Sleep Profiler

Your profile summary

Your sleep is very well optimised, scoring 81 %.

You said you sometimes have a problem with sleep, though you are not at all sleepy during the day, which indicates your body is getting the sleep it needs. Quality of sleep is more important than quantity. You may find your personalised advice below useful for the odd bad night.

Body and Health

You are an "Owl"

• You are built to be at your best later in the day. Surprisingly, it also means your body clock is more flexible than people with standard or lark-like body clocks.
• Ideally, people should wake at the same time everyday, but being an owl, you can probably cope quite well when your sleep pattern is disrupted.

Environment

Sharing your bed could be disrupting your sleep

• You said your partner wakes you - if you want things to change take an honest look at what is causing the disturbances and work together to overcome them.
• Consider differences in body weight, as different levels of support on your mattress maybe the answer. Purchasing two single (different) mattresses for a double bed may help to accomodate different needs and levels of support.
• How about inviting your partner to try the Sleep Profiler?

Making your bedroom more comfortable

• As you've noticed, temperature has a big influence on how well you sleep. The body needs to cool by about 0.5°C at the start of sleep.
• If the weather's too hot, it will be difficult to cool, even by this small amount. Keep the window open and buy a fan.
• If it's too cold, your body will be working extra hard to produce heat, keeping your core temperature up.
• Think about what you wear in bed. Breathable natural materials such as cotton are best for comfort.

Lifestyle

Your work hours don't suit your natural rhythm.

• You're an "owl" (i.e. best in the evening) but you have to get up early - a difficult combination.
• To help in the morning try leaving your bedroom curtains open, allowing the natural light to wake you up (this works best in summer of course). As soon as possible after waking, follow this up with a walk outside. Exposure to daylight can help you feel more awake and alert. In winter, try to become active and busy as soon as possible.
• Getting up at the same time every day helps to anchor your body clock to a time more suited to your life style. This includes weekends and holidays; resisting the urge for a lie-in can pay dividends in alertness.
• Routine can also help alleviate the effects of not being at your best in the morning. Try setting the breakfast table and preparing your work things the night before. That way, on the following morning you carry out all the tasks without needing too much brain power.

Exercise routines can help

• Regular exercise is a great way of improving your sleep - but be careful not to exercise close to bed time as this produces stimulants that stop the brain from relaxing quickly.

You regularly drink coffee or consume caffeine

• You use one of the oldest and best short-term cures for sleepiness: caffeine.
• Caffeine stays in your system for many hours, but is active in your brain for only about an hour. However, having large amounts of caffeine in your system will disturb your sleep.
• If keeping alert is your goal and you want to cut down your caffeine intake, try taking a short nap when you feel sleepy.
• Current research shows a short 15 minute nap is more effective than a cappuccino at beating tiredness.

Sleep profiler