Health and wellbeing – Page 117 – The NEN

Children’s service providers warn of mental health emergency caused by cost-of-living crisis

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist children’s services, has warned of a child mental health emergency caused by the cost-of-living crisis, driven by increasing energy costs.

With inflation, energy costs and shopping bills now outstripping wage levels, this has replaced Covid and lockdown restrictions as the primary cause of poor mental health for children and young people

The coalition has called for an urgent co-ordinated response by both the Scottish and UK Governments to address the crisis and avoid a potential “lost generation” of children and young people with mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression and self-harm. It has also called for greatly increased investment in mental health services.

Poverty is a major contributor to mental ill health, and children living in low-income households are three times more likely to suffer mental health problems than their more affluent peers. ¹So more young people will experience worse mental health as a result of the current cost-of-living crisis and as families fall behind with their bills, causing increased anxiety.

Even before the pandemic, cases of poor mental health were at unprecedented levels with services in crisis, and there are a growing number of vulnerable children who cannot access adequate support.

The pandemic and cost-of-living crisis have exacerbated this, with more children and young people driven into poverty, with the resulting impact on their mental health. This has led to unprecedented demand and backlogs, with services struggling to keep up.

Figures published by Public Health Scotland in June indicate that over the quarter covering January to March 2022, 9,672 children and young people were referred to CAMHS for treatment, a staggering 22.4 per cent increase in numbers from the same quarter of the previous year when the equivalent figure was 7,902.² The cost-of-living crisis is set to further worsen this. At the end of March 2022, a staggering total of 1,322 children and young people had been waiting for over a year for treatment.³

A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “Millions of our children and young are at breaking point, with stress and anxiety reaching alarming levels because of the effect of the cost-of-living crisis.

“Since the pandemic, referrals have increased and the cost-of-living crisis is only going to make it worse, creating a potential lost generation of vulnerable children and young people.

“If we don’t give young people the support they need, when they need it, the consequences can be catastrophic.

“By minimising the drivers of mental health problems – such as poverty – we can reduce the impact on services and we would urge the Scottish Government and UK Government to work together and address this.”

WOW! Scottish pupils start off the new school year on the right foot

Pupils in Scotland are starting off the new school year on the right foot by leaving the car at home for the school run and instead walking, wheeling, cycling or scooting to school.

Over 280 primary schools in Scotland are taking part in WOW – the walk to school challenge from Living Streets Scotland, part of the UK charity for everyday walking.

Pupils at St Brendan’s Primary School in Glasgow launched a new year of WOW yesterday with a celebration event where they were joined by Strider, Living Streets’ mascot.

WOW rewards children who walk to school at least once a week with a collectable badge each month, with ten to collect across the academic year.

WOW schools see on average a 13 per cent increase in pupils walking to school in Scotland with a corresponding drop in car use, helping to reduce congestion and increase safety outside the school gates.

Stuart Hay, Director, Living Streets Scotland, said: “WOW is simple to run and pupils love to take part. Just a few minutes of a teacher’s day is all it takes to make a big difference.

“We see a lot of dedication and enthusiasm from pupils and staff across Scotland and are thrilled that so many schools are taking part. We’re looking forward to families getting on their feet this year and experiencing the many benefits walking to school can bring to our health and happiness.”

Mrs Gemma Rutherford, Headteacher, St Brendan’s Primary School, Glasgow said: “St Brendan’s is proud to host the launch of the Walk to School programme.

“Our pupils have been using the interactive WOW Travel Tracker for years now and they love having the opportunity to log their journeys each morning as they arrive at school in a fun, engaging and easy way.”

Living Streets is being supported this year by children television presenter, Dr Ronx, who has joined the charity as the celebrity ambassador for WOW – the walk to school challenge.

The CBBC presenter and emergency doctor will promote WOW and the health benefits of walking to school for the 2022-23 academic year.

Dr Ronx said: “I’m thrilled to be the new ambassador for WOW – the walk to school challenge from Living Streets.

“With notable increases in air pollution, rising childhood inactivity and post-lockdown poor mental health, encouraging children to be more active and ditching school run drives for more sustainable modes of transport is imperative.”

Edinburgh Women’s Aid launches art competition to mark 50th anniversary

Edinburgh Women’s Aid, which opened its first refuge in 1973 has unveiled plans for a series of year-long events in 2023 to mark 50 years of providing support for tens of thousands of women and their children who have experienced domestic abuse, which includes a competition to design a commemorative artwork to be unveiled at an exhibition in January.

Events planned throughout the year will highlight and pay tribute to those who have provided support for women and their families over the past five decades, with everything from giving them a safe place to stay in a refuge, specialist housing support, legal advice and help securing employment.

The aim of the commemorative artwork is to showcase how the charity has evolved over the years, the ongoing support available to help keep victims of domestic abuse safe and forthcoming plans.

In addition to being launched at the 50^th anniversary exhibition, the artwork will also feature on the cover of the charity’s printed and digital Impact Report and various other marketing materials, including pull-up banners, leaflets, website and social media. The winning artist will also receive a prize of £500.

Entries can be created in any medium and should be submitted with the entry form available on EWA’s website, www.edinwomensaid.co.uk, by the 1^st of November 2022.

Linda Rodgers, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Women’s Aid, said: “2023 is such an important milestone for us, it gives us pause to remember the amazing women who came before us – who fought against the odds to get our first refuge in 1973, who provided support and sanctuary to countless women over the many years and those survivors who went on to their full potential after escaping abuse.

“We’ll also be taking the time to think about ‘what next’ so that we continue to provide innovative and necessary services to women and children in Edinburgh.”

Women and children’s rights campaigner Lydia Okroj, who has worked with Edinburgh Women’s Aid and Scottish Women’s Aid for over 40 years and recently received an honorary doctorate from Stirling University in recognition of her outstanding work, said: “EWA, which has been at forefront of shaping support services, policy responses and legislation in the city, which has been informed by the women they have supported, have so much to be proud of as they reach their 50th anniversary.

“Although awareness of domestic abuse has come a long way since 1973, when EWA began to provide refuge and support to ‘battered wives’, the need for the charity to continue supporting women, children and young people remains the same today as it did then, which is why it is important to highlight this milestone.

“It’s been a privilege to work alongside so many committed women over the past four decades and to have played a part in supporting survivors of domestic abuse and also to be involved in so many significant changes in legislation over the years, which will be showcased in some of the events planned throughout 2023.”

New national campaign marks the start of Sepsis Awareness Month

A leading sepsis charity and the Scottish Government have marked the start of Sepsis Awareness Month in Scotland today (1 September 2022) by launching a new national awareness campaign.

The charity Sepsis Research FEAT is working in partnership with the Scottish Government to run their first joint campaign since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign aims to help save lives by increasing public awareness of sepsis and how to recognise the key symptoms.

Sepsis is a deadly condition which takes the lives of more than 4,000 people in Scotland every year. It occurs when the body’s response to an infection spirals rapidly out of control, injuring its own tissues and organs which can result in multiple organ failure and death.

The five key symptoms of sepsis highlighted in the campaign are:

Confusion
Not passing as much urine as normal
Very high or low temperature
Uncontrolled shivering
Cold or blotchy arms and legs

If someone has any of these symptoms, becoming noticeably worse, this could indicate sepsis and urgent medical attention should be sought.

Sepsis Research FEAT previously worked with the Scottish Government on awareness campaigns in 2018 and 2019, reaching more than 1.3 million people across Scotland. Their latest partnership will build on this success with a nationwide multimedia campaign which will include commercial TV, radio, print and social media.

This week the charity and Health Secretary Humza Yousaf kicked off the campaign and the beginning of Sepsis Awareness Month with a visit to the home of pioneering research study, GenOMICC at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute.

They were joined by two charity supporters from Edinburgh – Adam Liddle who lost his wife Emma to sepsis in 2020 and Aimee King whose son Corey was 18 months old when he almost died from sepsis in 2021.

Led by Professor Kenneth Baillie at the Roslin Institute, the world-leading GenOMICC project is increasing understanding of sepsis and helping to develop improved treatments for it by examining DNA samples from patients in intensive care units (ICUs) throughout the UK.

Sepsis Research FEAT has funded the study since 2018 and has just announced increased investment supporting a new pilot study, GenOMICC Acute, in which additional blood samples will be obtained from patients shortly after ICU admission, providing researchers with insight into what happens within a patient’s body when they are at their most critically ill.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “I am delighted that the Scottish Government is continuing to work with Sepsis Research FEAT to raise public awareness of the symptoms and dangers of sepsis.

“Patient safety remains key to delivering safe and effective care to all patients every time they access healthcare services and the Scottish Government’s Scottish Patient Safety Programme continues to make progress in its action on sepsis. Focusing on early identification is critical and treatment within one hour of recognition has led to mortality rates among those identified at this stage falling by 21% since 2012.

“Sepsis Research FEAT plays a vital role in funding research into this devastating disease and in making the public aware of the symptoms, and the Scottish Government is supporting them in their efforts.”

Colin Graham, Chief Operating Officer at Sepsis Research FEAT, commented: “Sepsis Research FEAT is proud to mark the beginning of Sepsis Awareness Month 2022 with our new campaign in partnership with the Scottish Government.

“This will be our largest campaign yet and will help us reach an even greater number of people and educate them about the symptoms of sepsis that everyone in Scotland should know about. We are grateful to Mr Yousaf for joining us to help launch it with the incredible GenOMICC team at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute.

“Sepsis is a medical emergency. It is a devastating condition that can kill a previously healthy adult in hours. Even those who survive are often left with long term physical or psychological effects.

“Sepsis Awareness Month, which is observed worldwide every September, is always an important time for our charity to spread the word about sepsis. We’re asking everyone in Scotland to get involved this year by sharing our awareness campaign and learning the five key symptoms to help save lives.”

Sepsis Research FEAT is the only UK charity that exists to fund research into sepsis alongside increasing awareness of the condition. Sepsis Awareness Month – which includes World Sepsis Day on 13 September – is a key time for the charity to raise funds for vital research and this year it is doing this through a fundraising campaign called ‘Give us 5!’.

In order to highlight the five key symptoms of sepsis and also recognise the five lives tragically lost to sepsis every hour in the UK, supporters across the country are being encouraged to give five of something – this could be giving five minutes or hours of their time, taking part in a fundraising activity covering five miles on land or on water, or donating or raising £5, £500 or even £5,000.

More information about Sepsis Awareness Month and how to get involved are available at sepsisresearch.org.uk/sepsis-awareness-month-2

Find out more about the new awareness campaign run by Sepsis Research FEAT and the Scottish Government at sepsisresearch.org.uk/national-awareness-campaigns

£12,000 donation boosts services for Secondary Breast Cancer patients

Services for secondary breast cancer patients have received an unexpected boost after a surprise donation of more than £12,000.

The cash will be used to further the work of Make 2nds Count, which campaigns to raise awareness of the little-known form of the disease, support patients and their families and fund education and research into secondary breast cancer.

Also known as metastatic, advanced or stage IV breast cancer, secondary breast cancer is an incurable cancer that has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body. It can be treated, but around 35,000 patients in the UK are living with the disease and the death toll here is, on average, a shocking 1,000 women each month.

This significant donation comes from Challenge Breast Cancer Scotland, which has recently decided to close its operations and wanted the funds to continue to serve secondary breast cancer patients through Make 2nds Count.

Moira Adams, Trustee of Challenge Breast Cancer Scotland, said: “It was a bittersweet moment to donate all of our funds to Make 2nds Count as we finally wind up our organisation, but we are confident that the money will be sympathetically and efficiently utilised for the benefit of breast cancer patients in Scotland.

“Our thanks must go to all our friends and supporters who have generously donated to our charity over the past 30 years. We wish Make 2nds Count every success.”

Make 2nds Count was founded by mum Lisa Fleming, 38, of Edinburgh, who had no previous breast cancer diagnosis, warning signs or lump when she was told she had primary and secondary breast cancer.

Her aim is to support patients and families, educate and raise funds for research into the disease. So far her charity has raised more than £1million.

Lisa said: “While we’re incredibly sad to see the end of Challenge Breast Cancer Scotland, we’re happy to carry the torch on their behalf and to continue the great work being done to support people diagnosed with this form of the disease.

“Our lifeline comes from donations and we are committed to doing everything we can to raise awareness, fund research and improve the lives of those living with secondary breast cancer.

“This is an important and much-needed boost for our work.”

Children’s Hearings Scotland launches autumn recruitment campaign

Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS) has launched its’ autumn campaign to recruit new Panel Members to support infants, children and young people in their local communities.

Across Scotland, the organisation are looking to recruit volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds aged 18 and over who can listen, show empathy, build trust and show compassion to support this group of young people.

Panel Members are volunteers from local communities who take part in children’s hearings. Their role is to listen and make legal decisions with and for infants, children and young people. They are there to ensure that the young person is at the heart of every decision made – because every decision, no matter how big or small, has an impact on the life of the child or young person in the hearing.

All Panel Members, once selected, all take part in the CHS dedicated Learning Academy, in partnership with West Lothian College. In addition to the training the Panel Member will also gain a Professional Development Award for ‘Children’s Hearings in Scotland: Panel Members’, a verified award by the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

Children’s Hearings Scotland National Convener and Chief Executive, Elliot Jackson, says: “Scotland has an ambition to be the best place in the world to grow up, to make sure all children are loved, safe, respected and able to fulfil their full potential.

“For some children and families, the Children’s Hearings System has a significant role to play in this ambition. Children’s Hearings couldn’t operate without volunteer Panel Members making decisions with and for children and young people.

“To do this, we are committed to having children at the heart of everything we do – including recruitment.

“This campaign comes at an exciting time of growth and change at CHS and is totally centred on what young people who have experience of children’s hearings, are telling us they want to see in their Panel Members.

“Qualities like being caring, compassionate, open minded, empathetic and a good listener. If you want to make a difference in your local community, I encourage you to take the opportunity this year to apply to join our unique volunteer community.”

Clare Haughey MSP, Minister for Children and Young People, said: “Panel Members play a critical role in ensuring children and young people’s views are heard by placing them at the heart of their hearing and, in the current challenging climate, it is vital now more than ever that we recruit new volunteers to continue this.

“This is a unique opportunity to join a diverse, empathetic, caring panel who will listen to children and young people.”

Children’s Hearings Scotland is the organisation responsible for recruiting, training and supporting volunteer Panel Members.

There are 2,500 volunteer Panel Members across Scotland who take part in children’s hearings and make decisions with and for infants, children and young people in their local community.

In 2020/21 16,248¹ children’s hearings were held across Scotland supporting 8,977¹ children and young people. The majority of hearings during the pandemic have been held virtually which was a massive undertaking for our volunteers who managed to continue providing their support throughout.

There are a range of reasons that a child or young person may be referred to attend a children’s hearing; in the last year, approximately 85%¹ of all referrals were on care and protection grounds.

Applications for new Panel Members open on 01 September to midnight 6^th October 2022 and you can apply by going online to: https://chscotland.gov.uk/

Double acquisition makes it 70 for Dental Group

TWO Edinburgh dental practices have become the latest to join the network of the nation’s leading dental group.

Clyde Munro has struck a deal with married dentists, Duncan Sandland and Suzanne Seaton, to acquire their Colinton Dental and Riccarton Dental practices after nearly two decades in charge.

The Glasgow-based firm will take the reins of running the business and the administration involved in caring for more than 13,000 patients; while Duncan and Suzanne, both 52, will continue to work at the practices concentrating on what they love doing most, looking after patients.

With patients coming from as far as Kingussie to the Colinton practice, and the Riccarton site catering for a large cohort of students and staff from Heriot Watt University; Duncan, Suzanne and their 11 staff have reassured their patients that both practices will continue to run as normal.

Duncan said: “We have been filtering into our new roles this past month, and solely focusing on what we love doing, being dentists. It has brought Suzanne and I great joy.

“It has been no secret that the pandemic has induced a lot of stress on the dental sector, and Brexit has made recruitment difficult in finding qualified workers. Everyone at both practices has worked hard to pull through, and it felt like this was the next natural step for the business.

“Clyde Munro offered what Suzanne and I wanted, we also had good feedback from colleagues in the sector who opted to go with Clyde Munro.”

Duncan joined the Colinton Dental Practice in 1994 as an associate, and was followed by his wife Suzanne in 2003.

In 2006, Duncan and Suzanne decided to buy the practice from founders Robbie Richards and Tom Wishart.

From there the duo took on the Riccarton Dental Practice which currently has 60% of its patients enrolled from Heriot Watt University, under their stewardship the practice grew from one part-time surgery to three full-time surgeries culminating in a move to a new premises.

Duncan and Suzanne believe patients will see improvements on the high levels of service they currently receive.

Duncan added: “We expect there to be very little change in how the business is run day-to-day. Clyde Munro is likely to improve the business functions and systems to make life easier for the staff.

“Suzanne and I will still be there as well as the other members of staff and in fact it should improve the business as a whole.

“There are a lot of benefits for us dentists in being part of a group, and for the patients I think it will create a better environment.”

This comes after Clyde Munro last month announced it has exceeded 500,000 patients under its care. It now has 70 practices, more than 200 dentists and 500 members of staff.

Having launched in 2015 with just seven practices, approximately one in 11 Scots are now patients within its network.

Kirsty Dace, Chief Development Officer at Clyde Munro, said: “Duncan and Suzanne have been tremendously easy to work with and we are delighted that they are staying to focus on their passion for dentistry.

“We want to see independent practices thrive with little impact on the front of house operations when they join the group, and both Colinton Dental Practice and Riccarton Dental Practice are no exceptions.

“We look forward to a productive relationship with Duncan, Suzanne and everyone involved at the practices.”

Practices which join the group benefit from help with business functions including HR, accounts, marketing, compliance and facilities management – relieving many dentists from gruelling and distracting administration duties.

For more information on Clyde Munro, please visit: https://clydemunrodental.com/

Super Starbank!

STARBANK PARK VOTED ONE OF SCOTLAND’s LOCAL FAVOURITES

Earlier this summer you nominated 364 local parks and green spaces for UK’s Favourite Parks. You then voted in your tens of thousands, demonstrating the immense love that we all have for our local parks, and Fields in Trust is delighted to announce that the UK’s Favourite Park 2022 is Penrhos Coastal Park in Holyhead, Wales.

Over 30,000 votes were cast for parks across the UK which represented the wide diversity of green spaces we all use and enjoy, from large country parks to major city parks to small neighbourhood pockets of green. Penrhos Coastal Park emerged as the overall UK winner having attracted the most votes from the public.

Across the Home Nations, Blackpool’s art deco Stanley Park has been named England’s Favourite Park 2022, attaining prestigious ‘National Treasure’ status having now been named as the public’s favourite park in England three times.

In Scotland the national title went to Seaton Park in Aberdeen, whilst Craigavon City Park in County Armagh took the title in Northern Ireland, the second time it has scooped its national accolade.

Fields in Trust are also delighted to announce the parks to have achieved ‘Local Favourite’ status, having placed in the top 20% of the public vote, demonstrating the love that their local communities have for them.

The full list of local favourite recipients can be found here and each will receive a special certificate to denote its success.

LOCAL FAVOURITES

Edinburgh’s STARBANK PARK features proudly on the list of Scotland’s Local Favourite parks. Also commended are Aden Country Park in Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire; Pittencrieff Park, Dunfermline; Wilton Lodge Park in Hawick and Grangemouth’s Zetland Park.

This is the first time that the overall winner of UK’s Favourite Parks has emerged from Wales, with Cyfarthfa Park in Merthyr Tydfil, Roath Park in Cardiff and Pontypool Park in Torfaen having taken the national title in recent years but not the overall honours.

Attracting close to 100,000 visitors each year, Penrhos Coastal Park is near Holyhead on the Isle of Anglesey in north Wales.

The 200-acre park has everything from beaches to woodland walks and is extremely popular with both locals and tourists alike. With a rich history dating back to 1553, the green space is also home to several features of historical interest, including original Tudor-era buildings.

Commenting on the announcement of Penrhos Coastal Park as the UK’s Favourite Park 2022, Fields in Trust Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths, shared: “We’re incredibly excited to announce that Penrhos Coastal Park in Holyhead has been voted as the UK’s Favourite Park 2022 by those who use and love it.

“It is clear that this park is a very special place to a lot of people, and we are thrilled to officially crown it the UK’s favourite. We’ve had a fantastic response to the competition from all across the UK and I’d like to thank everyone who nominated and voted for parks over the past few weeks.

“The UK is home to such a diverse range of green spaces, and we hope that this award has encouraged people to truly appreciate their local parks. Our work to legally protect green spaces for good means we’re well aware of the threats they face and how important it is value and celebrate them.”

The campaign has illustrated how appreciation of our local parks has grown since the pandemic. As concerns mount over the climate crisis, green spaces have been proven to improve air quality and significantly limit the impact of heatwaves, by lowering urban temperatures.

With the annual Green Space Index revealing that 2.8 million people are not living within a ten-minute walk of a local park and that only 6% of green space provision in Britain is legally protected, the campaign has also highlighted the financial and developmental threats to green spaces.

By demonstrating our love for local parks, we can champion what they mean to communities and in turn help make the case for their long-term protection. Without legal protection our local parks can so easily be lost. And once lost, a green space is lost forever.

You can play your part in this protection of treasured local parks by making a donation to support Fields in Trust’s work.

Adult Disability Payment now open for new applications across Scotland

Adult Disability Payment is now open for new applications across Scotland. The national rollout follows successful pilots in 13 local authority areas, which began in March.

It is the twelfth and most complex benefit to be delivered by the Scottish Government. It replaces the UK Government’s Personal Independence Payment.

The benefit provides financial support to people aged between 16 and state pension age who are disabled, have a long-term health condition or have a terminal illness.

People already receiving the UK Government’s Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance do not need to apply for Adult Disability Payment.

These existing awards will transfer automatically from the DWP to Social Security Scotland. Cases will transfer in stages starting from this summer and this process is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson said: “The national launch of Adult Disability Payment is a significant milestone in the development of our new social security system, that will treat everyone with dignity, fairness and respect.

“This is the twelfth and most complex devolved benefit to be introduced and, once all the awards have transferred from the DWP, this new payment will be supporting more than 300,000 people.

“We are offering a range of ways to make an application, including online, by post, over the phone or face-to-face. Social Security Scotland local delivery teams are also available to provide assistance in communities across the country.

“In creating our new system, we have worked extensively and collaboratively with people who will use this service. Their input, and their direct experience of the DWP system, has significantly informed our policy development and resulted in the number of improvements that we are making to the way in which we are delivering our new service.

“The Scottish Government is focused on providing a positive and compassionate experience for people applying for and receiving our Adult Disability Payment.

“In our Scottish system no one will be subject to DWP style assessments or degrading functional examinations, and we will never use the private sector to carry out health examinations.

“People will only be invited to a consultation on occasions when we require more information so we can make a decision. This will be a conversation with a health and social care professional to understand how a person’s disability or health condition impacts them.

“Social security is a shared investment in building a fairer Scotland. It is a human right and we encourage those who may be eligible for support to apply.”

Moira Tasker, Chief Executive of Inclusion Scotland said: “Inclusion Scotland warmly welcomes today’s launch of the Adult Disability Payment. Many disabled people are being disproportionately hard hit by the UK economic crisis and are deeply worried about just surviving this winter.

“The Adult Disability Payment will offer much needed support to eligible disabled people. It ushers in further progress towards upholding the values of dignity and respect in Scottish society, which were entirely lacking in the Department of Work and Pensions approach to disability benefits.

“We are proud of the part that disabled people, our members and Inclusion Scotland played in engaging with the Scottish Government to make a new system for Scottish disability benefits fair and accessible.

“The Adult Disability Payment is a leap forward. It has the potential to enable disabled people and Scots with long-term health conditions to participate in their communities and wider Scottish society – whether that is through work, education, family life, or simply a life lived without fear of phone calls or letters demanding repeated assessments and sanctions.”

You can apply if you are between 16 years old and state pension age, need help with the extra costs of being disabled or having a long term health condition.

Apply at https://bit.ly/ApplyForAdultDisabilityPayment

Expert reveals how to get the perfect night’s sleep

Seasonal shifts can cause sleeping patterns to fly off the rails, which can cause a lack of energy, reduced concentration and many other inconveniences. Luckily, there are many ways you can get this essential function back on track.

Medical cannabis experts at Leafwell have revealed a list of top tips on how to get the perfect night’s sleep during the summer months.

How does the temperature and summertime effect lack of sleep?

There are a few reasons why temperature affects how we sleep and how many hours we get of it at night.

Comfort is the main issue when it comes causes of irregular sleeping patterns due to the inability to find comfortable positions, and ensuring your body temperature is right inevitably affects how relaxed you drift off.

Another essential component of comfort when sleeping is room temperature which shares a strong relationship with body temperature; this is why many struggle to find the perfect match for the perfect level.

The second issue when it comes to sleeping in the summertime is delayed melatonin release, which is when melatonin secretion ends for our bodies to prepare for the next day. In the summer, our bodies are exposed to extra sunlight in comparison to what it does in the winter months, meaning that a more extended period of light ends up suppressing the melatonin production in our bodies; this is the hormone that signals our brain and body that it is ready to sleep.

Top tips on how to make sure you get a great night sleep:

Reduce the use of blue light exposure in the evenings

Dimly lit environments are ideal when settling down for the evening, and without this lower light, melatonin will struggle to release, causing us difficulty when it comes to sleeping.

It is suggested to avoid soaking up the sun and staying clear from using artificial lighting and electronic devices (blue light) for a few hours before you go to sleep – but if putting the phone down seems almost impossible, it could be beneficial to invest in blue light glasses which filters out blue and green wavelengths which keep the brain active.

Try using CBD

Struggling to relax and fall asleep is nothing new and is an extremely common experience. Lack of sleep and disturbance to a regular pattern can cause stress and anxiety, so with many struggling with this nightly problem, it is comforting to know there are ways in which you can reduce these anxious feelings.

Not only could CBD support healthy wake and sleep cycles, but introducing CBD into your daily routines could help reduce stress and anxiety considerably due to the substance activating serotonin receptors in the brain, alleviating anxiety and initiating relaxation.

Studies like the Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series showed that adults taking part saw a significant decrease in anxiety and sleep within the first month of use (72.2%), proving just how beneficial the natural substance can be.

A spokesperson for Leafwell commented:

‘Alongside eating well and exercising, getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things you can do to keep healthy. Medical cannabis – and cannabinoids and terpenes like THC, CBN, and myrcene in particular – is well-noted for its sedative properties and can aid a person’s sleep.’

While there are many reasons why medical cannabis could aid in a healthy sleep cycle, one of the most important benefits of medical cannabis is that it is also a great alternative to sleeping sedatives that are highly addictive.”

Relax and clear your mind in the evening

The stresses of day-to-day life tend to stick with us even through to bedtime, making it harder to stop our minds from racing and shaking the everlasting feeling of worry. That is why unwinding before bed can have many benefits, like preventing anxiety and depression as well as lowering the risk of heart attacks.

Therefore, it is essential to figure out the right way in which your body responds to relaxation by trying out a few methods:

Take a hot bath/shower – Along with being a fantastic way to ease muscle tension, by taking a hot bath or shower the hot water will stimulate blood flow in our hands and feet, causing heat to leave the body easily, therefore, allowing the body to cool down and be the perfect temperature for sleeping.

Unwind without a screen – Taking around an hour before bedtime to reduce any activity is a great way to make sure you can drift off with no distractions by the time you are ready to sleep. By turning off your phone, laptop or TV during this time, you are also eliminating artificial light.