Sleep is essential to staying healthy. This last “is determining for growth, brain maturation, development and preservation of our cognitive abilities”, writes the Ministry of Health and Prevention. But in France, we are unhappy with sleep: a study published last March noted that more than a third of French people are not satisfied with the quality of their sleep. What are the reasons why it is so difficult to reach the arms of Morpheus?
Bedtime is essential for getting to sleep
Questioned by the media Parade, Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, sleep expert and neuroscientist at Wesper, returned to a bad habit, yet very widespread and which could explain why some people have difficulty falling asleep once in bed. According to the specialist, this would simply be due to bedtime which would not be regular from one day to the next. In the columns of Paradeshe explains “It’s important to avoid following an inconsistent sleep schedule, as this severely disrupts your circadian rhythm, your brain’s internal 24-hour biological clock.”
To illustrate this point, it is possible to cite a recurring habit: that of going to bed a little later on weekends, compared to the week, and therefore waking up later. According to the specialist who speaks in Parade, “it is very difficult for your brain to predict when it should start creating the chemicals needed to fall asleep.” Also, the latter specifies that even a relatively small change, of thirty minutes, could disrupt sleep.
Insomnia: identifying your “gates to sleep” could help you fall asleep more easily
This is not the first time that regular sleeping times have been recommended by specialists. Before taking the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre (October 29, 2023), skipper Fabrice Amedeo explained to Current wife that taking short naps at specific times allows him to “sleep effectively”. To do this, he had located, thanks to an examination called “sleep exploration”, his “gates to sleep”. “At this time, the body enters a deep slow-wave sleep, which allows physical regeneration and a paradoxical sleep, for brain regeneration. It is therefore a restorative sleep”. During his crossings, the sailor admitted that he never slept outside of a sleep gate.
Also, Fabrice Amedeo advises listening to your body and going to bed when the first signs of fatigue appear, at the risk of waiting long hours before falling asleep. “During a meal with friends, it is possible to become tired at 11 p.m., but when returning home at 1 a.m., not to fall asleep. This is an indication of a sleep gate around 11 p.m.,” illustrates the skipper.
Source :
Ministry of Health and Prevention – Sleep a notebook to better understand
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