Healthy sleep – what does good sleep look like??Many people nowadays suffer from problems falling asleep or often wake up at night. As a result, they are no longer as productive during the day as they could be and their health suffers. You can promote a healthy sleep by simple tricks.
In this article we would like to show you what healthy sleep looks like and give you tips on how to fall asleep faster and find more restful sleep.
What is healthy sleep?
If you wake up refreshed in the morning and start the day with energy, then you have a good night's sleep. Our inner clock determines our day and night rhythm as well as our sleep cycles, which we can only influence to a certain extent.
During the night, your body goes through about four to five sleep cycles, which last about 90 minutes. Alternate light sleep phases with solid deep sleep. The light sleep phases are the so-called REM sleep (rapid eye movements), in which you dream intensively.
If you have trouble falling asleep, or if you don't sleep at all or not enough during the night because you wake up more often, then we will show you how to optimize your sleep in the following sections. With our tips you can fall asleep faster and sleep through the night better.
How long you should sleep – the optimal duration of healthy sleep
How long you need to sleep at night to feel rested in the morning is very individual. Eight hours of sleep is only a guideline. The exact number of hours depends on your biorhythm as well as your current life circumstances.
There are people who regularly sleep only five to six hours, but also long sleepers who need nine hours of sleep to be fully productive. Best you test this during a vacation. Go to bed when you are tired and get up in the morning when you wake up without setting an alarm clock. After a few days your optimal sleep duration will settle down.
When should you go to bed to get a good night's sleep – is it healthy to sleep before midnight??
Sleeping before midnight is often said to be the healthiest. Depending on your sleep type – owl or lark – you will also have a healthy sleep after midnight. Lark sleep types are people who are awake bright and early in the morning. Therefore go to bed early in the evening. Owl sleepers prefer to get up late in the morning and therefore go to bed later. Neither one nor the other sleep is healthier. They are simply different day and night rhythms.
In the first half of the night you spend more time in deep sleep. You dream longer in the second half of the night. So if you are one of the owl types and regularly go to bed after midnight, you will still achieve restful deep sleep.
Why is healthy sleep important?
In addition to sufficient exercise, a balanced diet and stress management, healthy sleep is an important factor influencing our well-being. Have an important function for both physical and mental recovery.
Especially the deep sleep phases serve our physical recovery. The body comes to rest. Has time to repair itself. For example, the intervertebral discs absorb fluid again at night when lying down. Can regenerate through the nutrients they contain.
Your brain is very active in the dream phases. The experiences of the day are processed. Learned things are anchored. Thus the dreams serve the active mental and spiritual recovery.
Tips for a better sleep
Sleep disorders can have numerous causes – stress, bad habits, but also physical reasons such as snoring. Before consulting a doctor, however, you should first try to improve your sleep yourself. Above all, the stresses of everyday life, personal lifestyle and environmental influences, including those in the bedroom and bed, have a significant influence on your sleep.
Below we give you some tips for good sleep hygiene, with which you can manage to fall asleep faster and stay refreshed through the night.
Use the bedroom only for sleeping
If you eat or play computer games in bed, your body is still active when you want to sleep. For example, if you have a desk in your bedroom, you will be reminded of the paperwork you still have to do. Therefore, you should only use the bedroom for sleeping or sleeping in. At least keep it tidy.
The blue components in the light from PCs, TVs and smartphones have a stimulating effect, while you should actually wind down slowly. It is better to switch off these devices an hour before you want to sleep. Read something or treat yourself to an evening ritual.
Go to bed only when you are tired
The best thing to do is to adopt a regular sleeping pattern. Also on weekends you should not sleep much longer than during the week.
If you can't sleep, get up again and drink z.B. A warm tea. Forcing yourself to sleep does not work.
Lie on a good mattress
For a good night's sleep, you should lie comfortably and in a dry, warm bed climate. Innerspring mattresses are among the most air-permeable mattresses and provide an ideal sleeping environment.
During the night, we turn over about 40 to 60 times. A good, supportive mattress promotes this natural movement during sleep. This allows your body to regenerate and recover optimally. That's why you should use a mattress designed for you.
The right room climate in the bedroom
We recommend a room temperature between 16°C and 18°C in the bedroom. If you need it a little warmer, you can set your heating to 20°C.
Note, however, that humidity is also part of a pleasant room climate. A too low humidity (below 50%) dries out your nasal mucous membranes and can lead to e.B. Encourage snoring. Therefore, before going to bed, you should ventilate your bedroom properly or sleep with the window open.
Deceleration ritual before going to bed
Try to switch off consciously, for example by doing yoga or autogenic training or listening to relaxing music. Try to get some rest. Detach yourself from negative thoughts.
Especially in winter, a hot bath can also be relaxing. Afterwards you feel pleasantly tired. Fall asleep more easily.
Keep a diary of the day's experiences
If your thoughts are circling, write down what moved you during the day. This is how you process the events. You can lock it.
If you are planning the next day in your head, write a to-do list for the next day before going to bed.
Go for a walk at noon
If you sunbathe as often as possible during the day, your body will produce the hormone serotonin. This produces the sleep hormone melatonin in the evening, which helps you sleep better.
An evening walk can also help you to switch off. However, you should not do too strenuous activities late in the evening. Push your circulation too much, which will prevent you from sleeping immediately afterwards.
Don't eat a late and greasy dinner
The last big meal should be eaten three hours before going to bed. This way your body can still digest the food sufficiently.
Alcohol makes you tired, but at night it puts a strain on your liver. You should not drink more than one glass of wine.