LIFESTYLE: SLEEP ROUTINE

A good night’s sleep is something that should come naturally. That being said, many people struggle to stick to an adequate sleep routine that allows them to get a restful night’s sleep. The typical working week is dependent on a strict structure of eight hours of work, eight hours of leisure, and eight hours of sleep for five days of the week. But what happens when this traditional schedule is broken? Whether by choice or by extenuating circumstances, does the conventional working week work for everyone?

Leyao Xia, an artist and student at Manchester Metropolitan University, has struggled with her sleep routine since lockdown measures forced her inside. Leyao says: “I’ve been going to bed at 4am or 5am and sleeping until 3pm. I don’t know how to change it. When I get up at 3pm, especially in winter, I never see the sun. It’s difficult.”

Leyao’s digital work has focused on the anxiety surrounding deadlines and routine, a sentiment that reflects the often chaotic lifestyle of an artist, since the typical traditional working week often excludes those in the more creative vocations. “I adjust my schedule flexibly according to my clients and tutors, rather than a typical working week. If I need to meet my tutors and clients on Monday, I work on weekends to prepare my work, then have a rest on Tuesday and Wednesday instead,” says Leyao.

With our professional, leisure and academic lives moving to online spaces, maintaining a schedule of any kind makes life difficult and disrupts the typical routines that we have become accustomed to. Although this has caused issues with eating, sleeping and working harmoniously for some, others have found this break in the system to be beneficial.

Dr Dimitri Gavriloff, a senior clinical psychologist who specialises in sleep medicine, focuses on how important day and night routine is to sleep. Gavriloff comments on the disruption caused to sleep and work schedules by COVID-19. “This is often talked about in very negative terms for obvious reasons, but there are some positives to having flexibility around when and how you work.

“As humans, we are dependent on sleep to be able to function efficiently throughout the day and when this rest is staggered or changed, we feel the repercussions. Being able to work on our ‘natural chronotype’ means that we are getting the sleep we need, when we need it, and working efficiently throughout the day,” says Dr Gavriloff.

“Chronotypes refer to your natural body block preference,” he adds. “Particularly for those who like to go to sleep very late, they have traditionally suffered because they have to fit in with a very Victorian routine. That is not their fault, that’s their biological preference. These people benefit from the relaxation of the scheduling.”

Changing and reorganising your routine can lead to sleep disruption, says Dr Gavriloff. “The body and brain enjoy routine and healthy sleep, so it’s best to make a schedule as predictable as possible.”

This often becomes difficult for students and artists, such as Leyao, who suffer from the societal scheduling imposed upon them. Due to the nature of their work and the scheduling that goes along with it, artists and students tend to alter and reorganise their schedules depending on when work is due. This often means working extremely late, staying awake longer, and attempting to rectify this mistake by sleeping in the next day.

“When a piece of work needs to be done immediately, I choose to sacrifice my sleep,” says Leyao.

Of course, there are other factors that may hinder the ability to sleep easily, such as stress and anxiety, but tackling those that we can control will promote better overall wellbeing. A realistic schedule gives you the freedom to find a routine that works for your chronotype, especially when the overarching societal schedule has been disrupted.

Dr Gavriloff suggests that in order to develop a healthy sleep routine it’s important to be in tune with your body and it’s needs. Many ignore the ques from our mind and body that signal when we are tired, hungry, or stressed. This can cause mood fluctuations, unhealthy habits, and our routine to be affected.

“It’s important to be relatively regular when you eat your meals, wind down, and go to bed when you feel sleepy, rather than going because the clock says it’s time. Try and make things as predictable as possible for the brain and body.”

Words - Sara Fisher Illustrations - Leyao Xia Design - Christopher Goggs