With Andrew Watson of Goodmeasure Pharmacy Rotherham

As a pharmacist, I spend much of my day helping people manage conditions with pills, patches, and powders.

But one of the most potent treatments for better health isn’t something I can dispense in a bottle. It’s sleep.

It’s not just an old proverb; sleep really is the best medicine. It deserves a place at the top of your wellness toolkit alongside nutrition, exercise, and mental health care.

Want to boost your mood? Prevent inflammation? Maintain a healthy weight? Improve memory and concentration? Lower your risk of chronic disease? Sleep can help with all of these. But it’s often seen as a ‘nice to have’ rather than being essential for health.

So, let’s look at the medicinal benefits of regularly getting good quality sleep.

The body’s nightly pharmacist

When we sleep, the body doesn’t shut down. It powers up and checks off its nightly to-do list.

It’s busy releasing growth hormones, repairing damaged cells, and clearing out toxins in the brain via a process called the glymphatic system, which is bit like a biological rinse cycle.

Sleep also strengthens your immune system, lowers your heart rate and stress levels, and regulates your blood pressure.

This helps reduce your risk of serious health problems like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Sleep deficiency causes your stress levels to surge which increases your blood pressure. High blood pressure puts extra stress on your blood vessels which causes and inflammatory response. In other words, your body goes into attack mode.

Sleep also produces antibodies which keep your immune system functioning properly. If you don’t get enough sleep, you may find you can’t fight off common infections like cold and flu.

It also regulates your metabolism, in particular the hormones that make you feel hungry and full. So that lack of sleep may be the reason for your late-night trips to the kitchen and rising BMI – and eating late at night probably isn’t helping you drop off, either.

Feel cranky or irritable after a bad night’s sleep? There’s a biological reason for that. Sleep helps the brain work properly and without adequate sleep you may have trouble concentrating or controlling your emotions. It can cause mood swings, anger, sadness, or anxiety. You might also become impulsive, make more mistakes, or have a slower reaction time.

Your prescription for better sleep

Adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. For children, this is between nine and 13 hours, and 12 to 17 hours for babies and toddlers.

Insomnia is where you can’t get to sleep or struggle to stay asleep long enough to feel refreshed. You might lie awake for long periods or wake up often during the night. Other people wake up early and struggle to drop back off.

When sleep troubles arise, many people head straight to the pharmacy for a quick fix. As a pharmacist, I always encourage looking at lifestyle changes first. Sleep hygiene may not feel like ‘medicine’, but it can be more effective than anything you’ll find in a blister pack.

Here’s what I recommend:

• Consistent sleep schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
• Limit stimulants: Cut caffeine after noon and avoid nicotine and alcohol before bed as these keep you alert.
• Digital detox: Power down screens an hour before sleep. Blue light disrupts melatonin production.
• Wind-down ritual: Take a warm bath or shower, meditate, or read a book. Your brain needs cues that it’s time to rest.
• Create a sleep sanctuary: Cool, dark, and quiet is the goal. Eye masks, ear plugs, and blackout curtains can work wonders.

When to seek help

Some people are naturally light sleepers. Other people experience poor sleep quality due to their lifestyle, like shift work, jet lag or consuming alcohol. It’s also normal to experience a lack of sleep if you’re anxious or worried about certain life events.

However, if sleep problems persist despite good habits, that’s when professional help matters. Pharmacists can guide you on safe use of over-the-counter sleep aids like Nytol or Kalms. They can also help identify if medications you’re already taking, like certain antidepressants or stimulants, are interfering with your rest.

And of course, chronic insomnia, sleep apnoea or restless leg syndrome may require a doctor’s assessment.