Sleep comes by itself, says sleep researcher Professor Ingo Fietze. And he also finds television in bed completely alright.
Professor Fietze, that you automatically suffer from sleep disorders in old age , you consider a myth …
Ingo Fietze: That’s exactly how it is! But this assumption affects some people like a self-fulfilling prophecy. I think that’s problematic, as 30 per cent are gifted sleepers and stay there for life. Another 30 percent are sensitive sleepers. They are disturbed, especially when they are falling asleep, at any light source, at the ticking of the clock or at the breathing of the human next to them. So they are not really sleep-disturbed yet.
It’s like this: As we get older, we not only get wrinkles, but our sleep ages: we have a little less deep sleep, dream a little less, often have short, nocturnal awake phases. But we do not get it – and go to sleep. It’s all natural and nothing to worry about.
Can the sleep type change? Do you change from the morning lark to the night owl or vice versa?
No. Rather, we tend to the owl at a young age, who goes to bed late and gets up late. The behavior normalizes in the course of life. As we get older, we tend to lean towards the lark. It is not so different, however, if one gets tired already at 8 pm and awake at four in the morning. Then you still have healthy seven and a half hours of sleep, but an advanced sleep phase. One can adapt this phase again, so that one can participate in the social life. If necessary, specialists also offer help or sleep centers in hospitals.
But what if I wake up at night and can not sleep?
Get up, read, knit. Just do something. Sleep comes by itself. Or watch a boring animal documentary as possible.
Screens emit waking blue light. Do not we need darkness to form the sleep hormone melatonin?
If watching TV helps you fall asleep, it’s fine. And the effect of melatonin is somewhat overestimated. It is a rather weak sleep hormone.
Milk contains the sleep hormone Tryptophan – a nightcap?
If you want to eat sleep-inducing milk, you have to drink a few liters! But something warm as a sleep aid is already a good idea. Because the stomach works and draws blood from the brain. That makes you sleepy – think about the lows after lunch.
Then helps the famous Betthupferl to fall asleep better?
Absolute! Instead of going to bed hungry, it is better to have a snack. What you eat should be warm, but also sweet, or rich in carbohydrates. Nibbling a piece of cheese does not work so well, because proteins keep you awake.