Sleep is one of the basic human needs. But what actually happens in the brain when you lack sleep? And how can you fall asleep better? Here are our best tips.
Table of contents
BRAINEFFECT HACK : Lack of sleep impairs your physical and mental performance. To help you fall asleep faster in the evening, we've developed our practical SLEEP capsules and the handy SLEEP SPRAY with melatonin for on the go.
Sleep is one of the basic human needs . The amount of it everyone needs varies greatly. Around 7-8 hours is considered a guideline for an adult, but there's a wide range : For one person, six hours is enough, while another needs ten hours to feel well-rested and fit.
During the rest phase, the body regenerates and repairs itself , and the brain processes the information of the day. If sleep is disturbed or lacks quality or quantity, it affects the entire organism: It can lead to headaches , nausea , listlessness , and poor concentration .
1. Sleep and memory
An American study demonstrated the importance of healthy sleep for memory. It discovered why memory performance and recall decline, especially in older people .
They sleep shorter and shallower, with fewer distinct deep sleep phases . During the night, dream and deep sleep phases alternate, with the deep sleep phases being more pronounced in the first half of the night and becoming shorter towards morning.
You can find out why good sleep quality can improve your memory and your overall performance in this article about the sleep hormone melatonin ( which is produced by the body from serotonin ) .
However, we dream longer towards the end of the night. Deep sleep phases with slow brain waves are crucial for good memory. During this time, the memories of the day are transported from the hippocampus to the prefrontal cortex, thus transferring them from short-term to long-term memory.
Sufficient deep sleep phases are also important for learning. Experiments have shown that the brain areas where intensive learning was carried out the previous day slept more deeply during the night.
2. Sleep and Logic
Logic and emotions are also affected by sleep deprivation – people who are sleep-deprived often act irrationally . Instead of logical thinking, they tend to think emotionally. A study at Harvard University showed why this is the case.
There, 13 volunteers remained awake for 35 hours, while the control group maintained their normal sleep-wake rhythm. Both groups were then shown 100 pictures with motifs ranging from neutral to extremely emotionally stressful.
The sleep-deprived group reacted 60% more strongly to negative emotions in the emotional center, the amygdala, than the control group. There was also no connection between the amygdala and the center for logical thought, the prefrontal cortex.
Instead, there was a connection between the emotional center and the point in the brain responsible for the flight reflex in the face of threat. Therefore, you should definitely make sure you always get enough sleep to get through the day rested and refreshed.
BRAINEFFECT HACK : To help you fall asleep faster in the future, we have developed SLEEP and SLEEP SPRAY with the natural sleep hormone melatonin.
3. The best tips for falling asleep
Sigmund Freud already knew: good sleep is one of the most important factors for successful learning and memory. Freud hypothesized that during sleep, the brain reviews the day and thereby memorizes the information.
Modern science has proven in numerous studies that good sleep actually has a memory-enhancing effect. Recently, we've also begun to understand the exact processes behind this [1]. So, how can you ensure optimal sleep during a crucial study or work phase? We'll reveal the answer:
1. Make your sleeping times a routine
Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Your body will soon get used to it, and you'll wake up naturally in the morning without needing to be woken up. Falling asleep will also be easier, as your body will be used to the routine.
2. Exercise physically
You should do something physically strenuous at least once a day . Sleep is meant to restore the body and mind, but if there's nothing to recover from, it will stay awake, and you'll toss and turn for hours at night.
Thirty minutes of yoga, jogging, or swimming are ideal, but not right before bedtime. This will increase your cortisol levels and prevent you from sleeping.
3. Ensure absolute darkness in the bedroom
The darker your bedroom, the better you sleep. Darkness causes the sleep hormone melatonin to be released.
If your room is bright or you have a lot of screens around you, such as TVs, laptops, or smartphones, the so-called blue light from these screens will prevent you from falling asleep. Blue light is a sleep killer because it reduces the production of melatonin.
BRAINEFFECT HACK : Sometimes light sources simply can't be avoided, or your body simply produces less melatonin for other reasons. In this case, our SLEEP Capsules and SLEEP SPRAY provide additional melatonin when you need it.
4. Minimize electrosmog
Either removing electrical devices from your room entirely or unplugging them also helps somewhat. Electrosmog is often underestimated as a cause of sleep disturbances, but it can play a major role.
5. Free your mind
One of the main reasons for difficulty falling asleep is the circling thoughts and worries that keep you busy in bed. Here are four ways to eliminate them:
- you solve the problem or think the matter through before going to bed
- you talk the problem off your chest
- you learn meditation techniques
- you rely on calming and tension-relieving active ingredients from nature.
6. Play calm background music
There are specially developed beats that can support your sleep. Binaural beats are currently very popular and, through specific tones and frequencies, can create various states in your brain, from "highly concentrated" to "calming and relaxed." These beats can also make it easier for you to fall asleep.
7. Pay attention to what you eat and drink before going to bed
You shouldn't go to bed on an empty or full stomach. There should be two to three hours between your last meal and bedtime.
Avoid consuming stimulant drinks and substances such as cola, coffee, tea, alcohol, and tobacco products in the hours before bedtime. Make sure you drink at least two liters of water a day , but don't drink anything for an hour before bedtime to avoid nighttime trips to the bathroom .
If you find yourself unable to fall asleep due to hunger, try to eat only low-carbohydrate foods to prevent your blood sugar levels from skyrocketing. Pistachios , for example, can help, as they boost melatonin levels .
8. Sleep 7 to 8 hours per night
Not less, but also not more, because too much sleep will manifest itself during the day in the form of lethargy, tiredness or fatigue.
9. Sleep in comfortable positions
Don't sleep on your stomach. If you want to sleep on your side, place a pillow between your legs to support your hips. If you want to sleep on your back, place a pillow under your legs to relieve some of the pressure on your back.
10. Take a hot bath
With fragrant bath oil or bath salts, you'll experience pure relaxation. Be careful not to fall asleep in the bath!
11. Decorate your bedroom with cool colors
Warm colors tend to stimulate and are less suitable for the bedroom. Even if the lights are off, you know where you are, and subconsciously, you feel more relaxed in a blue-green or white environment than in a yellow-red one.
12. Regulate the room temperature and humidity
The optimal temperature for falling asleep is 16 to 18 degrees , the relative humidity should be 50 to 60% .
13. Clean up your bedroom
If you can't sleep and your room looks like a war zone, take the opportunity to clean up properly. This helps for several reasons: It takes your mind off things , or rather, you switch off , it makes you tired, and your sleeping environment becomes more pleasant .
You see, you can learn to sleep. If you follow this advice during an important exam period, you will enjoy fantastic, restful, and deep sleep.
This gives your brain the chance to consolidate what you have learned and creates ideal conditions for maximum concentration the following day when studying or during the exams themselves!
BRAINEFFECT HACK : To help you fall asleep quickly, we've developed the practical SLEEP Capsules and the handy SLEEP SPRAY with melatonin. The additional melatonin can shorten the time it takes you to fall asleep, helping you rest longer.
4. Conclusion
A lack of sleep can have a significant impact on your daily performance. Both physically and mentally, it can impair your performance. For example, you'll be less focused overall, your memory performance will deteriorate, and you'll tend to make decisions based on emotion rather than rationality.
5. Sources
[1] Nature Neuroscience Journal, September 2009
{{widget type="egproducts/list_featured" template="elegento/products/listslider.phtml"}}
