Skip to main content
  • Individuals
    • Individuals
    • Business
    • Adviser
    • Financial Wellbeing
    • About us
    • Contact us
    • Claims
    • AIA Vitality Member Login
  • Search
  • AIA Australia
  • Health Insurance
    • Member Benefits
    • Member Login
    • Get a quote
    • Make a claim
  • Life Insurance
    • Life Cover
    • Total and Permanent Disablement
    • Crisis Recovery
    • Income Protection Core
    • Business Expenses
    • Make a claim
    • Medix
  • Retirement & Investment
    • Guaranteed Annuities
    • Investment Growth Bond
    • Unit Prices
  • AIA Vitality
    • Partners and Rewards
    • Already a member? Login
  • Content Hub
    • Move Well
    • Plan Well
    • Eat Well
    • Think Well
  • Help & Support
    • Making a Claim
    • Forms & Documents
    • Policyholder Information
    • Complaints process
    • Contact AIA
    • Customer feedback
    • COVID-19
AIA
  • Individuals
  • Business
  • Adviser
  • Financial Wellbeing
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Claims
  • AIA Vitality Member Login
  • Health Insurance

    Health Insurance

    Cover that protects and rewards.

    • Member Benefits

      Learn more about the range of benefits available to AIA Health Insurance members.

    • Member Login

      Existing members login here to your online account.

    • Get a quote

      Ready to get started?

    • Make a claim

      Get help with making a claim.

  • Life Insurance

    Life Insurance

    We’re here to help protect your family, your lifestyle and your future.

    For Individuals

    For Business

    • Life Cover

      Helps protect your loved ones if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness or pass away.

    • Total and Permanent Disablement

      A lump sum benefit if you can’t work due to injury or illness

    • Crisis Recovery

      Helps ease the financial burden should you suffer a traumatic event.

    • Income Protection Core

      Can provide you with a monthly income if you become disabled due to injury or illness.

    • Business Expenses

      May assist to pay expenses of your business if you cannot work due to injury or illness.

    • Make a claim

      Get help with making a claim.

    • Medix

      Personal Medical Case Management.

  • Retirement & Investment

    Retirement & Investment

    Plan for a more comfortable tomorrow.

    • Guaranteed Annuities

      Can provide you with a regular, guaranteed income stream throughout your retirement.

    • Investment Growth Bond

      Also known as an insurance bond, it offers a tax-effective way to invest for the future and is flexible enough to suit a wide range of needs.

    • Unit Prices

      Find unit prices for a range of superannuation and investment products.

  • AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality is a personalised, science-backed health and wellbeing program that supports you every day to make healthier lifestyle choices.

    • Partners and Rewards

      Learn more about our partners and rewards.

    • Already a member? Login

      Check your AIA Vitality Status and get access to the tools you need to help improve your health.

  • Content Hub

    Content Hub

    The AIA Vitality Content Hub is your go to for science-backed, health and wellbeing inspiration and advice.

    • Move Well

      Find your further when it comes to exercise and fitness.

    • Plan Well

      Tools and support for your future, because a good tomorrow starts today.

    • Eat Well

      Care for your body with food that makes you feel good.

    • Think Well

      Tools and information to help you cultivate a healthy frame of mind.

  • Help & Support

    Help & Support

    We strive to assist you for all your inquiries with high touch customer service.

    Contact AIA
    • Making a Claim

      Get help with making a claim.

    • Forms & Documents

      A selection of forms and other important product related documents.

    • Policyholder Information

      Useful information for policyholders.

    • Complaints process

      If you have a complaint, we'll do our best to resolve the situation.

    • Contact AIA

      How to get in contact with us.

    • Customer feedback

      Let us know how we're doing.

    • COVID-19

      How we are responding.

  • Search
  • Contact Us
    • Call Us

      Open: 8am to 6pm, AEST Mon - Fri

    • Find an adviser

Move Well
Prev | Next
Back to Top
  • {{title}}

    {{label}}
  • Your most googled sleep questions, answered

    Staff Writer - 6 min read

    13 March 2020


    We put together a panel of experts to answer your most commonly searched for questions about sleep.

    Your most googled sleep questions, answered

    In celebration of World Sleep Day, we put together a panel of experts to answer your most commonly searched questions about sleep. 

    Sleep can be an elusive thing. A study by the Sleep Health Foundation shows that at least 39.8 per cent of Aussies suffer from significant insomnia, and it can be hard to know the solution when you’re feeling the effects of disrupted downtime. So what do we do when we don’t know the answer to something? We google it. We decided not to lose a second (or any more sleep) before gathering a panel of experts to supply us with some in-depth answers for your most googled queries on the top

    Sleep specialist Dr David Cunnington, and sleep psychologists Hailey Meaklim and Professor Dorothy Bruck join us to answer the internet’s burning questions.

    The internet asked Google:
    How do I get to sleep quickly?

    HM: “Try to listen to the body’s signs that it’s ready for sleep. There’s a difference between feeling tired and feeling sleepy. People might say, ‘When I’m tired I’m low in energy and I just want to sit on the couch and not do much’, but they’re not necessarily ready for sleep. Their eyes may not be droopy yet, the brain’s still active. Tune in and ask, ‘Am I just physically tired, and can stay up for a bit? Or am I actually sleepy, am I yawning? Is it really hard to stay focused on something?’ That’s a sign that the body’s ready for sleep, and sleep will often come a lot quicker if you’re tuning into those cues.”

    DB: “It’s important that you don’t allow what I like to call ‘emotionally-hot thoughts’ to intrude. These are things like planning a confrontational encounter or trying to decipher a friend’s hurtful behaviour. There are a number of mental distraction techniques to avoid this. You can think pleasant thoughts, perhaps about your last holiday. Some people plug in a calming app with some music or talking, or practice meditation techniques such as body scanning, in order to take the attention away from their thoughts.”

    DC: “Sleep is not something we can will to happen. Sleep's a natural biological process that will occur when we're in the right frame of mind and our body’s ready for sleep. Like anything that's outside of our control, if we wish it were different and try to manipulate it, we start to get frustrated. A different approach is really recognising that sleep should be a health priority, and if we allow the appropriate space for sleep, where we're in the right frame of mind and our body is appropriately prepared for sleep, then our body will take the sleep it needs.”

    The internet asked Google:
    How much sleep is normal?

    HM: “It’s more about working out what fits for you. A good time to do that is when you’re on holiday, and don’t have to get up at a certain time. Pay attention to how much sleep you need to feel good the next day. That might be eight hours, it might be seven. Holidays are good for judging you as an individual, with no restrictions on your time, to work out how much sleep is adequate.”

    DC: “There’s a lot of the public health messaging around sleeping for eight hours. In actual fact, the data suggests that health risks from short sleep is really only coming in at six hours sleep or below. There's this whole societal narrative around how we're sleeping less. In actual fact, we're not sleeping less, we just put higher expectations on ourselves because we're busier and we have to be awesome every day.”

    The internet asked Google:
    What is sleep paralysis and what causes it?

    DB: “When we have a normal dream, our whole skeletal muscle system paralyses so that we don’t act out our dream. That paralysis, in sleep paralysis, remains while your mind is coming out of sleep. It’s a disconnect with the dreaming part of sleep. The most important thing here is for people to understand what’s happening so they don’t feel fearful, or think they won’t come out of that state. It can be comforting to know that three percent of the population experience it at some point. The thing to do is to try and relax and tell yourself you will come out of it – sometimes someone touching you will help you come out of it too. Sleep paralysis is more likely to happen if you’re sleep deprived, so getting consolidated, quality sleep can help.”

    The internet asked Google:
    What is sleep apnea and what are its symptoms?

    DC: “When we sleep we experience muscle relaxation including relaxation of the muscles in the upper airway, in particular the tongue and some of the structures in the back of the throat. This can cause the back of the airway to become narrow. If it narrows a little bit, it can cause a vibration and a snoring noise. If it narrows even more, it can block the airway and limit air flow. To correct that, the brain will pull people up to a lighter sleep, get them to take a bigger breath, and that whole process sends an adrenaline surge through the body. What that might look like to a bed partner is a snore or a gasp, or a shift in breathing, and a bit of restlessness. That can happen 50 times an hour, every hour, through the night. Over time, repeated surges in heart rate and blood pressure can put a strain on the heart and increase cardiovascular risks. It’s a good idea to go and see your GP if you suspect this is happening.”

    The internet asked Google:
    How do I get back to sleep?

    HM: “Our sleep cycles go through light sleep, deep sleep and then we come back up to the surface, so it’s very normal to wake up. The advice I give to people is to not look at the clock when they wake up because this can produce some worries about consequences the next day. If people do start to think and to worry, and the body is not in a state of sleepiness, then it’s best to put into place what we call ‘stimulus control’. This is where we don’t want the bed to be associated with being awake and frustrated and so in this case, it’s actually best to get up and go to another room. By making a hot drink or reading, something to take their mind off it, most people will notice that sleepiness comes back when it’s ready.”

    Dr David Cunnington is a specialist sleep physician and co-founder of SleepHub, Professor Dorothy Bruck is Chair of the Sleep Health Foundation and Hailey Meaklim is a psychologist specialising in sleep at Melbourne Sleep Disorders Centre.


    Staff writer icon

    Staff writers come from a range of backgrounds including health, wellbeing, music, tech, culture and the arts. They spend their time researching the latest data and trends in the health market to deliver up-to-date information, helping everyday Australians live healthier lives. This is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.

    Disclaimer:
    The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional, tax or other advice. It does not take into account any individual’s personal situation or needs. You should consider obtaining professional advice from a financial adviser and/or tax specialist, or medical or health practitioner, in relation to your own circumstances and before acting on this information.


    This inspirational content is brought to you by AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality is a science-backed program that helps you learn more about your health, offers ways to improve it and motivates you with rewards along the way.

    Contact AIA

    Choose your preferred way to receive information and support

    Contact AIA

    Choose your preferred way to receive information and support

    Help and support

    Make a claim

    Frequently asked questions

    Customer feedback

    Complaints process

    Whistleblower disclosure

    Forms and documents library

    Target Market Determinations

    Explore AIA

    AIA Vitality

    Health insurance

    Life insurance

    OneLife

    About AIA

    Careers

    Our people

    Our commitments

    Media centre

    Our awards

    FSC commitment

    Help and support

    Make a claim

    Frequently asked questions

    Customer feedback

    Complaints process

    Whistleblower disclosure

    Forms and documents library

    Target Market Determinations

    explore Aia

    AIA Vitality

    Health insurance

    Life insurance

    Retirement & investment

    Content Hub

    about AIA

    Careers

    Our people

    Our commitments

    Media centre

    Our awards

    FSC commitment


    Copyright © 2021. AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries or affiliates. All rights reserved. Priority Protection and Priority Protection for Platform Investors products are issued by AIA Australia Limited (ABN 79 004 837 861, AFSL 230043). AIA Vitality, a personalised, science-backed program that supports members every day to make healthier choices, is available with eligible products issued by AIA Australia. AIA Health with AIA Vitality is issued by AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd ABN 32 611 323 034, a registered private health insurer governed by the Private Health Insurance Act 2007, Private Health Insurance Rules 2007 and the AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd Fund Rules. The information on this website is current as at 1 April 2021 and may be subject to change. It is general information only and is not intended in any way to be financial, legal, tax, health, medical, nutritional or other advice. You should consider your own personal circumstances and needs and view the relevant product documents, fact sheets, fund rules and terms and conditions before making a decision to acquire such products. If necessary you should obtain professional advice from a financial, tax, medical or health professional. Unless expressly stated, any views or expressions of opinion (including any video content) do not represent the opinion of AIA.
    Terms of Use | Privacy