Inside Health
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Inside Health: Cancer
If someone in your family has or has had cancer it doesn’t mean you’ll go on to develop it too. But the risk of some cancers do increase if there’s a strong family history.
Everyone should have access to free tips and practical advice about cancer. We get into the detail of it all, with Bupa clinicians and expert guests.
Inside:
Cancer and genetics
with Dr Zoe Williams
Genetics I Lifestyle I Prevention
Watch in under 3 mins
Cancer is caused by a combination of things such as genetics, environment and lifestyle. It’s rare, but 5 to 10% of cancers diagnosed are linked to an inherited faulty gene. Get informed with Dr Zoe and Bupa experts as they take a look at genetics and cancer risk.
Dr Timothy Woodman: When people talk about genes and genetics, they maybe mean different things.
So there's the genetics that you're born with, the genes that you've got, and any mutations or changes in those genes.
And then there are genetic changes that do run in families.
Now, people may say, "I'm at risk.
There's a big history of cancer in my family.
" But as I said, one in two of us may get cancer.
We're all going to know a family member who's had cancer.
If you have a large family, you're going to think, "I'm at high risk.
There's a lot of people in my family with cancer.
" But if you look at things like cancers at an early age in your family, that's potentially a risk factor for you.
People who have a history of linked cancers, so women who have had breast cancer and ovarian cancer together, that's a significant risk factor.
There are some different ethnic groups where there are different risk factors.
People who have had more than one cancer in their lifetime, that suggests they may have a genetic problem which could be inherited.
Again, if you're worried, talk to your doctor.
There are tests that could be done.
And if you are at risk, two things.
The fact that you've got a risk factor doesn't mean you're going to get cancer.
But the fact you haven't got any risk factors doesn't mean you're not going to get cancer.
Still have to follow all the advice on healthy eating, and not smoking, et cetera.
Dr Zoe Williams: So when it comes to those sort of specific genes, and I think the most common one that people have heard of is the BRCA gene, when it comes to breast cancer.
What proportion of cancers are linked to specific gene mutation?
Dr Timothy Woodman: In terms of inherited genes?
Probably not more than about 10% of all cancers.
Pretty much all cancers, you could probably trace back to a genetic fault somewhere, but it's something that has appeared entirely at random, that isn't inherited.
But 10% is significant, and if you're in one of those at-risk groups, it may mean that your risk could be a lot higher than 10% of getting cancer.
Dr Zoe Williams: So it's interesting, isn't it?
Because we talk about how genes are inherited from our parents, but actually, those lifestyle behaviours that you've spoken about are often inherited from our parents as well.
We're more likely to have similar behaviours to what our parents, and what our family do.
And then also the environmental things that.
Where we live, if we're exposed to certain chemicals, pollution, they kind of run in families as well.
So I guess when you're thinking about your family history, it's quite complex, isn't it?
Dr Timothy Woodman: Oh it's very, because there are so many different factors in play, as you said there, Zoe.
And there's only so much that you can alter.
So it's all about being aware, and any worries at all, get advice.
You can get advice from your GP, from the NHS website, Bupa website, virtual GP consultations with Bupa.
But there are so many ways now, really, don't die of ignorance, as they once said about another disease.
More cancer information and advice
Inside:
How to check your breasts
with Dr Zoe Williams
Symptoms | Self-checks | Breast health
Watch in under 2 mins
Many people don’t make checking their breasts (or chests) part of their usual routine. But it’s so important because the chances of surviving breast cancer are very good if it’s detected early on. Get to know your normal – and the best way to do this is to get checking.
When it comes to being breast aware, the most important thing to do is get to know your normal because this means you're well-equipped to identify if anything changes and then you can get it checked out straight away. And if you're wondering how to check, here's a little something I made earlier. Here's a quick demo of one way you can self checks for starting off by looking with your top off.
Looking from the front. Different hand positions, hands behind your head and also pushing onto your hips. And then do the same for one side. And the same from the other side. And next, you're going to fail to start with one breast. Use parts of the fingers and use whatever technique works for you. This is the spiral technique. So as long as you feel every single area of the breast.
Does it matter how you do it? Some people use the lawnmower technique. Some people imagine the breast is in four quarters and feel one quarter at a time. To complete the examination, you can also feel the front of the chest wall all the way up to the collarbone. It doesn't matter which hand he is. Whatever's easiest, and then also fill all of the areas in the armpit and one shift on one side, the same on the other side, and then you're done.
So there you go. It's quick, it's easy, and you really can't do it wrong. The most important thing is just do it. If you're a mum, do it in front of your daughters. Talk to Grant about it. Your sisters, your friends. And remember that men should be checking to self. Checking really is the best and most important defence that we have against breast cancer.
So let's get everybody checking.
Inside:
Talking about testicles and cancer
With Chris Hughes
Symptoms | Mythbusting | Lowering your risk
Watch in 5 mins
Around 2,300 men find out they have testicular cancer each year in the UK. And it can affect younger men more than other cancers. TV's Chris Hughes and Bupa clinician Naveen Puri talk about testicles and what you need to know about yours.
Right, so Dr Naveen, we got some questions in
from people at home now
from different males in regards to testicular health.
Okay.
(light music)
Saggy testicles.
Saggy testicles.
No one wants talk about anything sagging do they,
but it is one of those things that comes
to all of us in due course.
Is that just a sign of ageing though?
Yeah, I think so, Chris, it really is.
If you consider that all of our skin ages
and sags for want of a better word.
Yeah.
We find that where you've got sort of a skeleton
to support it such as, you know,
the skull supporting our face,
or our arms and legs supporting our skin there,
there's less of a sag that occurs.
Whereas with the testicular cycle,
the ball bagger as we all commonly call it,
there's no support there whatsoever
and with age and with gravity it is gonna sag a bit more.
The other thing to say that the testicles themselves change
with age as well.
So when we're younger men, we are producing
a much higher rate of testosterone
and therefore our testicles are really big
as testosterone factories and producing testosterone
and circulating that around.
As we get older, our testosterone production declines
and therefore our testicles start to shrink ever so slightly
with age as well.
Very natural then.
Absolutely, these are very common age-related changes.
Testicular size, shrinking ever so slightly,
the ball bag sagging a bit more,
nothing to be concerned or worried about.
That's exactly what we'd expect.
(light music)
Personally, I just prefer it to underwear.
It's supportive, it's more comfortable in my opinion.
Is that gonna damage me at all?
Great question.
And a lot of men ask us this because this is the trend now
for clothing, isn't it?
From a testicular cancer perspective then,
let's reassure you and all our listeners
that there is no link between tighter clothing
via underwear or jeans and testicular cancer.
Because if there was, let's just be really honest,
there would be high rates of testicular cancer right now
given the commonality of these clothing items.
Yeah.
What we do find though, as with anything
that causes testicular temperature to rise,
tight clothing and tight jeans being a part of this,
is that if the temperature rises,
it can lower your fertility ever so slightly
because sperm production is affected
if the testicles are too hot.
So, if you're looking to start a family,
you may want to lay off the tight clothing
for a couple of months
and once you've conceived as a couple,
you can then resume those.
But otherwise, no health affects that I'd be concerned by.
So, more a fertility issue
as opposed to a testicular cancer issue?
Yeah, absolutely.
(light music)
If we find a lump, we have to be cautious
that it could be a cancer and therefore we are
gonna take every step possible to get you seen,
get this scanned, and give you an answer
in terms of whether it's cancer or not.
I will share that there are many things that can cause lumps
in the testicle,
but because the cancer is the most serious of those things
we have to assume it's that until proven otherwise.
Yeah, and because testicular cancer
is highly curable as well,
it's something where you would
just encourage everybody obviously
to get themselves checked out.
Yeah.
But why live with the anxiety?
Because you got a big chance
if you have got testicular cancer that you will cure anyway.
Yeah.
What I would say is that please
just be really kind to yourself.
The sooner you take action,
the more options are available for you.
If you sit on this for too long and your anxiety
and worry get the better of you,
we may waste valuable time
and actually you may have fewer options available,
which you may come to regret later.
Absolutely. So, seeing a doctor
as soon as you can.
Get yourself checked out.
Absolutely.
(light music)
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Inside:
The ups and downs of being a dad
With Ugo Monye and Kelvin Fletcher
Mental health | Family | Being a parent
Watch in under 4 mins
TV's Ugo Monye and Kelvin Fletcher get real about being a dad. The highs and lows. The challenges and learning experiences that follow. How making connections with other dads helps them find their way. Get the insight to help you too.
Do you think your mental health has suffered
through being a dad
and all the pressures that come with it?
Yeah, I think, yeah, I'd be the first to admit
my mental health would've suffered over the years
at times when things have been challenging,
whether that's as a parent, with career,
whatever it might've been.
But that's life, and that shouldn't be...
Yes, we want to try and avoid it as much as we can,
but embrace it.
It's part of life, and I think it'd be more worrying
if it doesn't happen.
You know, it makes us stronger.
That's how we adapt, we learn.
We've got to go through some sort of adversity.
So I don't shy away from that, from the little failings,
from shortcomings or whatever it might be,
because you learn from it.
And I could even go as far as saying,
maybe on reflection, but you quite enjoy those moments,
because there's that moment of clarity
where you've actually feel like it's been of value.
'Cause it's really important
how we frame the conversation of mental health,
'cause if I asked anyone, during their careers,
doing whatever they do out there,
"Has your career been plain sailing?"
They'd say, "Probably not."
Physically, we've all had ailments,
been ill or whatever it might be.
No one has this plain sailing track that they live upon.
And the same is the same for your mental health.
And it's fine to be able to talk about it and own it,
but we need to try and remove that stigma
and just totally understand and accept
that it's never just gonna be plain sailing,
'cause that is just part and parcel of being alive, but-
I think it's reassuring
when you hear somebody else has struggled, or is struggling.
Makes you more likely to come out and say something.
Yeah, like, for me, it's when they say, like,
"What advice could you give?"
When I've heard that another dad for the first time
or certainly at the minute, a dad with twins,
and he'll tell me about, "Oh, it's tough."
He'll tell me about all the problems, all the headaches.
And I'm just like, "I absolutely get it."
It's so relatable and it really resonates with me.
Once you learn that somebody else
is going through or feeling what you're feeling,
it's just, for me, it's a massive weight off my shoulder
because I feel like if someone else is going through it
then it just feels easier,
and I'm going through it with somebody else.
So yeah, talking about it I think is key.
(relaxed music)
Inside:
Spotting anxiety in your child
Anxiety | Children | Symptoms
Watch in under 6 mins
Children may experience anxiety in their own way. Dr Zoe and Dr Rebecca discuss spotting signs of anxiety in your child and how to help them cope with their worries.
So, Rebecca, we're gonna talk about anxiety,
and how it doesn't just affect adults,
it affects people of all ages,
and that includes children as well.
Should we start off by defining what is anxiety,
and how does that differ from, I guess, normal feelings
of being anxious that we get from time to time?
So, we all get feelings of worry,
or fear in response to certain situations.
Where it starts to go into anxiety
is where you're getting those feelings regularly,
even though you don't have that external pressure.
And where it's having an impact on your life,
and you're getting symptoms more often than you're not.
You know, when we talk about anxiety,
the reason why we want to address it early
is because longer term,
it can lead to behavioural and physical problems.
So it's best to address it as early as possible.
Thinking about children,
what might be some of the common triggers
or some of the causes of anxiety in children?
Children can be really disrupted
by things that adults may not find traumatic.
Things like a house move, for example,
or a change in school, addition of a new sibling.
But also, you know, some children will be,
unfortunately, affected by very traumatic experiences,
such as a bereavement in the family.
So those can also be triggers.
And I think finally, you know,
it's difficult as a family, but family conflict,-
Yeah.
Arguments,- Yeah.
Can be really upsetting for children,
and can all be triggers.
And how might it present itself in a child?
It's very variable, isn't it?
Because actually we are talking about a wide age range.
Yeah.
But broadly a change in the child's behaviour
either at home and/or at school.
You know, we should be aware of those as symptoms.
So a child that suddenly becomes really clingy,
doesn't want to go into school at all,
is anxious if they, you know,
can't hold your hand when they're walking along the street.
A child that becomes more irritable or really tearful,
and changes in sleep in particular.
You know, a child that's waking up
in the middle of the night, can't go to sleep
or even a regression in terms of behaviour,
such as suddenly wetting the bed
when they were dry before can all be red flags.
So what's some of the ways
in which we can start to manage anxiety in children?
I think first of all,
how can we have the conversation with them?
How can we talk to them, like you said,
children of all different ages.
I'm sure there'll be different techniques.
And then what are some of the strategies we can try
and put in place to manage anxiety with our children?
So when we're talking about talking to your child,
it may not just be a single conversation.
Yeah.
It might be multiple conversations
over a long period of time
to kind of really uncover what's going on.
And sometimes, depends on the age of the child,
but sometimes having a conversation
that's not directed at the child.
Yeah. So, you know,
talking about their favourite cuddly toy.
You know, "Do you think Teddy might be a bit worried
about something?
Do you think Teddy might be having some symptoms
that are actually because of worries that Teddy is having?"
Do you think watching TV programmes together as well
Or sometimes even,- Yeah.
In children's TV programmes,
helping them sort of start to recognise what anxiety is
by talking about other people on shows or TV?
Yeah.
And I think definitely when we are also talking about,
you know, a family that might be going through a divorce,
or a traumatic event like a bereavement, you know,
reading books that address that,
or watching TV programmes about those particular events,
and how children have coped with it
could be really helpful as well.
What about slightly older children?
So, I think with them you can start
to have that conversation about that link
between the thoughts and worries that we have in our head
and the physical symptoms,
to try and make that connection for them.
And you know, a lot of that is about role modelling.
Yeah.
You're talking about your own experience
and what has worked for you,
and actually just spending the time
to be able to deal with coping mechanisms with them.
And you mentioned about being a role model.
I think it's important we remember
that we're such important role models for our children,
and self-care is important for the parent as well.
Especially, it's very difficult if you have a child
who is experiencing any mental health problems.
So, that self care is crucial.
Yeah, completely.
You know, and I think there's ways of role modelling,
ways to deal with the anxiety as well,
you know, things like creating a worry box
that your child can put worries into could be something
that you do as a family.
Yeah.
Breathing exercises like breathing in for three seconds,
holding for three seconds,
and then breathing out for three seconds could be something
that you do with your child.
And if families feel like they need more support
than that, where can they go to access it?
So, it's really important
that families seek help sooner rather than later.
There's lots of resources out there.
I think it's really good to contact the child's school,
you know, linking with their teacher.
It may be something that, you know, you are not experiencing
at home that actually the teacher's able to add to.
There's often counselling or pastoral services at school
who can also support a child in that setting.
And I'd always recommend people to go and speak to their GP.
They're a great first port of call,
and they can, you know, support you
with the talking therapies, with the meditation,
with all of those things, not just with, you know,
referral and medication options, et cetera.
Inside:
Parental burnout
Burnout | Parents | Stress
Watch in under 5 mins
The pressure of being a parent can leave some at risk of burnout. This is a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion. Dr Zoe and Dr Rebecca discuss how to spot the warning signs and minimise stress before it becomes a bigger problem.
Burnout is so common,
and I really don't think we talk about it enough.
So Rebecca, what is burnout and what does it look like?
Burnout is the result of long-term stress,
and it manifests itself as emotional,
mental, and physical exhaustion.
We all know that stress is a natural part of life,
and actually it can be very motivating.
You know, those external pressures like a work presentation
or having a very busy day
can really motivate us to get through.
But if it happens for too long or in too high amounts,
then that can lead to burnout.
And the symptoms of burnout can be very general.
They can problems sleeping, problems concentrating.
But if you're experiencing parental burnout,
actually it might mean that you're
snapping at your children more than you used to,
things like feeling very guilty
about your own parenting ability,
and doubting your own ability to be a parent,
or even not wanting to spend time with your children,
about kind of feeling resentful
about spending an amount of time with them.
The reason why it's so important to manage
is because if it goes unchecked,
it can lead to long-term consequences.
Physically, it can lead to high blood pressure,
cardiovascular disease, but also emotionally,
it can lead to depression and anxiety,
and also those unhealthy coping mechanisms
that you might develop because of stress,
such as, you know, drugs or alcohol or smoking
can become really entrenched.
And I think importantly,
it can really impact on your relationships as well,
so that can be your relationships with your children,
like you say, me snapping
and then feeling really guilty about it,
or with your partner, you might sometimes feel resentful
of them if they're having an easy time.
It can affect your sex drive.
Yeah.
But also with family and friends, you might not
want to go out and do the things you used to enjoy doing,
and that can be another sign that there's something,
that you're not coping so well.
Yeah, it's about really understanding
how have I changed from normal?
Like where's the old me gone?
Yeah, yeah. I think that's a really good way
of thinking about it.
And what would you say are some of the main contributors
when it comes to burnout?
Well, for people with young families,
they're trying to juggle everything, aren't they?
Yeah.
You know,
things are busy at home. We know.
We know. Things are busy at home,
they're often working as well,
and they're feeling like they can't
drop any of those balls.
Yeah.
And I think the lines between work and home life
have become completely blurred as people work from home.
Yeah.
You know, they're trying to put washers on
in between teleconference calls and
running off to- Feels it.
Running off to get the kids.
And that means that stresses can build up,
these kind of small stresses that used to be
manageable can suddenly build up and become
really overwhelming.
I think that sometimes it's just the thought,
the fear of, you know, if my child isn't well
and can't go to their childcare,
and how am I gonna cope with that?
We're juggling so many things, like you say.
And I think trying to be perfect at the same time,
trying to keep a tidy house.
And so, what are some of the things people can do
to alleviate some of this stress and manage their lives
to avoid burnout?
So there are personal things that you can do,
like going back to basics in terms of making sure
that you're getting enough sleep.
I know that's really hard for people with young children.
You know, making sure that you're eating well,
so that means not eating the leftovers
or getting a takeaway when the kids have gone to bed,
but maybe trying to carve out time where you can
all make a nice meal together,
so that you're getting good nutrition.
Making sure that you have exercise,
I'm a really big believer in that.
And that you're getting outside to get daylight every day.
But also, you know, maybe keeping a journal,
jotting down your worries, taking time to do
self care, time like breathing exercises,
even in the middle of a busy day.
But then there's external things.
You know, you mentioned the house.
Actually, it doesn't have to be tidy all the time.
So it's really about prioritising the things
that you can drop.
Yeah.
And take off your plate, just until
the kind of volume of those other stresses
has reduced.
And I think also asking for help,
because often people are willing to help.
So asking for that help and expecting it
and not feeling like you have to be superwoman
and do everything by yourself,
or superman. Yeah, yeah.
Exactly. Exactly. And I think if people
are really struggling and even, you know,
putting some of those things in place,
they feel they are approaching burnout,
then getting some professional help.
Yeah, and I think a great place to start is your GP.
Absolutely.
They're really used to talking to people
about these kinds of issues,
and about signposting people to the right kind of help,
whether that be talking therapy,
or maybe even some other referrals or treatment
if that's necessary.
.Mental health hub
Get free information, advice and sources of support with depression, anxiety, stress, addiction and OCD.
Supporting mums’ mental health
Being a parent is a juggling act that you often need a support net for. These tips tap into how to handle pressure and reduce stress.
Healthy Me
Live well every day. Get advice direct from our Bupa experts on topics such as diet, fitness, sleep and more.
Inside:
The mind-gut connection
with Kaitlin Colucci, Specialist Dietitian
Mental health I gut health I improve your health
Watch in under 3 mins
Have you heard the term ‘trust your gut’ or that ‘gut feeling’? There’s a reason for that. Your gut and mind are linked. One affects the other, and vice versa. Dr Zoe and Kaitlin talk about this connection and how to improve the mind-gut relationship.
Is it true that the gut is actually connected to the brain? And can you tell me a little bit about the connection between gut health and mental health?
Our gut and brain are constantly communicating to each other via a connection called the gut-brain axis. This is connected via the vagus nerve which runs from our brain all the way down to our gut. They communicate via the parasympathetic nervous system, which is known as that rest and digest nervous system. This is switched on when we're calm and relaxed.
They also communicate to each other via the sympathetic nervous system, otherwise known as the fight or flight nervous system. And that’s switched on when we're stressed and we can sometimes get symptoms of abdominal discomfort or butterflies in the stomach. Similarly, the gut is constantly communicating with the brain chemically, because 90% of our serotonin, known as the happy hormone, is actually produced within the gut.
So this is just another reason why it's so important to have a healthy gut to produce enough of these happy hormones.
And are there things that we can do to improve that connection between the gut and brain. And how can these positively impact both our mental health and our physical health?
Absolutely. So practices such as yoga, meditation, even breathwork can help reconnect the gut and the brain, as it were. So breathing out can help stimulate that rest and digest nervous system. And meditation and mindfulness can bring about a sense of calm, which is particularly helpful if we're feeling stressed or anxious. My absolute favourite is yoga, which involves meditation and breathwork, as well as the physical movement.
So the stretching and compression can give your guts like a little internal massage. And on top of all of that, it's important to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. Because studies have shown that a diet rich in plant diversity is beneficial for the diversity of our gut microbiome, which can decrease chronic disease risk.
And presumably improving diet alongside other lifestyle factors will give even more benefit.
Absolutely. So improving your sleep and your sleep hygiene, making sure you're doing regular physical activity and ensuring to get adequate hydration can improve not only our gut health, but our overall health and well-being.
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Sleep
Is stress impacting your sleep?
Sleep | Stress | Wellbeing
Watch in under 6 mins
Struggle to switch off at night? You’re not alone. Bupa customers said ‘stress and anxiety’ was the number one thing keeping them awake. Dr Zoe Williams and Professor Jason Ellis give some practical advice to help improve your sleep.
As a busy working parent, we know that you're spinning loads of plates all the time and this can make it really difficult to switch off at night and get to sleep. In fact, a survey of Bupa customers, half of people said they wished they slept better, saying that stress and anxiety was the number one thing that prevented them from sleeping well. So I'm here with Professor Jason Ellis who is a sleep expert and who specialises in helping people get a better night's sleep. So Jason, why does stress and anxiety stop us from sleeping? Why is it that we can't just switch off and go to sleep?
Wouldn't that be lovely.
Wouldn't it?
There's two main issues going on here. The first, you've had a really busy day, you've had a lot of tension. If you haven't got rid of that tension, you're gonna take it into the bedroom. You're not gonna get comfortable, you're not gonna be able to fall asleep very easily. The other thing of course is that mental tension. Lots and lots of thoughts. The challenge is of course when you go to bed at night, you have some quiet time.
Yeah.
And it's usually the only quiet time you get. And so those thoughts are gonna invade, could I have done something different? What could I do about this situation? And again, they're gonna prevent you getting off to sleep.
I know, I know. I get into bed and it's often the first chance I've had to think about the next day, like is it tomorrow that he's meant to wear pyjamas to nursery and is this gonna happen? Have I booked the taxi? And then there's that temptation to get the phone out and start doing stuff, which is devastating. So what advice would you give to somebody then who is really busy, lots going on in their life and they're struggling with this switching off at nighttime?
Believe it or not, you already got there. Except we should be doing it a couple of hours earlier.
Right.
If we give ourselves an opportunity to put the day to bed before we go to bed, then we're gonna be more in control. So all those things like, well, what did I do today? What have I got to do tomorrow and the things I need to put in place tomorrow, like sort out the pyjamas. If you wrote those down a couple of hours beforehand, you're gonna have so much more control. The other thing I would say is give yourself some time to worry as well. Sounds odd, but giving yourself some contained time to worry isn't going to translate it back into the bedroom.
Okay, yeah I often think, we almost feel like we're not meant to worry. We're meant to have it all together. But actually accepting that, yeah, this is quite anxiety provoking. There are things to worry about doing it not just when you're about to go to sleep. That sounds like a good idea. Jason, you are an expert in cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. Can you tell us a little bit about CBTI?
Yeah, so CBTI is a range of techniques that we use mainly to identify and challenge any dysfunctional beliefs around sleep. For example, I need eight hours otherwise I'm not gonna function tomorrow.
We don't really necessarily.No, and sometimes we'll get seven hours and feel fabulous and have a great day. Sometimes when we eight, things don't go so well. So it's identifying any of those attitudes or beliefs that may be helping keep the insomnia alive.
Okay.
Then we talk about behavioural techniques. One of the challenges is that it's quite logical and rational. If you're not sleeping well, go to bed early, have a lie in. They actually tend to fragment the sleep process itself.
Right.
And so what we have to do within CBTI is find the optimal sleep window for you. Try to keep it consistent, really ensuring a deep, good quality sleep.
So it's like it's back to that regular bedtime and wait time.
Yep.
Even at the weekends.
Sadly so.
Okay, obviously with CBTI, ideally it's a therapeutic process where you ideally have a professional guiding you, but are there some sort of proven strategies and sort of tips and advice you can give us based on that that that most of us could perhaps think about incorporating into our sleep routine?
I would certainly think about something called stimulus control, which is one of the powerful aspects of CBTI. Two general rules, only use the bedroom for sleep and sex. And really if you are in bed and you're awake, get out of bed. Because what we start to do is we start to get angry. We start to get frustrated, we start to get miserable. They're not conducive to sleep. Let's take those out of the bedroom, go and do something quiet. Go back to bed when you're sleepy and tired again. Let's break that association with the bedroom being a combat zone. The other thing I would always say is about effort. Don't try to sleep. Again, sounds very strange, doesn't it? But normal sleepers don't try to sleep.
Right.
They get into bed and they do it. The more that you actually try to sleep and not achieve it, the more physically tense and anxious. See, I'm doing it now as I'm doing it.
You're making me feel tense. Thinking about the stress of getting into bed and knowing you're not gonna sleep and then trying to, you know, do various things to get yourself off, which don't work.
Don't try, it'll happen naturally. Your body's designed for it to happen naturally.
It's not happening.
Out.
Get out. Okay, well that's really helpful. Thank you so much and I hope that you found that just as helpful and maybe got some tips that you can take away to help you sleep better tonight.
Why do teenagers need so much sleep?
Sleep | Teenage health | Wellbeing
Watch in under 4 mins
During puberty, there are so many changes taking place in the brain and body that mean teenagers need more sleep than adults. Professor of Sleep Science, Jason Ellis, explains what is going on when a teenager sleeps.
Did you know that kids need more sleep when they're teenagers than when they're adults? And the reason for this is that starting from puberty, there's lots of changes in the brain and the body, which they need this extra sleep for in order to help them develop and grow.
A lot of these developments that they're going through actually relate to their performance, as well as their academic work, and so it's vital for them to get a good amount of deep, good-quality sleep. So what is actually going on here? Firstly, let's talk about the brain.
We're supporting critical thinking and problem solving, which are really important to help us in our day-to-day academic work.
We're also functioning in terms of our social and emotional health, and some of those changes that are occurring, which need more sleep, help us develop emotionally, and so we're more resilient and able to focus and feature in terms of our wellbeing.
Another core feature, of course, is our impulsivity.
Our teenagers can be quite impulsive because of their hormones, and it's actually sleep that helps start to help us regulate those particular parts of the brain, which help us become less impulsive over time.
We can't forget the impact it has on the body as well.
This is a time that we are growing physically, and so we need a lot of deep, good-quality sleep in order to produce growth hormone to help us grow stronger, fight infections, and get all of our hormones in check.
So let's talk about what we can do to help and support our teenagers.
The first is supporting them to establish a good sleep routine.
It's important because when the body clock and the drive to sleep work in tandem, you end up feeling refreshed and able to manage the day, so it's really good. It's important for them to feel that the bedroom is a comfortable environment, and one of the challenges is, especially with our teenagers, is that they want to use the bedroom as an environment where they do lots of other activities, as well as sleep.
A really good tip is if you could encourage them to demarc different spaces in their bedroom.
There's a space for them to go to bed, and maybe a space for them to do their homework or indeed do their other activities.
That way, if you're separating out the day and the night, it'll be easier for their bodies and their brains to start to associate the bed of sleep, and maybe their desk is somewhere they can work.
Getting our teenagers to talk about stress, anxiety, and the things that bother them can also be very, very helpful.
What we're doing here is we're gonna try to release that stress and anxiety before they get into bed because, of course, it's gonna prevent them from getting a good-quality sleep.
So let's talk about electronics.
One of the challenges is that they contain blue light, and that can inhibit the production of melatonin, which is the hormone which tells us it's time to go to bed, and this is critical for teenagers, so we might want to encourage them to leave their electronics out of the bedroom an hour or so before bedtime.
Finally, I would say set a really good example.
Talk positively about sleep.
It's very interesting.
A lot of parents will talk about sleep as, "Oh, I'm so tired. "I didn't sleep very well." Children, and teenagers especially, feed into that. They understand it. We don't want them to start to develop anxiety about sleep themselves.
I'm Professor Jason Ellis.
Thank you so much for watching, and I hope those hints and tips will be really helpful in supporting your teenager's sleep.
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