Lee Suckling: How getting more sleep has changed my life

Sleeping man set. Many views of sleep. Front, side, rear, top. lie on the tummy, Sleep on one's side, lie supine, Various gestures. cartoon of male guy in pajamas. Vector illustrations isolated

Sleep is the new going out. So mused a mate in a recent Whatsapp conversation, while we discussed the glory of getting nine or ten hours of shut-eye as a form of "sleep bingeing".

It's no secret that when you age, you get tired. I feel like I need more sleep to feel decent now than ever before, and really struggle to function on less than seven and a half hours.

By worldwide medical standards, 7.5 hours is great. It's what doctors hope most people get. Yet what began as a standard for me has become a minimum. When I wake up I count on my fingers how many hours I've been resting, and minus any periods (there's often an annoying break in my sleep between 5:00-5:45am, when traffic starts to sound and my dog begins to get restless) where I've been lying in bed trying to get back to sleep.

For the first quarter of 2018, I've tried to maintain eight hours of sleep every single night. I have not indulged in evenings out beyond midnight, and have even started to leave social occasions with the excuse, "sorry, I have to get to sleep by 12:00 and it takes me a good hour to wind down".

What is all this extra sleep doing to me? For starters, my metabolism has skyrocketed. I've maintained a steady weight (plus or minus only one kilogram at any point during the day), even through inconsistent holiday periods, by changing nothing but the regularity of my sleep pattern.

Dermatologists also espouse the virtues of sleep and I can confirm that sleep is damn excellent for your skin. Mine has never been clearer. I've historically had a complexion on the drier side and been plagued by follicular inflammation, but this appears to have happily resolved itself with a diet of sleep and no other regimen changes.

An unexpected difference is how vivid and memorable my dreams have become. I suppose I'm finally getting that deep REM stuff when my eyes are closed now: I wake up able to recall everything, and every person, in brilliant colour and context. I've even started half-writing article in my sleep and am able to wake up, transcribe, and finish them. It's the darnedest thing, and probably means something great has happened to my memory with all this sleep.

Most importantly, a routine level of sleep has enabled me to get my mental illness completely under control. How are my anxiety levels? Low, historically low. Getting eight hours every night has changed me on a metaphysical level. While I used to reach an emotional boiling point every other day where perceiver problems could seem insurmountable, now I feel like I can tackle anything. A well-rested mind gives me the ability to take away that dark cloud of worry I used to be greeted with, and replace it with acceptance and pragmatism.

An eight-hour minimum has also changed my mood, which has good and bad repercussions. That is, I have no tolerance for not feeling great anymore. I expect every day to feel upbeat, capable, and happy, and all of this comes with getting my ideal of sleep. The bad part of this is that my norm has changed, so I have no allowance for not feeling 100 per cent. If I'm slightly beat for some reason, I feel devastatingly tired and want a 10-hour napping binge. If I feel slightly compromised mentally, I feel as if all is lost and I'll never be the same again. It's the brain equivalent of Man Flu.

So what are other the downsides to getting all of this sleep? I now live a very regimented life. Because my good nights are exclusive to my own house, I've given up travel, vacation, and professional opportunities because of my need to return to my own bed at night – hotels and others' guest beds don't cut it anymore. This obviously isn't a forever solution but has been integral in resetting my sleep routine.

I'm also largely unavailable during the evenings via technology – I've developed a large aversion to screens and try not to even touch my iPhone or laptop after 8pm – and have even stopped messages from being pushed from my phone after dinnertime. They will be there in the morning.

Lastly, almost every time I go out, I drive so I can only have two drinks. This is self-censorship of my alcohol intake so I'm not woken up by booze during the night.

Winter beckons, and if you're keen to see what getting enough sleep does to your body and mind, I think now is a great time to start. Spend the next three months religiously following a sleep program and see how it works out. I highly doubt you'll be emailing me in the springtime saying a strict eight hours was a terrible idea that changed nothing for your mental or physical health.