Sleep issues enough to knock your socks off

Sleeping with socks on might be a nice way to fall asleep for some people. For others, however, having them on in bed is the stuff of nightmares. Photo / Thinkstock

Sleeping with socks on might be a nice way to fall asleep for some people. For others, however, having them on in bed is the stuff of nightmares.

No matter what your preference, though, sleep experts say making sure your body is at the right temperature can do wonders for a good night's rest.

Members of the Australasian Sleep Association are in Christchurch this week for this year's Sleep in Aotearoa conference.

Experts from around the region are discussing the latest sleep discoveries and analysing developments in conditions such as insomnia, sleepiness and sleep apnoea.

A senior lecturer at the University of Otago's Wellington campus, Dr Angela Campbell, said among the topics of discussion was a new milk-powder drink that helped people to sleep better.

The powder is made from milk from cows milked at night and is more enriched with the sleep hormone melatonin.

"It appears that it's better for insomniacs. The night milk is better than the day milk [from cows milked during the day]."

Another area of discussion was a preliminary study that tested how fast the body reacted when a sleepy - but awake - person's feet were cold.

"They looked at whether the ones with the cold feet were more alert than those with warm feet, but there didn't seem to be any difference," Dr Campbell said.

Among the guest speakers at this year's conference is Dr Sarah Biggs, from Monash University in Melbourne.

Dr Biggs will speak about her concerns with new smartphone technology that supposedly monitors a person's sleeping patterns.

Apps such as Sleep Time and Sleep Cycle can be downloaded on a cell-phone. With the phone on the bed, the app monitors sleeping patterns by sensing the body's movements.

"These apps can give a false reassurance to those with insomnia or sleep apnoea, leading them to believe they're sleeping well when they're not," Dr Biggs said.

The conference finishes today.

4 Tips for a good sleep

• Drink a cup of warm milk before bed.
• Avoid drinking caffeine late in the day or before bed.
• Don't use your mobile phone or tablet in bed.
• Keep a notepad and pen beside your bed. If you remember something that needs to be done the next day, write it down and stop thinking about it.