logo
‘Crisis': Expert reveals secrets to how to get a flawless sleep

‘Crisis': Expert reveals secrets to how to get a flawless sleep

West Australian7 days ago
A new report has revealed the extent of Australia's silent sleep epidemic, with one expert offering simple fixes for the nation's most common sleeping difficulties.
The Great Aussie Wake-Up, commissioned by Holiday Inn Express, found that 91 per cent of Australians struggle to fall or stay asleep in a typical week, and 93 per cent regularly wake up too early.
Sleep expert Olivia Arezzolo said the research showed the issue had progressed from a problem to a crisis.
But she said three core controllable elements could be implemented to form the foundation for good sleep.
'When you look at the biomechanics of the circadian rhythm, there are key factors which control it,' she said.
'Light is one, eating is another, and temperature is another. Before adding the nice-to-haves, you need to get the essentials right first.'
In terms of food, Ms Arezzolo stressed the importance of having breakfast and warned against all too common late night snacking.
'I think a really big factor which is often overlooked, is there's this massive growth in intermittent fasting,' she said.
'It's one of the biggest trends of 2025 and this is meaning that a lot of Gen Z, but also just overall Aussies, are skipping breakfast.
'The stat from the Holiday Inn research was that 76 per cent of Aussies are losing part of their morning routine and one in four are not eating breakfast.
'Breakfast is absolutely critical for circadian rhythm alignment. I'm sure you've heard that term with reference to light and temperature, but eating is also a regulator of the circadian rhythm.
'It essentially anchors the body clock. So in order to fall asleep with ease in the evening, we need to be having breakfast within the first hour of being awake.'
Ms Arezzolo said you ideally want three hours in between your last meal of the day and bedtime. For coffee it was a minimum of eight hours.
'I have a 2pm absolute latest cut-off time (for coffee), but ideally, you want nothing after 12 o'clock, especially if you're struggling to sleep.'
For light Ms Arezzolo recommended getting 20 minutes of light within 30 minutes of waking and staying away from blue light producing screens close to bedtime.
'Like eating, light is a factor controlling the circadian rhythm.
'Essentially, if you're exposed to blue light in the evening, then you have the suppression of melatonin, which is your key sleep hormone to fall and stay asleep.
'This is akin to having a coffee before bed. As soon as you have that blue light enter your eyes, you have the biological signals to remain alert and awake.'
Another key finding of the report was an overreliance on the snooze button with more than half (52 per cent) of Australians hitting snooze every morning.
Gen Z were among the worst offenders, with a massive 70 per cent regularly hitting the button – and one in ten tapping snooze at least 120 times a month.
'When you're hitting the snooze button regularly, every time the alarm goes off, you get a spike in your stress hormone cortisol,' Ms Arezzolo said.
'Too much cortisol leads to chronic states of anxiety, burnout, having that 'wired but tired feeling', being unable to sleep, and particularly 3am wakings.
'You're essentially setting your nervous system up to be on overdrive from the moment you wake up simply by pressing the snooze button, not just once, but multiple times. So that one is definitely alarming. Pardon the pun.'
Ms Arezzolo said in the course of her regular life, people are constantly asking her to fix their sleep however they tend to focus on alternative aids rather than focusing on the essentials.
'I'm like, 'okay, but tell me about your mornings and tell me about your evenings. What are you doing just before you're waking up and just before you're going to sleep? What are you doing just when you're waking up? Do you have the foundations right'? And nine times out of 10, they don't.
'You can't overlook these and then just pick and choose which sleep strategies you want to employ because you prefer that. It doesn't work like that. It's biology.
'Circadian rhythm is controlled by light, temperature and eating. So you have to get these things right.'
Following the research, Holiday Inn are offering guests free hot breakfast across each of their locations.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

This ancient remedy is the secret weapon of fitness fanatics
This ancient remedy is the secret weapon of fitness fanatics

Perth Now

time42 minutes ago

  • Perth Now

This ancient remedy is the secret weapon of fitness fanatics

An ancient remedy, known for its powerful properties, is gaining momentum as a secret weapon among fitness gurus pushing their bodies through intensive training. Black seed has been a relatively little-known natural remedy in Australia despite its history dating back to ancient Egypt, but now more Aussies are reaping the rewards from its health benefits. Known for its powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, consumers say it boosts immunity and minimises joint pain and inflammation. It's believed even Cleopatra used it in her beauty routine, and Pharaoh Tutankhamen was buried with black seeds inside his tomb to take with him to the 'afterlife'. Melbourne man and WA Strongman competitor Deni Omeragic has been taking black seed oil daily for the last two years after coming across it through his Bosnian heritage. After hitting rock bottom with his immunity due to over-training, Mr Omeragic turned to the ancient ingredient in search of a natural solution. Deni Omeragic has been taking the remedy daily. Credit: Supplied Since then, the 30-year-old claims he's only 'been sick once' — and credited black seed as his 'secret weapon' while preparing for the WA Strongman Championship this month. 'It's the only supplement that I consistently take,' the father of two said. 'I take a tablespoon of oil morning and night.' Mr Omeragic said during his first year of training for the strongman competition, which consisted of heavy weightlifting, he would get 'so sick' from 'training hard and overworking my body'. 'I needed a way around this, so I looked into black seed oil, and honestly, since then, my immunity, my gut health, it reduces inflammation, it's a natural antioxidant, boosts recovery, like all of those things, it really does help,' he said. Deni Omeragic used black seed oil while prepping for the WA Strongman competition. Credit: Supplied Mr Omeragic said he thought more Aussies were turning to the natural wellness solution post-COVID-19. 'I think a lot of people want to go organic. The fitness world is trying to be more natural,' he said, adding that several of his gym and bodybuilding friends have been getting on the trend. 'It's not like an alternative to modern medicine, but it's a prevention from getting unwell.' Azam Kassim, the founder of a leading black seed products manufacturer, Hab Shifa, said it was effective due to containing an active compound called thymoquinone. 'For thousands of years, black seed has been a treasured remedy across Middle Eastern and Asian cultures and has recently garnered worldwide attention over the last decade due to the mounting research that continues to validate its endless benefits,' he said. Black seed dates back thousands of years. Credit: Supplied 'We're seeing a surge in popularity—especially among the fitness crowd—who rely on black seed to supercharge their immune system during training, stay strong through winter, and bounce back faster from fatigue or illness. 'We believe the recent attention black seed has been receiving in the health world can be attributed to its unique compound called thymoquinone - known to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial power. 'This is thought to be what drives black seed's ability to strengthen your immune response, calm inflammation and support healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels.' Black seed can be added to food or taken as an oil or capsule.

'Not up for negotiation': Aussies expected to save $200m a year from major cap on PBS-listed scripts despite tariff threats to industry
'Not up for negotiation': Aussies expected to save $200m a year from major cap on PBS-listed scripts despite tariff threats to industry

Sky News AU

time6 hours ago

  • Sky News AU

'Not up for negotiation': Aussies expected to save $200m a year from major cap on PBS-listed scripts despite tariff threats to industry

Millions of Australians are expected to save $200m in vital medication fees as a landmark bill caps the price of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescriptions at just $25, down from $31.60. The bill is set to take effect from January 1, as the Labor government takes the first steps to legislate the bill and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vows to keep his election pledge on cost of living relief. The changes mean the cost of medicines on the PBS could be significantly reduced by over 20 per cent. Minister for Health, Mark Butler said five million Australians will feel the relief in their pockets. The cost of medicine for pension and concession card holders will remain frozen at $7.70 until the end of 2029. The bill which was announced by Labor during the May election campaign is expected to cost the budget $690m over four years. Mr Albanese said it built on a pledge for cost of living relief. 'This is another example of cost of living relief that helps every Australian,' he said. 'The size of your bank balance shouldn't determine the quality of your healthcare. My government will continue to deliver cost of living relief for all Australians.' Mr Butler added general patients' medicines haven't been this cheap since 2004. 'The Albanese Government has been focused on delivering cheaper medicines for Australians," he said. 'Cheaper medicines are good for the hip pocket and good for your health." The Assistant Health Minister, Emma McBride said the bill was set to pass despite US President Donald Trump's 200 per cent tariff threat on pharmaceutical imports. The US is Australia's biggest pharmaceutical export market and if the tariff is implemented it could cost the Australian economy up to $2.8 billion and force pharmas' to hike up their prices. However, Ms McBride said the PBS is not up for negotiation and "it is not a bargaining chip". "Labor introduced the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to make sure that essential medicines were available to all Australians, and with this introduction of legislation to enact our election commitment, it will mean a cap on $25, which will save Australians about $200 million a year, 5.1 million Australians estimated to benefit," she said.

Australian news and politics live: Independent MP Chaney to introduce Bill to ban AI child sexual abuse apps
Australian news and politics live: Independent MP Chaney to introduce Bill to ban AI child sexual abuse apps

West Australian

time7 hours ago

  • West Australian

Australian news and politics live: Independent MP Chaney to introduce Bill to ban AI child sexual abuse apps

Scroll down for the latest news and updates. Independent MP Kate Chaney will today introduce a bill to outlaw technology that assists in the creation of child sexual abuse material. Under the bill it would be an offence to posess AI tools designed for the sole purpose of creating child sexual abuse material. 'This is a clear gap in our Criminal Code that I think we need to be able to respond quickly on so we can make sure we're keeping kids safe,' she said on ABC. 'Currently, possession of these images is illegal, but it's not illegal to possess these particular types of AI tools that are designed for the sole purpose of creating child sexual abuse material. 'So, it means that perpetrators can generate the material using images of real children, delete the images, and then recreate them whenever they want and avoid detection. 'This bill is focused on making it illegal to download these tools that are designed to create this material.' Ms Chaney said action was needed now. 'The challenge that we have is that we're creating a lot of reports and consultations, and the technology is moving so fast, so I think there's a need for urgent action on this. 'We need to be able to plug the gaps as we go, while addressing the broad issues about how we're going to encourage take-up of AI for its productivity benefits but creating appropriate guardrails so that people can have faith in it.'. Australians will pay no more than $25 for selected medicines for the first time in more than 20 years under a proposal to be brought before parliament. It will be the second cap on medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) introduced by the Albanese government in three years, after it cut the maximum price of PBS prescriptions from $42.50 to $30. 'The size of your bank balance shouldn't determine the quality of your health care,' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. 'My government will continue to deliver cost-of-living relief for all Australians.' PBS medicines would be capped at $7.70 for pensioners and concession card holders until 2030. The bill's introduction is largely a formality, with its passage through the lower house all but assured thanks to Labor's massive 94-seat majority in the 150-seat House of Representatives. ​ Read the story ​ West is best again in economic circles but big gains made on the other side of the Nullarbor have surprised economists and left eastern states languishing. A boost in housing construction has propelled South Australia to second position, above Queensland and Victoria, in CommSec's latest State of the States report released on Monday. Western Australia remains the nation's top performer for the fourth straight quarter with strong returns on retail spending and business investment, but an upheaval could be on the horizon. 'We are seeing Western Australia lose a little bit of momentum,' CommSec chief economist Ryan Felsman told AAP. 'It's been growing at a breakneck speed the last two or three years, and the reason for that is population growth has been the highest for some time.' ​ Read the story ​ A plan to boost the number of fully bulk-billing general practice clinics is likely to fall dramatically short of forecasts, a healthcare directory operator warns. Labor's $7.9 billion plan to expand the Bulk Billing Incentive Program to include non-concession patients projected the number of fully bulk-billing GP clinics to rise to 4800. But healthcare directory operator Cleanbill estimates the number of entirely bulk-billing clinics will rise by just 740 to 2081 because incentive payments will not cover consultation costs for certain clinics. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler slammed the report as inaccurate and fundamentally flawed. 'This is a headline-grabbing phone poll conducted by a private company whose own website says their data is not 'reliable, accurate, complete or suitable',' Mr Butler said in a statement. 'For the first time, Labor will expand bulk-billing incentives to all Australians and create an additional new incentive payment for practices that bulk bill every patient.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store