5 minSleep is extremely important for your health. Your body needs enough hours of sleep every day to recover and relax. Unfortunately, we cannot sleep on command, but we can optimise the conditions to make it easier to fall asleep. We give you 8 tips that you can start using right away.
In this article, you will read
- Why sleep is so important for your health.
- Common reasons for poor sleep.
- How diet, medication and lifestyle affect your sleep.
- 8 practical tips for better sleep, such as maintaining a regular routine and avoiding screen time.
- What you can do if you have trouble falling asleep.
Reasons for poor sleep
Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. On average, adults need about seven to eight hours of sleep per day. Some need a little more and others a little less. Seven to eight hours is the guideline. You know you've had enough sleep if you feel fit during the day. No less than 63% of Dutch people are dissatisfied with their own sleep quality. That's quite a lot!
Poor sleep does not only mean sleeping too little, but also lying awake for a long time, waking up too often, waking up too early and having difficulty falling asleep. Since we spend about a third of our lives in bed, it is time to do something about it. Research shows that we are keen to take steps to improve our sleep, but that many people do not know where to start. Fortunately, there is a lot you can do yourself to improve your sleep. With these practical sleep tips, you can get started today.
Common reasons for poor sleep include:
- Stress - You probably know that stressful periods affect your sleep. An upcoming move, starting a new job or a sick child are events that cause stress. Fortunately, this type of stress often passes after a few days or weeks. A short period of poor sleep is annoying, but not insurmountable. Prolonged stress, however, is. Long-term worries, fretting or restlessness (conscious or unconscious) can lead to a vicious circle. Initially, it causes poor sleep, and those poor nights in turn cause stress. Stress is the number one culprit for poor sleep.
- Depression - Research shows that there is a strong link between sleep and depression. The neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine play a role in this. These substances are not only important for how we feel, but abnormalities in the amount of serotonin and dopamine in our bodies are also the reason for sleep deprivation.
- Sleep apnoea - Sleep apnoea is a condition in which you suddenly pause your breathing at night. Some people do not notice this and continue sleeping, while others wake up consciously. Being overweight is a common cause.
- Pregnancy - During pregnancy, you may wake up frequently at night to urinate. Your growing belly can also interfere with your sleep.
- Night shifts - Alternating between day shifts and evening shifts can make it harder to fall asleep due to the lack of rhythm.
- Sleeping during the day - Did you take an afternoon nap? This can disrupt your body's rhythm, making it difficult to fall asleep at night.
- Late meals - Eating a heavy meal just before going to bed may be the reason why you cannot sleep. Your body digests food more slowly in the evening than in the morning. An empty stomach can also be a reason for difficulty falling asleep.
- Medication and illness - Medication and illness can also cause poor sleep. Always consult your doctor about what you can do about this.
Practical sleep tips
You can get started right away with these tips:
1. Stay away from your screen(s)
No less than 94% of Britons look at screens in the hour before bedtime (source: British Heart Foundation). The blue light from your phone, laptop and TV screens blocks the production of melatonin, the hormone that makes us fall asleep.
2. Avoid caffeine in the evening
The caffeine in coffee stimulates your breathing, makes your heart beat faster and causes your body to produce adrenaline. This is the hormone you don't need when you want to get some shut-eye. Keep in mind that cola, tea and chocolate also contain caffeine.
3. Do not drink alcohol before bed
A drink before bed may help you fall asleep faster, but it significantly reduces the quality of your sleep. So it's not recommended! This is because it reduces the amount of REM sleep you get. REM sleep is the sleep phase in which your brain processes all the events and emotions of the day.
4. Exercise
Especially if you spend a lot of time sitting in the office, it is important to go outside for a walk every day. Exercise not only helps you fall asleep faster, it also helps you sleep more deeply, so you wake up feeling rested.
5. Maintain a regular routine
When it comes to sleep, your body needs regularity. Try to go to bed at around the same time every day and get up at around the same time, even at the weekend. This greatly promotes sleep.
6. Don't toss and turn in bed for too long
Can't sleep? Try to fall asleep for about half an hour. If that doesn't work, get out of bed and do something relaxing. Read a book or take a bath, for example. Then try again to fall asleep.
7. Relax before going to sleep
Prepare your body for sleep by relaxing before going to bed. You can do this by turning off some lights so that your body starts producing melatonin. Taking a bath, drinking tea, reading a book, writing, meditating or doing breathing exercises also make it much easier to fall asleep.
