The 2021 SLEEP UPDATE

Sleep is critical to our survival as a species. Without it, we would die. Despite that, for many of us it’s not an easy process. ‘There isn’t a single creature on the planet that doesn’t need a period of rest in a 24-hour period,’ says sleep scientist Dr Dale Rae. Being diurnal creatures, we’re sensitive to sunlight and are designed to be active when the sun goes up and resting when the sun goes down. ‘The more consistent we are, the easier it is for the body to anticipate what we’re asking of it every day. Our bodies love rhythm and routine.’

Dale is a senior researcher at the University of Cape Town, where she specialises in sleep. She also runs Sleep Science (sleepscience.co.za), a practice where she helps clients with their personal sleep issues.

There are many reasons that people battle to sleep, she says, including a temporary situation that is causing anxiety; long-term insomnia, when poor sleep has become a learned