Sleep Well - Pillar 1 of the New 5-a-day

Here's a "hot take" - sleep is important.

No - stay with me, we will get deeper soon.

Anyone who has experienced the deep revitalising freshness of waking up from a great night's sleep will know this - as will anyone who has experienced the groggy brain-fog from dragging yourself out of bed from a rough night, shortened by work commitments, or disrupted by crying babies, shouting neighbours, or pressing bladders…

But what is a "good" sleep?  And if we all need 7-9 hours' sleep per night, why is a 20-minute nap better than a one-hour nap?  Why are some people night-owls, and some early-birds - and how can you tell which one you are and what to do about it?  Do teenagers really need more sleep than adults (quick answer: Yes!), and how can we optimise sleep when we can't always choose our bed-times - whether this is as shift-workers, or parents, caring for others, or recovering from jet-lag?

Once again, the interweb is full of really very-well researched advice and reports about sleep and how to sleep well.  A quick search for the term "sleep" on Pubmed immediately returns 351,721 results as of the time of writing - and that is Pubmed - a reliable source of scientifically valid, dependable, quality research.  The options for those looking to optimise are endless - and it is so easy to get lost, side-tracked, or simply to throw up your hands and give up!

Here at The New 5-A-Day, we have very intentionally chosen "Sleep Well" as the first of our guides - because we truly believe that EVERYTHING else is built on a solid base of good sleep.  We're building a Wellness Palace here - a beautiful place for everyone to be their best and enjoy their days - and every Palace has to be built on the firmest of foundations, and we truly believe that sleeping well drives these foundations deep into the bedrock.

We will look at the hints and the hacks; we'll try different techniques and share how we feel; we'll look into the research, boil it down and share it here for you to do with what you will.  All we ask is that you hear us out, try what looks good for you, and maybe share your experiences in the chat.