Sleep deprivation occurs when we don’t get enough quality sleep. The amount of sleep we need varies from person to person, but if you’re having trouble getting to sleep, waking up often in the night or feeling tired during the day, there’s a chance you could be sleep deprived.
A good night’s sleep is essential for our emotional wellbeing and our physical health. Without quality sleep you might find it hard to be at your best – you might struggle to carry out daily tasks, or start to lose focus at work. An ongoing lack of sleep can also affect your mood, causing you to feel grumpy or irritable. You might have trouble making decisions, solving problems or controlling your emotions. Sleep deprivation can also have profound effects on your body over time, increasing your risk of weight gain, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Many things can affect your quality of sleep – a noisy or distracting sleep environment, stress at work, or sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea or insomnia. Sleep deprivation often comes down to bad sleeping habits. It’s possible to improve your quality of sleep by making changes to your daily behaviours and bedtime routine. Things like alcohol consumption, exercise and screen-time can all affect how well you sleep.
If you need help with getting a better night’s sleep, or know someone who does, browse this page for tools and treatments for sleep deprivation.
A website providing comprehensive health information and advice in the form of articles, videos and various other resources to help you seek the best help for a range of mental health and wellbeing issues. This link is for issues relating to sleep.
A mindfulness and meditation app with hundreds of guided meditations for everything from stress to sleep.
An intelligent alarm that tracks your sleep cycles throughout the night to gently wake you up when your sleep is at its lightest.
A smart alarm that monitors your sleep patterns to improve your quality of sleep and wake you up feeling refreshed.
A discussion forum for sharing news, opinion and digital content - this particular sub-reddit is for all things relating to sleep.
A quick survey providing a personalised sleep profile in under 5 minutes based on your daily, routine behaviours.
An app aimed at helping users to sleep deeper and longer using scientifically composed music to relax the mind and body.
An app aimed at promoting mindfulness and relaxation, offering over 250 guided meditation sessions and step-by-step courses led by meditation experts.
A popular YouTube channel offering a range of guided yoga and meditation practices, focusing on mental and emotional wellbeing as well as physical exercise.
Brain.fm provides music designed to enhance focus, relaxation, meditation and sleep within 10-15 minutes of use.
A downloadable software that adapts the colour of your computer's display to the time of day. It removes the harsh blue light from your screen during the evening and night to help you wind down and sleep better.
An audio-guided running plan for complete beginners, designed to get you running a 5K in nine weeks.
A free online lecture series delivering short talks from a variety of speakers around the world, covering a wide range of topics and ideas - including health and wellbeing.
An online service for diagnosing and treating insomnia. A 7-day sleep assessment is used to determine a diagnosis and treatment plan to help you sleep better within weeks.
An app that uses motion-tracking and audio-recording to monitor your sleep, with a smart alarm that wakes you up when your sleep is at its lightest.
A peer-to-peer support network helping users to connect with others who share similar health conditions.
An app that tracks your daytime habits alongside sleep quality to identify how factors like alcohol consumption, workout routine or daily stress levels may be affecting your sleep.
A simple website that calculates the best time to go to sleep based on when you need to get up, in order to help you feel more refreshed in the morning.
An app that filters out your phone's harsh blue light to reduce eye strain and help you sleep better.
A mindfulness and meditation app offering guided meditations, breathing programmes and 'Sleep Stories' to help de-stress and clear the mind.
An ASMR app allowing you to create your own personal soundscapes from a library of unique sounds to aid with sleep and relaxation.
YouTube can be a great resource for music and meditations to help you get to sleep - this particular channel is popular for its guided meditations.
A website with useful tools and resources for all things related to mental health and wellbeing.
A resource for children and young people with mental health and wellbeing issues, providing information about common mental health symptoms, how to cope and where to get help.
A website providing advice and tips on how to improve your quality of sleep and create the perfect sleep environment.
An online programme designed to enable fast recovery from anxiety and panic attacks through videos and audio tracks.
An online course aimed at curing insomnia, with over 70 videos and guided audio tracks plus 24 hr insomnia support to help manage and improve your quality of sleep.
An app that combines guided meditation with music to help with everyday issues such as giving up smoking, losing weight, building confidence and getting to sleep.
A question-and-answer site allowing users to exchange advice and information on a range of topics including health and wellbeing issues.
An app that plays selected sounds with soothing voiceover to help you get to sleep, stay asleep and wake up feeling refreshed.
A popular music-streaming service and useful resource for a range of audio tracks to help you get to sleep.
A support service for young people aged 12-25 affected by drug or alcohol issues living in the boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, and Westminster.
A community-based drug service that provides support for drug users, ex-drug users and their family and friends in the borough of Haringey.
A community support network where local residents of Haringey can regularly come together and share their thoughts and experiences, with the aim of improving mental health and community wellbeing.
A service providing a range of treatment and recovery services to Londoners affected by a drug or alcohol problem.
Find an accredited counsellor or psychotherapist near you. Alternatively, explore whether counselling is right for you.