If you then get your eight hours of sleep, your adenosine is metabolised from the brain, and you wake up feeling refreshed. Meadows says that while we’re awake, a brain chemical called adenosine builds up in our systems, helping create ‘sleep drive’ – so we’re ready for sleep come bedtime, reports Wales Online.ĭr Meadows said: “The more adenosine you have in your system, the more sleepy you feel. So we can all already do with sleeping a bit more, but during the heatwave, we were struggling to sleep even more.” “Nearly three quarters of the population walk around with a sleep debt anyway – as in they’re not achieving their biological sleep need, which is roughly seven to eight hours a night for most of us. He explained: “People will have incurred a sleep debt – perhaps above and beyond their normal sleep debt. Niamhs habits might sound unusual, but she is one of an increasing number of people suffering from delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), a disorder affecting the body clock, or circadian rhythm. Met Office experts explain how much climate change had an impact on recent heatwaveĪccording to Dr Guy Meadows of Sleep School, you may be experiencing what is known as ‘sleep debt'.PT tips for keeping on top of health and exercise while enjoying your summer break.However, one doctor has an explanation as to why you might be still feeling tired, even though the heatwave has passed. With mercury dropping to more comfortable temperatures, energy levels should be back to normal. While Scottish temperatures have lowered, for now at least, you may find yourself still feeling sluggish. Sleepless nights of tossing and turning, followed by days of stifling indoor heat will have left most people feeling physically drained.Įarlier this week, those feeling the heat had little chance to cool down, even outdoors. For many of us, the heatwave has been truly exhausting.

Sleep expert dr for dsps sleep disorder