Photo by Bruce Mars | Unsplash
Today, sleeping is no longer just for rest or to limit your level of fatigue. Good sleep is also an element that significantly improves your health. Sleep indeed reduces the risk of diseases such as diabetes or heart disease.
A good sleep translates into a sufficient quantity but, above all, a sufficient quality. One cannot go without the other!
To optimize your sleep, you must first know that we need 8 hours of sleep per night. However, more than a third of American people sleep 6 hours or less during the week (compared to a lesser amount on weekends).
In 50 years, we have lost 1.5 hours of sleep per night! Modern society is, therefore, in debt of sleep.
Lack of sleep impacts your health in the short term: reduced reaction time, difficulty concentrating, irritability, or even memory problems.
In the long term: loss of motivation, emotional fragility, risk of depression, more difficult learning, and also an increase in illnesses.
What happens to a person who regularly sleeps less than 5 hours a night (compared to more than 7 hours)?
- Obesity risk x 2.5Risk of diabetes x 2.5
- + 50% risk of heart disease
- Risk of hypertension increased
By comparing:
- 18h awakening is equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.5 g / l
- 24 hours of wakefulness is equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 1 g / l
The Three Secrets of Quality Sleep
Like a good meal, sleep is organized in advance. During the day and until bedtime, our actions will determine the quality of our sleep. In this section, I will share some secret tips that though some may consider normal but are effective for a good and quality sleep.
1- Go to bed at the right time
The body has several sleep “cycles” linked to our chronobiology. There are “good” times for each of us to start quality sleep. Everyone must learn to spot these moments in order to go to bed when necessary. When the evening comes, you must be attentive to the signs (yawning, loss of attention, etc.) to determine your ideal bedtime. Once the schedule is known, make sure you are in bed and ready to sleep.
2- Take breaks during the day
Our days are not organized around our own pace, but rather that of work, children, and other occupations. This is why it is important to take real breaks during the day to reconnect at your own pace. Give yourself 5 minutes to close your eyes, relax while meditating or breathing, and resume the day.
3- Understanding the night awakenings
There are two types of night awakenings. Those related to a problem of the day which can be punctual, for example, during an exam day before. But if these awakenings become common, it can be beneficial to consult a psychologist or a hypnotherapist to sleep better. There are also night awakenings linked to the external environment, such as noise or temperature, and these are completely normal. We do not spend all night in a deep sleep; in this case, no nervousness, we must accept that it happens and go back to sleep.
Five Amazing Rituals That Help You Fall Asleep
- Refreshing your neck
Our internal thermostat is located near the neck. This is why we have the reflex to spray this area when swimming. As the cold favors falling asleep, it can be interesting to cool this area before going to bed. I will advise you to place a damp washcloth on the back of your neck, which you will have previously placed in the refrigerator for a whole day.
- Hide under the sheets (one minute, no more!)
The little bike goes around in your head. Can’t get rid of fixed ideas and fall asleep? What if you put your head under the sheets (no more than a minute)? A method similar to that of the paper bag that is sometimes recommended for spasmophilia in case of an anxiety attack. Breathing in your own carbon dioxide helps restore a harmonious oxygen-carbon dioxide balance.
- Sleep in complete darkness
Artificial light blocks the production of melatonin. A study has shown that a simple diode lit in the room promotes a depressed state. So beware of all light sources that can pollute our sleep. Conversely, subjects wearing sleep masks secrete more melatonin, which promotes sleep. To accentuate the “heavy eyelids” effect, I will advise you to add a washcloth to the mask. By pressing the eyelids, it could slightly stimulate the vagus nerve, increasing the relaxing effect.
- Perfume and cool the pillow
Exit the hot bath before falling asleep. Better to have your ears cool. As we have seen, it is the drop in temperature that triggers drowsiness. In this case, I will advise putting his pillow, protected by a plastic bag, in the refrigerator. Once it is cold, sprinkle it with lavender. This fragrance has shown positive effects on sleep.
Practice the tongue gym
Researchers have developed a kind of funny but helpful gymnastics for snorers. This method would reduce the frequency of snoring by 36% and its power by 59%. Here are some examples:
- Push the tip of the tongue towards the back of the palate and hold the position for a few moments.
- Put your head back by pronouncing the vowel “A”.
- Place the tongue at the bottom of the mouth, putting it in contact with the front teeth.
- Put a finger in the mouth and push the cheek in the middle outwards (10 times on each side).
- Chew gum on one side then on the other.
In short
If you suffer (or think you are suffering from) poor sleep, consult your doctor and explain your symptoms. Also, pay attention to the use of sleeping pills; they develop a feeling of addiction and decrease the share of deep, slow sleep. The sleeping pills act on the memory (they make forget the night awakenings; they are thus false friends) at the end of the treatment, you will find your difficult sleep.
To find a good sleep, the advice is manifold: have a healthy lifestyle, maintain regular bed/wake times, limit the use of screens in the evening, and so on.
Sleeping well, therefore, not only preserves one’s health but also improves it. We can, therefore, see the importance of sleep.
Note that sleep influences not only biological metabolism but also psychological. Indeed, sleeping well limits mood swings, winter blues, improves your reactivity, and also your intellectual performance.
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