Mood boost: Examine your sleep

Health and fitness expert Alex Easby, from the Age of Fitness, says we should examine our sleep.

‘We all know we feel better when we've had a full, uninterrupted night's sleep, but do we truly understand what problems we're avoiding by hitting that magic eight hours? Sleep has an enormous impact on your health, can impact negatively on body fat levels, immune system, insulin levels and even skin tone. Just one night of inadequate sleep is enough to make you as insulin resistant as a type 2 diabetic, not to mention how it affects mood and energy levels the next day and beyond.

'Lack of sleep also results in an increase in the stress hormone, cortisol, which seriously effects the protein collagen, found in our skin. In a nutshell, not getting enough sleep in the long term leads to premature ageing.

'Typically, we have a lot going on in our every day lives and it's vital, if we're to get the most out of sleep and indeed the following day, that at least the hour before we go to sleep is calm, quiet and relaxing.

'Turn off the television, put down the alcohol and that late night snack. In fact, turning off any electrical equipment in the bedroom, at the plug, coupled with a good set of blackout curtains (don't let that pesky street lamp ruin your night) and you're in for a thoroughly restorative night's sleep’.