Helping yourself to live well

Not getting enough sleep can affect your memory, and ability to think in the short and long term.  It's important to aim for 7-9 hours of good sleep every night.   Your brain cleans itself while you sleep, flushing out waste products that build up throughout the day.

Feeling tired all the time?  

If you are feeling tired often, this is referred to as fatigue. Many people find this difficult to cope with. 

A common misconception is that fatigue is effectively managed by reducing daily activities. However, it is widely recognised that increasing yourself awareness of your energy levels can help you learn to balance activity and rest. 

For example, keeping and diary for a few days to record your activities and level of tiredness can help you to identify patterns of which times of day or activities increase your fatigue. This may lead to you developing ways to prioritise meaningful activities and limiting or seeking support with activities which are less important to you, improving your overall quality of life. 

A key principle within this is identifying how to rest effectively, some people find sleeping helpful whereas other people find a calming activity such as watching TV or colouring in more helpful. 

Below are some website links that may be helpful: 

How to get a better sleep: NHS Lothian Self-help Guide

Lift up your everyday - managing energy | RCOT

Self-help tips to fight tiredness - NHS