? You slept fine.