On average, we will spend 25-27 years of our lifetime with our head on a pillow, far away in dreamland. This shows the enormous dependence our body places on sleep. However, with a good night’s sleep increasingly losing out to the distractions of a modern life, more and more people are finding it difficult to turn off their internal mental chatter and get a full night’s sleep.

Beyond the bleary, blood shot eyes, a lack of sleep may have wide-ranging effects - it may make you cranky, moody, short tempered and less able to cope with stress. It may even trigger over-eating! When you’re sleep deprived, you can be less alert, your decision-making and performance can deteriorate and you may not even realise it. Sometimes you can get so used to sleeping less that you don’t attribute these things to a lack of sleep!

How Much Sleep Do We Need?
Generally, eight hours of sleep is considered to be a ‘good night’s sleep’. However, being the diverse creatures that we are, we know that this isn’t the case for everyone, some people need more and some need less sleep. And, if you suffer from difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, you are considered to have a ‘sleep problem’ of some sort.

Short-term Sleeplessness can last from a few nights to a few weeks. It usually arises from an event that causes worry, anxiety or excitement (e.g. wedding day or starting a new job). Chronic Sleeplessness can develop from poor sleeping habits (e.g. having children who wake during the night or irregular sleeping patterns caused by shift work) and anxiety about sleep. It can also be caused by distressing events such as divorce or bereavement. If this is the case, you may wish to seek counselling.

Common Causes Of Insomnia And Sleeplessness
• Medications – such as blood pressure medication or asthma medication
• Environmental changes – travel or jet lag
• Stressful events – life changes, grief, conflicts or pressures at work
• Psychological conditions – such as anxiety
• Hormonal imbalances – menopausal and menstrual changes
• Faulty sleeping habits – excessive daytime naps, caffeine and nicotine consumption late in the day
• Not having a peaceful sleeping environment.

Natural Plant Extracts That Help You Get A Better Nights Sleep
So what can you do to get a better night’s sleep tonight, so you can have a better tomorrow? Plant extracts such as Zizyphus from the red date have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for restlessness and insomnia, to promote sleep. Its sedative actions are believed to be drawn from its saponin content and triterpenes which also contribute to its calming nature. A new natural ingredient called Lactium has just been made available too - it may help alleviate stress, which is a major cause of sleeplessness. Lactium has also been trialled with both men and women showing supportive calming activity. Together, these ingredients form a two-pronged approach to getting a better night’s sleep.

Other common botanicals such as valerian, hops, oats, passion flower and chamomile are also of use to assist sleep. Formulations including these traditional ingredients may also provide relief.

You can also try the following tips:

• Establish a regular bedtime by going to bed at the same time every night.
• Get up at the same time every morning, even on weekends.
• Before going to bed, do something that relaxes you and takes your mind off any worries.
• Don’t watch TV, read a book or think about problems in bed. If you must do these things, go to another room to do it until you become sleepy.
• Keep your bedroom quiet, dark, cool and conducive to sleeping.
• If you’re a worrier, write problems down before going to bed, together with possible solutions.
• Don’t stay awake in bed. If you aren’t asleep within 15 minutes of getting into bed, get up and do something relaxing until you become sleepy again.
• Avoid alcohol – its sedative actions are short-lived, meanwhile your bladder fills and it’s time to get up again. Alcohol often leads to a broken nights sleep.