Why is sleep part of this fitness challenge?

Sometimes people talk about having a general anaesthetic as ‘having a sleep for an operation’. It turns out it is not really like your normal sleep. It is more like carefully controlled unconsciousness with very particular medicines and loooooots of monitoring.

Actual sleep is really important though. When we came up with an idea for a fundraising challenge that might just help people be healthy, sleep seemed like a natural fit.

What’s so important about sleep?

Sleep is just another part of the day where you are incredibly active. It is just a different sort of active that is a really important part of regeneration. Your brain will be spending time organising nerve cells, regulating hormones and undertaking a bit of repair. Sleep is also important to processing memories and learning new skills. It is not just a time for switching off. It is actually part of you learning and thriving.

 Good sleep is about a lot more than just being able to stay focussed through that next Zoom meeting. It’s about your health.

How much do you need?

This varies from person to person though there are some average figures worth keeping in mind. Newborns may need as much as 14-17 hours of sleep per day. By the time of hitting preschool that has downsized to around 10-13 hours. By the time you’re in the prime tenager years of 14-17 the recommendation is 8-10 hours while most adults will fit into the 7-9 hour mark.

Any tips?

We get it. Life is busy and getting that sleep can be challenging. So here are a few things to consider trying:

·      Try to set an ideal sleep schedule and stick to it each day. That includes weekends.

·      An alarm to give you a gentle nudge that it’s time to wind down might help with that too.

·      Set-up a wind-down routine for an hour before bedtime. Dim the lights, read a book, chat with a friend or even just think about the great parts of the day.

·      Avoid things that wind you up – just before bed is maybe not the best time to watch a scary movie.

If you have any other tips that work for you we’d love to hear them. We could all use the help.

 And maybe this challenge is just the time to start your sleep schedule. Or host a sleepover. (You could even try to make it one where you actually sleep!) Get those hours sponsored to give you that extra bit of motivation and raise some money for sick kids.