One of the critical pillars of mental wellbeing is sleep.

At ConnectedLE, we use science to support young people and adults to prioritise sleep.  Our online training explores the research, backing up the importance of quality sleep.

Poor sleep health can have multiple significant impacts on human health.

• Poor sleep has been linked to obesity¹, diabetes², coronary artery disease, and cardiovascular mortality³.
• Poor sleep can lower immune response, creating greater susceptibility to infections⁴.

Our training courses incorporate a module on psychosocial wellbeing and provide the latest evidence on how best to optimise wellbeing, including ways to improve sleep hygiene. From our youngest Teddy Bear Care ‘sleep champions’ – primary school aged children who are levelling up their healthy habits delivered by Wellbeing Coaches (in collaboration with our RFDS-QLD section and WQPHN); to our university students, school teachers and everyday connectors (our learners), who are using science to build their mental fitness and improve sleep hygiene.  You too can make a big difference to your sleep, but you must be pro-active.

On World Sleep Day, use the time to boost your mental wellbeing with these ConnectedLE tips:

• Try to stick to the same waking/sleeping times to ensure your circadian rhythm is optimal.
• Aim to get 5-10 mins of morning and afternoon sun.
• Turn your phone notifications to silent at night – if you can, keep your phone out of your bedroom (buy an old-school alarm clock).
• Read/listen to Dr Matthew Walker – author of ‘Why we sleep’.
• Try the calm app for a peaceful meditation or night time story at:  www.calm.com
• Have a simple brain friendly ritual to let your brain know it is time to wind down at night (eg. hot bath/shower, turning down lights in your home, lavender spray, reading a book).
• Try to not eat 2 hours prior to bedtime.
• Avoid substances that discourage sleep – decrease alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine
• Try to exercise regularly
• If you are in the middle of an intense study period, have a look at our Sleep Tips for Study infographic, which you can download for free

[1] Chaput, JP., McHill, A.W., Cox, R.C. et al. (2023) The role of insufficient sleep and circadian misalignment in obesity. Nat Rev Endocrinol 19, 82–97. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-022-00747-7

[2] Li, J., Cao, D., Huang, Y. et al. (2022) Sleep duration and health outcomes: an umbrella review. Sleep Breath 26, 1479–1501. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-021-02458-1

[3] Covassin N and Singh P. Sleep Duration and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Epidemiologic and Experimental Evidence. (2016) Sleep Med Clin 11: 81-89. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2015.10.007

[4] Nedergaard M and Goldman SA. Glymphatic failure as a final common pathway to dementia. (2020) Science, 370, 50-56. DOI: 10.1126/science.abb8739.