If you want to give yourself a better chance of avoiding the curveballs, prioritise sleep. Clocking less than six hours of sleep per night compromises the brain’s ability to regulate emotions, making it that much harder to deal. And it only takes one night of insufficient sleep to make you vulnerable to meltdowns according to a new Tel Aviv University study that identified the neurological mechanism responsible for disturbed emotion regulation and increased anxiety due to sleep debt. In effect, the brain loses its ability to discern between what is and isn’t important, reported The Journal of Neuroscience . Hannah Bailey shows us eight ways to improve your sleep : Behaviour: Ditch the macchiato, doughnut and laksa. “Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and avoid large quantities of food, particularly heavy fatty foods, immediately prior to sleep that may make you feel uncomfortable and prevent sleep,” Dr Eckert says. If you suffer reflux, avoid spicy foods, as when you lie down it ma...