Sleep and your body

Snoring and tired? Get it checked

Tip: Do you snore loudly, stop breathing or feel very tired during the day? Get checked for sleep apnoea.

An estimated almost one billion people worldwide (aged 30–69) have sleep apnoea, and many do not know it. It increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

How to apply it: Ask your partner whether they hear breathing pauses. Discuss it with your GP.

Read more about snoring and sleep apnoea and sleep position.

Source: Benjafield et al., 2019, Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

Sleeping on your side can reduce snoring

Tip: Do you snore on your back? Try sleeping on your side.

In about half of people with sleep apnoea, the condition is worse lying on the back. On the side, the airway often stays more open.

How to apply it: Use a long body pillow or a positional backpack to avoid rolling onto your back. If you have symptoms, keep seeing a doctor.

Prefer sleeping on your stomach? Read stomach sleeping and snoring.

Source: Mador et al., 2005, Chest.

Losing weight helps with sleep apnoea

Tip: Overweight and snoring? Losing weight can help.

In a long-running study, 10% weight gain went together with about six times the odds of more severe sleep apnoea, and 10% weight loss with about 26% fewer breathing pauses.

How to apply it: Set small, achievable goals and ask your GP or a dietitian for guidance.

Read also sleep apnoea and sleep position.

Source: Peppard et al., 2000, JAMA.

Pain keeps you awake, and being awake makes pain worse

Tip: Find a comfortable sleeping position and talk to a healthcare provider about persistent pain at night.

Lack of sleep lowers your pain threshold, so the same stimulus hurts more. Sleep and pain influence each other in both directions.

How to apply it: Put a pillow between your knees when lying on your side or under your knees when lying on your back. Ask for an assessment if the pain persists.

Read also sleeping with back pain, neck pain and shoulder pain.

Source: Roehrs et al., 2006, Sleep.

Too hot? How to sleep cooler

Tip: Summer night: use a thin sheet, keep the window open and cool your room during the day.

Heat mainly disrupts deep sleep and REM. The body then finds it harder to let its temperature drop.

How to apply it: Close the curtains during the day, ventilate at night, stick a foot out from under the sheet and choose breathable bedding.

Source: Okamoto-Mizuno & Mizuno, 2012, Journal of Physiological Anthropology.

Sleeping pills: short-term, carefully and with advice

Tip: Only use sleep medication for a short time and on a doctor’s advice.

A review of studies in older people found a modest improvement in sleep, with a clear risk of falls and confusion.

How to apply it: Discuss alternatives such as CBT-I. Do not stop abruptly without consulting your doctor.

Source: Glass et al., 2005, BMJ.

Ill or getting vaccinated? Sleep counts double

Tip: Get extra sleep around a vaccination and when you are ill.

People with sleep loss produced less than half as many antibodies after a flu jab. In another study, people who slept less than 6 hours were more than 4 times as likely to catch a cold after exposure to the virus.

How to apply it: Plan at least 7–8 hours the night before and after, and do not keep going out when you are getting ill.

Source: Spiegel et al., 2002, JAMA. Prather et al., 2015, Sleep.

One bad night and your hunger shoots up

Tip: Know that you will be hungrier after a short night and prepare for it.

After a short night, people in a small study ate on average about 550 kcal extra and had more cravings for high-calorie food.

How to apply it: Have healthy snacks ready (nuts, fruit, yoghurt) and do not go shopping when you are tired.

Source: Brondel et al., 2010, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Greer et al., 2013, Nature Communications.