Sleep Better, Be Better

What is Sleep Better, Be Better about?

We want everyone to take steps towards getting a better night’s sleep, for people in Suffolk and beyond. Here you will find resources which you can share to:

• Raise awareness about the importance of sleep for mental and physical health
• Spread practical advice to promote good sleep
• Get involved with championing sleep in your family, organisation or community

Why is sleep so important?

To help you stay well, we at Suffolk Mind use an ‘organising idea’ that we all have physical and emotional needs and a set of skills and resources that we’re born with to meet those needs. This is the Emotional Needs & Resources approach. We have 12 physical and emotional needs. Sleep is one of those needs.

We all need the right amount of sleep in a 24-hour period, about eight hours for the average adult and less as we get older.

What can we do to sleep better?

Here are some pointers which are recommended by experts:

• Learn and practice relaxation exercises, such as 7/11 breathing, to help you to go off to sleep more easily
• Work on addressing unmet emotional needs – so that there is less to worry about!
• Have regular going to bed and getting times – and stick to them
• Cut down on caffeine in the second half of the day
• Get your room ready for bed. It needs to be cool, dark and well ventilated
• Avoid watching TV or internet surfing in the two hours before we go to bed
• Avoid using smartphones or tablets in bed

Find out more about the need for sleep

You can watch our series on sleep and metal health below, or follow our Youtube channel for more videos:

Help is at hand to get better sleep

For more information on how to meet your need for sleep, take a look at our resources hub for more blogs and support.

You can also sign up to become a Friend of Suffolk Mind, which gives you the opportunity to join our Sleep Well, Work Well workshop for free.