Regular and quality sleep crucial for safeguarding long-term health

Social care provider Newcross Healthcare Solutions are looking to highlight the importance of quality sleep within busy care environments, challenging care providers to consider whether their occupants are receiving ‘a good night’s sleep’ on a regular basis.

Supporting the work of the Sleep Council, the provider has taken to social media to discuss and inspire debate on the issue, raising topics that include how the movements of staff and other residents at night can impact on sleep patterns, as well as the difficulty of sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings.

Numerous experts have made their contribution to the work of the Sleep Council, who are looking to promote the ‘3Rs of sleep’, as ‘regular hours, routine and a restful environment’.

One such expert is chief de-stressing officer of The Stress Management Society, Neil Shah, who comments, “When it comes to sleep, it’s all about quality rather than quantity. Due to fast paced lifestyles and busy schedules, most people suffer from sleep deficit during the week, so an extra hour in bed at weekend can help them to catch up.

“Sleep plays a big role in the recovery of brain functions such as memory, the immune system and other vital functions. People should aim to achieve quality sleep every night, however, not just at weekends. And even for those who have a good sleep pattern, the extra hour simply relaxing in bed can be a way to unwind and relax the mind and body.”

On learning how lack of sleep can impact on cognitive ability, heart disease, obesity and diabetes, Newcross are keen to see the importance of a relaxing nightly environment promoted throughout the care sector and considered within nursing operations that continue round-the-clock.

Key recommendations from the provider include: the maintaining of low-level lighting, a minimal noisy items within clothing, regular discussion with patients that focuses on relieving any stress or anxiety they might be feeling, and bed-time routines that mimic home life.

Professor Kevin Morgan, of the Loughborough Sleep Research Centre, comments, “Being in bed for longer isn’t just about a quantum of sleep. Beds are places where far more than just sleep happens and the overall experience of staying in bed longer contributes to our health and well-being.”