May 14th, 2025

You Snooze ... you win
from New Zealand’s best senior living and retirement lifestyle guide

​It’s time for some pillow talk.  In this nod to the restorative powers of sleep, we share lifestyle and nutritional tips for your day that will help you reap the rewards at night.
 
Sleep is essential for physical, cognitive and emotional health. In the words of the Sleep Foundation, we need to prioritise it to stay “healthy, happy and sharp”.
 
For adults over the age of 18, health professionals recommend seven to nine hours sleep a night. These precious hours allow for a full body reset.  Mentally, a good sleep supports cognitive functions, memory consolidation, and overall mental wellbeing.  Physically, it supports immune function, cardiovascular health, respiratory health and hormonal balance.  There’s a saying that your gut ‘does its housework’ whilst you sleep, which sums things up succinctly.  When we wake up needing the lavatory, that’s our body needing to put out the rubbish after its work cleaning up overnight.  No wonder we feel like we’re suffering when 40 winks allude us.
 
What sleep type are you?
 
You might understand that you are sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric or melancholic, but did you know there are also sleep types?  Researchers from Pennsylvania State University are working to determine sleep types in adults and figure out what their type means for their overall health.  Sleep types fall into four different categories.

• Good sleepers – those who have ideal sleep.

• Weekend catch up sleepers – those who sleep longer on their days off to make up for lack of sleep during the week.

• Insomnia sleepers and nappers – those who get a good sleep but are also likely to have a nap during the day.

 
Research shows the ‘insomnia sleepers’ are more likely to develop health conditions.
 
‘Nappers’ are also more likely to develop health conditions but less likely than those with insomnia. The researchers believe that the results may suggest that it is difficult to change habits, because sleep is embedded into our overall lifestyle and people tend to undervalue the importance of their sleep and sleep health.
 
So what strategies can you use to improve your sleep health if you don’t fall into the ‘good sleepers’ category?

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​Routine  When taking care of babies, we work consistently to establish a soothing sleep routine.  This includes a warm, soothing bath, putting on pjs, reading a book, and going to bed at the same time every night. These rhythmic nightly actions create cues for the baby that sleep time is coming, and their body needs to unwind in preparation for the night’s rest.  There is no reason why a soothing routine shouldn’t continue through an entire lifetime.
 
Create a sleep-friendly environment.  Make sure your bedroom is comfy, quiet and dark.  If you need additional help to block out light or sound, use earplugs or an eye mask and consider using white noise.  To avoid disrupting the effects of melatonin, avoid bright screens before sleep.
 
Keep physically active during the day.  Regular exercise in the daytime can improve sleep quality.  It doesn’t need to be overly vigorous, just try to do it earlier in the day, as all those endorphins you’re creating have stimulating effects which is not what we want at bed time!
 
Substances such as caffeine, nicotine and alcohol can disrupt sleep patterns especially if you are consuming them in the evening or at night.  Without sounding like a complete kill-joy, attempt to keep these to a minimum!

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​A ‘cat nap’ or a ‘nana nap’.  These golden nuggets of energy enhancement can be just the ticket, if used correctly!  Expert suggestions for the ideal snooze include keeping it short (10-20 mins).  Set an alarm if you are likely to sleep longer.  A longer lie down runs the risk of disrupting the following night’s sleep - leaving you feeling worse. The halfway mark between when you woke up and plan to go to sleep is ideal so an early afternoon nap makes sense to many. Following these guidelines can lead to better memory, greater tolerance for frustrations, increased learning capacity and (to the benefit of those around you) an improved mood!
 
Watch your medications and check with a healthcare professionals whether anything you’re on has potential to interfere with sleep.  Making sure you are managing underlying health conditions effectively can improve sleep too.
 
See your Doctor if you suspect a sleep disorder. They can refer you to a specialist for testing to pinpoint and treat anything out of whack.

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​What to eat to help you sleep

• Look for food with an amino acid named ‘tryptophan’.  Your body converts this into the natural sleep regulation chemicals serotonin and melatonin. Foods like turkey, chicken, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds and tofu are all good sources of tryptophan.

 

• Whole grains, fruits and vegetables also provide sustained energy and help regulate blood sugar levels during the night.  And if you're feeling patriotic, stock up on kiwifruit, which has been shown to promote better sleep too.

 

• Stay away from spicy or acidic foods which can bring on heartburn and indigestion and disrupt sleep.  Sugary foods and drinks, caffeinated beverages and alcohol should be avoided at night as they’ll make it harder to fall asleep.

 

• Consider the timing of your meals.  try to finish your dinner two or three hours before bed and avoid too many drinks in the evening to avoid a trip to the loo at midnight.

 
 
Reference: NZ Best Senior and Living Retirement Lifestyle Guide 2025

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