The start of a new year prompts many of us to reflect on our bad habits and instil better ones, particularly with regards to our health. With the winter months also leaving many of us wanting to curl up like dormice and sleep, this is the perfect moment to explore how to get the most from that sleep and understand how ‘better sleep’ can fundamentally improve our health and wellbeing.
That’s why we are pleased to be supporting a brand new 3-minute animation from Professor Colin Espie on his 5 Principles of Good Sleep Health – valuing, prioritising, personalising, protecting and trusting sleep. These principles are a framework for good sleep health to be used at all ages and stages of life whether you’re a teenage or a sleep deprived parent, if you’re struggling with working night shifts or navigating the menopause. They apply to everyone and are practical to use.
Colin says: “I have spent the past 45 years emphasising that sleep is fundamental to our health and everyday function. Yet as a society most of us still don’t get full benefit from our sleep, and many people really struggle with insomnia. People often ask me, ‘what are the key ingredients of good sleep?” So, here is my answer.”
The animation aims to help people to understand that sleep is the ‘treatment’ that nature provides for our daily health and well-being. Sleep is not down-time or off-time. Rather the brain is highly productive at night – cleansing, repairing, and restoring us physically, cognitively, and emotionally. Sleep is something to value and prioritise.
Having originally published the 5 principles in a research paper in 2021, Colin has always intended to find a way to share them with a public audience, spurred on recently by an increasing interest from professionals looking for a way to explain sleep hygiene to their patients in a more accessible way.
His work has already attracted even wider interest with actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen lending his time to the project as a narrator. Sacha explains that “sleep truly matters—perhaps more than we realise. I know what it feels like to be short on sleep, and I know the difference when I’m well rested. Placing good sleep at the heart of our lives is vital for everyone, at every stage of life”
To watch the animation click here.
