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Drinking yourself to sleep won''t work

With New Year nearly upon us, the temptation to knock back a few drinks before bedtime may be greater than usual.

However, with the festive season often meaning that many people drink to excess, sleep patterns could be taking a hit, explained sleep guru Anandi, from thesleepguru.co.uk.

She pointed out that although alcohol has sleep-inducing qualities at first, it will eventually cause us to wake up in the early hours, failing to give you the uninterrupted rest you need.

"It is now party season - you are out and about catching up with friends and having a good time - but don't be fooled that you can get by on just a few hours' sleep," the expert continued.

What many of us don't realise is just how important sleep is, Anandi pointed out, with good quality rest being as essential to everyday life as water and food.

She suggested that we can survive longer without food than we can without sleep, indicating just how crucial it is to everyday existence.

"So don't overdo it - be kind to your body and make sure it has time to recover from the festivities," Anandi said, adding that it is often difficult for us to catch up on lost sleep.

One thing to remember is that sleep needs to be regular, as the body has an internal clock known as circadian rhythm.

If we are always out of our natural rhythm, then our ability to rest will be adversely affected, therefore emphasising the need for us to go to bed early.

"Practicing yoga will help to improve your health and sleeping patterns - and the key to making this effective is remembering that you can transform yourself," Anandi commented.

So, before you reach for that extra drink over the coming days, think about whether it's worth losing sleep over.

Posted by Elizabeth Mewes