The Fabulous Pharmacist: Here’s how to fall asleep faster, and better

Our guest columnist Laura Dowling gets real about the art of sleep, the impact of a good night's shuteye on our overall health, and why naps are king

Laura Dowling says getting into a routine every night is vital. Picture: Moya Nolan

Writer Tom Hodgkinson once said, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough take a nap,’ and he wasn’t wrong.

Sleep is one of the main cornerstones of good health. It's how our body rejuvenates. It’s how our cells regenerate. From our metabolism to our mental health, sleep is central to how we perform during the day.

But in our ‘always on’ culture, we are not getting enough of it. 

It's time we scrubbed up on our sleep hygiene — a term describing the healthy habits you can practice during the day to help you drift off at night. 

Sleep isn't uniform. During a typical night, we go through four to six sleep cycles. Not all cycles are the same length but they can last about 90 minutes. If one of these cycles is interrupted, you will likely wake up feeling less than refreshed. 

Hormonal fluctuations during perimenopause and menopause can affect sleep. Night sweats can cause us to wake up and find it tough to fall back asleep. (Hello, 4am anxiety.) 

When perimenopausal women come into the pharmacy and say they can’t sleep, we’ll often explain it’s one of the symptoms of hormone changes. When they start HRT, their sleep may be restored, and it can be life-changing. There’s a reason sleep deprivation is used as a torture device.

What does good sleep hygiene look like?

It's a good idea to get proper sleep hygiene in place. This includes bathing or showering before bed.  Heating the body and cooling it down releases a natural sleep hormone or melatonin in your brain that sets you up well for sleep. That’s why many people bathe babies at night. 

Getting into a routine every night is vital. Try to fall asleep at the same time each night too. If you go to bed at 11.30  every night and then pare it back by an hour for seven nights, that’s an entire extra night’s sleep a week that you are gaining.

You can do simple things to create a sense of calm: no caffeine after a specific time, have some warm milk or camomile tea, bring a book to bed rather than your phone, and reduce alcohol. (Alcohol can make you feel sleepy, but it’s less restorative because it can affect your sleep cycle, waking you up early.)

When perimenopausal women come into the pharmacy and say they can’t sleep, we’ll often explain it’s one of the symptoms of hormone changes. When they start HRT, their sleep is usually restored, and it can be life-changing

Naps are also very important. It's fantastic if you can fit them in daily, but even 15 minutes on the weekends can help.  You can feel groggy if you sleep too long so set your alarm for 20 minutes. It might just give you the boost you need. Obviously, if you work from home, this might be possible, but I can’t see myself taking a quick nap down at the dispensary.

Are sleep aids beneficial?

Natural, non-pharmacological remedies like magnesium and herbal remedies can help with fatigue. There are also OTC medical preparations such as drowsy antihistamines and prescription sedatives or sleeping tablets. Medicines should only be used to kickstart a good sleep cycle or routine. They are not for long-term use as you can become dependent on them and find it difficult to sleep without them. 

In the past, a six-month prescription for sleeping tablets was not unusual. But now we mainly see prescriptions for short-term use (seven to 14 days) because we understand we should not rely on them where possible. 

There are those who suffer from chronic insomnia or have mental health issues or others who may find it difficult to switch off.  I remember asking a college lecturer years ago if you get high-quality sleep while on sleeping tablets. But they said that when all is said and done, the most important thing is that you’ve slept.

The problem is that we live in a hustle culture where we run around all day, and then fall into bed late at night exhausted. 

 Teens aged 13 to 18 should get eight to ten hours every night. So that means if your teenager gets up at 7am, they should be asleep by 9 pm. (The best of luck with that one.)

Many people wake up with low energy because they haven’t slept enough. It feeds into the rest of their day. They reach for the biscuits; they need that spike of sugar. Then, they are too lethargic to exercise. 

But if they sleep well, they wake up feeling fresher, in a better mood, with more energy, and less inclined to make poor food choices.

What if there are just not enough hours in the day to fit everything in, including sleep?

This is why we need to look at how we live our lives. The amount people do nowadays is shocking. After-school activities are never-ending, and there’s this type of helicopter parenting where parents are expected to be at every single event. 

Sometimes, we just need to sit around the house doing nothing. There’s a pressure to feel like you have to be super productive every moment of the day and you are ‘less than’ if you don’t.

Online, all you see is the highlights of people’s lives, especially when they are most productive. That’s not real life. Let’s all vow to take more naps and sometimes just lie on the couch and do nothing.