Health Tips: What your sleep could be trying to tell you about your health

Frequently waking up? Restless legs? Night sweats? We spend an average of a third of our lives sleeping and it's a fundamental biological process which helps the body repair and recover overnight. So why do many of us still feel exhausted when we wake and struggle to function the next day? Contrary to popular belief, simply getting eight hours sleep a night, may not be enough in itself for our bodies to carry out their complex restorative functions, if we're not getting the quality sleep required during these vital hours.

We spoke to Dr Roger Henderson who said:

"If you suffer from a bad night's sleep, you are likely to feel tired the next day as your body hasn't had an opportunity to repair cells and restore usual brain functions. A bad night's sleep could be a result of a late night, a restless night or an inability to fall asleep.

"However, it's important to remember that it is not only the number of hours you sleep that is important, but the quality of your sleep that will determine how tired you feel during the day. You may think you are getting eight hours sleep; however, you may be having a highly disrupted sleep with frequent waking, which you may not necessarily be aware of. A poor quality sleep will leave you feeling just as tired as a small amount of sleep"

If you are struggling with sleep during the night, Dr Roger Henderson reveals why you could be getting these five frequent night-time disturbances and what they could be saying about your health...

Frequently waking during the night

Frequent awakenings during the night could be caused by low glycogen levels.

"To carry out its essential overnight repairs and cell rejuvenation, your body uses energy in the form of glycogen which is stored in the liver. During the night, these glycogen stores get depleted at a rate of 10g per hour, of which 65% is used by the brain.

"If this energy supply runs out, the liver send stress signals to the brain in the form of the hormone cortisol, alerting it to wake up until sufficient levels are restored. This process can result in broken sleep, which you may not even be aware of, but can often leave you feeling tired and lacking in energy the following day."