Your nightly habits could be doing you more harm than good
Nailing your sleep routine is a tricky business. According to the experts, there’s a fine line between spending too much and too little time asleep.
We’ve long been told that not getting your eight hours can impact your health, but UK scientists* have now found that oversleeping could put you at risk of early death, too. This is because it raises the risk of chronic conditions such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, anxiety and obesity.
Worried about losing an hour of shut-eye when the clocks change at the end of the month? Take our quiz to discover if you’re actually getting too much as it is.
TAKE THE TEST
Answer the following questions, then read on to find out how you did…
1What’s your energy like during the day?
AUp and down.
BEven, but with the odd dip.
CLow to moderate.
DConsistently high.
EPoor, with memory fog.
2How do you give yourself an energy boost?
AStrong coffee and a chocolate bar.
BA herbal tea.
CTea and a biscuit.
DA stroll outside.
EA power nap.
3
Do you use your mobile phone or tablet in bed?
AYes, I sleep with them right beside me.
Yes, but I have a 10pm cut-off.
CYes, but with the ‘night-shift’ setting turned on.
DNo, I make sure that is my downtime.
EYes, but it’s OK as I’ll sleep in until 11am tomorrow.
4How long does it take you to nod off at night?
A2 hours.
B45 minutes.
C1 hour.
D30 minutes.
E5 minutes.
5How often do you wake during the night?
AConstantly, and I’m up for hours.
BSometimes, but I get back to sleep fairly easily.
C Often, and it takes me a while to get back to sleep.
DRarely.
EIf I do wake up, I don’t remember it the next morning.
6How do you usually feel in the morning?
AGroggy and lethargic – I just want to go back to bed.
Fairly well rested.
CUnexpectedly tired.
DReady to get going.
EPanicked because I’ve slept through the alarm.
7Which sounds most like your typical day?
ANon-stop emails, crazy deadlines and constantly playing catch-up.
B Planning, managing projects and sorting out other people’s problems for them.
CWorking through a to-do list.
DMeetings, brainstorming ideas and troubleshooting.
