Healthy sleep: The 7 best tips

Healthy sleep
These 7 tips ensure a good night’s sleep

© Leszek Glasner / Shutterstock

Healthy sleep is extremely important, because our body can only recover when we sleep. Here you can find out what constitutes good sleep and how it succeeds.

What actually is healthy sleep?

A healthy sleep means that we not only sleep enough hours, but also have a high quality of sleep. Because although eight hours of sleep are often given as the optimal guideline, the length of sleep is individual and age-dependent: Babies usually sleep 14 to 17 hours a day, young people between eight and ten and adults between seven and eight. More important than how long we sleep is how often we go through the so-called sleep phases at night: four to six cycles per night are ideal.

Why is healthy sleep so important?

Only if you get enough and good sleep on a regular basis, you will remain productive in the long run. The following things happen during sleep:

  • Body cells regenerate, which is important for our longevity, among other things
  • The immune system is built up, which reduces the risk of diseases
  • The brain stores information and, for example, moves newly learned information into long-term memory

If we suffer from sleep disorders for a long time, for example problems sleeping through the night, our performance decreases. In addition, concentration disorders occur more frequently and we become more susceptible to disease.

How is sleep going?

Depending on the model our sleep per night can be divided into three to five sleep phases, which together form a sleep cycle. There are generally these stages of sleep:

  • Fall asleep phase: The first phase lasts an average of 15 minutes, but there are people who can fall asleep in five minutes and people who need at least half an hour to fall asleep. The body is in a kind of hovering state between waking and sleeping and becomes calmer, which is noticeable, for example, through calmer breathing and a slower pulse.
  • light sleep phase: From the falling asleep phase we go into the light sleep phase, in which we spend about half of our sleep and which gets longer from sleep cycle to sleep cycle. Disturbances such as light or noise can also wake us up quite easily during the light sleep phase.
  • deep sleep phase: The deep sleep phase is the crucial sleep phase. The whole body is relaxed, blood pressure drops, breathing and heartbeat are slow. The brain processes the events of the day, the cells begin to regenerate and the immune system is strengthened.
  • REM phase: The REM phase or dream phase is the phase in which we dream and in which we also process the experiences of the day – in the form of dreams. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement and owes its name to the fact that the eyes move back and forth quickly under the closed lids. The brain is also active in this phase, while our body is paralyzed. This is to prevent us from performing the actions while sleeping in the real world.

By the way: Waking up in the deep sleep phase is not that easy. If we are woken up during this phase, we are often disoriented for a while and feel bleary-eyed and suffer from persistent fatigue throughout the day.

Healthy sleep: How do I recognize sleep disorders?

But how do I know if I’m on a good sleep schedule and getting enough sleep? The general rule: If you only occasionally lie awake longer or wake up suddenly in the night, you don’t have to worry immediately. There are key signs that suggest sleep disorders may be present. These include:

  • Falling asleep regularly takes more than 30 minutes
  • Frequent nocturnal awakenings
  • After waking up in the night, you don’t fall asleep immediately, but lie awake for a long time
  • The feeling of not being rested even though the amount of sleep was okay

Keep those complaints longer than four weeks, they should be clarified by a doctor.

Causes: where do my insomnia come from?

There are many possible causes of poor sleep. The most common include:

  • Stress, worry and other psychological burdens
  • Poor sleep hygiene, e.g. B. by noise, light, bad or too warm air
  • shift work
  • Nocturnal urge to urinate
  • Restless Leg Syndrome
  • Sleep apnea (pauses in breathing during sleep, often associated with snoring)
  • High consumption of stimulants, e.g. B. alcohol or cigarettes
  • hot flashes
  • Pains
  • Nocturnal teeth grinding

Because there are so many different potential triggers, it often takes time to find one. In some cases, such as suspected sleep apnea, a stay in a sleep laboratory can also be helpful. Here all information about the sleep – for example the duration, respiration and heart rate – can be measured.



Healthy sleep: These 7 tips ensure a good night's sleep

What treatment helps with insomnia?

Depending on the cause, the treatment is also individual. Sleeping pills, which many patients take out of desperation, should only be taken in close consultation with the doctor, if at all. Because they do not fight the cause of the problems, in addition, sleeping pills can become addictive in the long term.

If a disease such as sleep apnea is present, it must first be treated. In the case of sleep disorders without an identifiable cause, it often helps to question your own lifestyle and adjust it if necessary. For example, if you take a long nap during the day and then find it difficult to fall asleep in the evening, you can test whether he should rather skip the afternoon nap. In addition, one should not ignore the natural need to sleep: If you have to be at 10 p.m. in the evening, you should go to bed and not stay awake for too long.

A healthy, varied diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, fiber (e.g. in whole grain products), lean meat and dairy products, and avoiding stimulants such as alcohol and cigarettes also help. And: In order for the body to get tired, it also has to move. If you do around 30 minutes of sport three times a week, you are already doing a lot of good for yourself. However, the exercise should be scheduled for the afternoon or early evening so that the body has enough time to wind down before going to bed.

For your health: 7 tips against sleep problems

Also the following tips can improve sleep:

  • Creating a good sleeping environment: These include, above all, a well-ventilated room with a comfortable temperature (most people prefer a sleeping temperature of around 18 degrees), switching off light and noise sources and a blanket that is neither too thick nor too thin. Your sleeping clothes should also be light and comfortable.
  • Buy the right mattress: Not only the back is happy about the selection of the right mattress, the sleep in general also benefits. With the best mattress, shoulders and hips should sink in slightly, and natural materials such as cotton can also improve sleep quality.
  • Ban electronic devices: Mobile phones, laptops and the like are better banned from the bedroom if you are a sensitive sleeper. They emit a blue-wave light that can disrupt sleep.
  • Use the bed only for sleeping: For example, if you are constantly reading in bed or even working, your body will get the impression that the bed is not there for sleeping. It is important that we subconsciously perceive the bed as our nightly resting place. That’s why I prefer to read books on the sofa.
  • Introduce sleep rituals: With a daily evening sleep ritual, we signal to the body that it is now time for sleep. Anything relaxing is allowed: This can be a bubble bath as well as an evening herbal tea.
  • Eat Light Meals: Especially greasy and carbohydrate-rich meals in the evening often weigh heavily on our stomachs, which are then busy digesting them – and that can keep us awake. A light last meal about three hours before bedtime is better.
  • Perform relaxation techniques: Whether hatha yoga, meditation or autogenic training: relaxation techniques help us to shut down the body and get rid of stress. If you have trouble sleeping, you should definitely try them.

Reading tips: Here we explain how to learn meditation. Here we explain how stress management works. You ask yourself: What helps against snoring? We have an answer for that too! We also reveal our best tips for falling asleep, how morning grouches get out of bed, as well as helpful natural sleep aids and explain what restless sleep or nightmares can mean. You can find out how you can sleep better here.

Bridget

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