Umair Afzal discusses why sleep, movement and a consistent routine are paramount for success and wellbeing as a dental student.
For all of us, the pursuit of wellbeing is a personal mission we strive towards. Society tells us that physical and mental health are essential to lead a healthy life. However, maintaining this delicate balance can be difficult when combined with the demands of day-to-day dentistry.
Meeting deadlines, reaching targets and managing our patient’s high expectations isn’t always easy. Despite these challenges, I’ve experienced the difference our wellbeing can have on the quality of care we provide.
Wellbeing is multifaceted and includes nutrition, social connection and relaxation. Improving these areas has been challenging during my degree. For me, two factors that have had a significant impact on my development have been sleep and exercise.
Below, I will outline how these two pillars of wellbeing have improved my life and explain how a consistent approach has helped me throughout.
The relationship between sleep and caffeine
Sleep is a vital tool often overlooked in our busy lives as dental professionals. Besides helping regulate our heart and reducing stress levels, the amount of sleep we have directly impacts our ability to consolidate new memories.
Last summer, before my final year at university, I became fascinated by how sleep can impact my concentration. I learnt that two factors determine how well we sleep.
Firstly, our ‘body clock’ works to a routine based on light exposure and habits. Secondly, as the day goes by, sleepiness is caused by a build-up of the chemical adenosine in the brain. As adenosine accumulates, the pressure increases for us to fall asleep.
I used to rely on coffee to give me a ‘shock’ of energy in the afternoon. Caffeine blocks adenosine in our brains so we can stay awake and feel less pressured to sleep. However, once the caffeine wears off, the sleep pressure returns with all the extra adenosine accumulated in between.
Having a regular afternoon coffee pushed against my pressure to sleep. Once it wore off, I was less focused on the lectures and dependent on caffeine to keep me awake.
Instead of coffee, I’ve found that consistently sleeping in a cool, dark bedroom with minimal exposure to gadgets helped me fall asleep better. Exposure to sunlight as soon as you wake up calibrates your natural body clock. I tend to avoid caffeinated drinks in the afternoon, too.
My university clinical group noticed I ‘always had energy’ on the Monday morning coach journey from Leeds to Hull. The consistency in heading to bed and waking up each day was partly why.
It’s a work in progress, but this is what has helped me so far!
Exercising outdoors
The gym isn’t the only place we can exercise; any activity involving movement benefits our wellbeing.
Finding the time to get active outdoors can release endorphins that make you feel good and more productive. For example, I’m a keen outdoor runner in the morning before the day begins.
Besides energising my body, I feel a sense of accomplishment and a mental boost to tackle the day ahead. It’s incredible how something as simple as fresh air can make you less tense and more relaxed.
Walks help me inspire creative thinking, which has been helpful for lengthy university essays and writing articles like this one. We don’t have to put effort into walking, so our minds are free to wander to get a fresh perspective.
Even when I was miles behind on my revision schedule for finals, I consistently made time for a walk or run to help me destress and consolidate new knowledge. Natural light during exercise increases the endorphin and dopamine release, compounding the benefits too.
It might seem counterintuitive, but you will often gain energy by spending energy. Performing the first set of a workout or stretching your body will leave you more energised than you began. The hardest part is getting started.
Incorporating the outdoors doesn’t have to be overcomplicated or time-consuming. Taking your lunch outside could change things up, too. You could cycle to your clinic instead of driving down so we can help our heart circulate more blood and oxygen to our brain.
By making small changes in our daily lives, I’ve found that we can feel less overwhelmed and think more logically about the challenges we face each day. When your body is active, your mind is less likely to be sluggish. It makes a significant difference!
Final thoughts
Our journey towards wellbeing is something we are striving towards. Small and consistent changes to our sleep can considerably impact us on both a personal and professional level.
Integrating regular movement into our lives allows us to get a well-deserved break during a busy day. Working on these areas over time means we can navigate the demands of our profession with resilience.
Above all, it means we can function optimally, be more creative, and elevate the standard of care provided to our patients.
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