Jay's story: Screens and lack of sleep

After school, I love to play games. Finding treasure, building worlds and just exploring.

I used to love it a bit too much. I’d be gaming late at night, and then I couldn’t relax so, I’d watch videos of other players ’till I fell asleep.

I’d wake up feeling really tired. Often with a bad headache.

Mum kept asking what was up, but I used to just tell her I was fine.

It was really hard to concentrate. And sometimes I’d just fall asleep at my desk. I wasn’t doing well at school. Or at football practice either. I lost my place in the team.

Even with my mates, I’d be moody and zone out.

Then I’d get angry when they told me I wasn’t listening. I stopped hanging out with them. And I think I kind of got lonely. So I played more games all night. Which made the tiredness worse.

So when Max asked me one day if I was okay, I didn’t know how to answer. I snapped at him, said I was just tired.

He didn’t say anything for a while, but then he asked if I was tired all the time?

Because he used to play games all night. But he started switching off his console at eight. And his phone too.

He said he was fed up of feeling tired and annoyed all the time. Not getting enough sleep. This sounded just like me.

I didn’t want to feel like that anymore. Even though I didn’t tell Max at the time, I did decide that I should do something.

When I got home, I finally told my mum how tired I was and how it was making me feel.

She suggested that I try Max’s idea, so I set up an alert on my phone to remind me to switch off the computer at a certain time each night. It’s working so far - most nights.

I’ve started going to bed a bit earlier. It isn’t easy and some nights I don’t stop when I mean to, but with Max and Mum helping me, it’s easier than doing it alone.

And it’s nice having more time to chill out. I’m hanging out with my mates again, school isn’t as hard as it was and if I keep this up, maybe I can get back into the football team soon too.

It might seem like not much is going on when we're asleep.

But beneath the surface, our bodies and brains are keeping very busy. They’re working hard to process memories, boost the immune system, and protect us against stress and ill health.

When we’re not sleeping well, we can get tired, irritable and find it hard to focus.

So we might reach for sweets or caffeine, or maybe an energy drink. A typical energy drink contains around seven teaspoons of sugar and loads of caffeine.

This means that even if we feel better after an energy drink, it’s soon followed by a crash, leaving us feeling even worse.

It’s easy to get into a bad cycle. When we’re run down, day-to-day tasks like showering or eating healthy foods can seem difficult. When we’re not looking after ourselves, we’re more likely to feel anxious. And feeling that way can make it even harder to get a good night’s rest.

Luckily, there are lots of things that can help us break that cycle. Check out these ‘Better Sleep’ top tips:

Number one: Stick to a sleep schedule.
If you can go to sleep and wake up at around the same time each day, you can get into a sleep rhythm. Like a natural body clock, your brain will learn when to expect rest, and start encouraging the body to get sleepy when that time is approaching.

Number two: Activate sleep-mode.
Playing computer games, watching TV, and staring at phones all stimulate your brain, keeping it alert and very much awake. Shutting off screens can help activate your internal sleep-mode, letting your brain wind down and prepare to rest. You could try setting a reminder to switch off screens before bed, and start charging your phone in another room to help you avoid the temptation of looking at it.

Number three: Get out and get moving.
Being active and getting outside each day can really improve your sleep. Raising your heart rate burns energy and helps your body get ready for rest at night. And the natural light you get from going outside helps keep your body clock on track. Exercising outside is a win-win!

Number four: Avoid afternoon caffeine.
Caffeine is no friend of sleep. It can hang around in your body for hours, stimulating stress and anxiety-producing hormones. That means that any tea, coffee or fizzy drinks you have in the afternoon or evening can keep you awake at night.

Number five: Dim the lights.
Create a relaxing atmosphere by lowering the lights and keeping things quiet before bed. This sends a strong calming signal to your body’s internal clock, letting it know that it’s time to wind down. So by the time you get into bed, it should be easier to get to sleep.

If you’re finding it difficult to get to sleep, why not give these tips a go.

A good night’s sleep is great for our physical health and can make us feel so much better too.