Supercharge your sleep this winter

We need more sleep when the days become shorter, say the experts. Here's how to make sure you get quality shut-eye from tonight

-  TANYA PEAREY

We need sleep. Anyone who has struggled with insomnia knows what an impact it can have on all aspects of our lives. 'Sleep is fundamental for our physical and mental health,' says physiologist and sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan*. 'When we achieve consistent, good-quality sleep, we have the physical and mental ability to deal with the burden of uncertain times. Simply put, we need sleep to get us through our waking hours.

And, studies suggest, we need more of it in winter. New research of people undergoing sleep studies at St Hedwig Hospital, in Germany, found that they slept about an hour longer in winter and, more significantly, spent more time in deeper, restorative REM sleep (by about 30 minutes). REM sleep is linked to the circadian clock and changes according to the light.

GET OUT THERE!

With the colder, darker days upon us, it might be more appealing to curl up in a warm, comfy bed. But do you have trouble drifting off? Or do you wake at 3am and toss and turn for an hour or two? You're not alone. Millions of us have trouble with sleeping. 'The most common sleep problems are falling asleep or waking between 2am and 4am, and then struggling to drift back to sleep,' says Dr Ramlakhan.