In this article, you'll learn everything you need to know about sleep. Why it's a basic need for every living being, how you can fall asleep faster, and how to improve your sleep quality.
Table of contents
1. What is sleep anyway?
How does it feel to sleep? The answer to this question might be quite difficult. Ideally, you can say after waking up that you slept well, but you can't say how it actually felt during the process, because sleep is an active process controlled by the brain without your being conscious.
To better understand the principle of sleep, you have to delve deep into the biochemical box. We'll explain briefly and simply what happens to your body when you close your eyes and drift off to dreamland. There are different phases of sleep that need to be understood, along with their connection.
This is referred to as a sleep-wake rhythm , or circadian rhythm . This is a natural rhythm that has controlled our daily and sleep cycles for thousands of years. It is oriented towards the light-dark cycles of our environment and is responsible for ensuring that you wake up refreshed and relaxed in the morning.
In Central Europe, melatonin production begins around 9 p.m. , when our bodies slowly relax after dinner and the stresses of everyday life, and the sun has set. Melatonin is the sleep hormone that makes us tired and optimally prepares our body for sleep.
Contrary to popular belief, the body is anything but inactive during nighttime recovery. With the invention of the EEG (electroencephalography), science was able to measure brain activity for the first time and discover that specific processes and mechanisms are triggered in the brain during sleep.
But to this day, scientists are still searching for a complete answer to the question of what sleep actually is.
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Why is restful sleep so important to you?
Sleep is a basic need ! If you don't get enough, you'll lack drive and energy. In the following section, you'll learn exactly what happens in your brain when you sleep, why restful sleep is important for your mental performance, and how you can fall asleep and stay asleep better.
Unfortunately, sleep has a significant PR problem and is still not "sexy." People often boast about how little sleep they can get by on.
Good sleep is the key to greater performance and better health . Angela Merkel once said she has camel-like abilities when it comes to sleep: She can go for days without much sleep, conserving it like camels conserve water [1].
That's complete nonsense, of course! But success or status is often measured by the number of hours a person doesn't sleep. Those who don't get enough sleep experience a significant decline in their mental performance.
Whether you're an athlete or an office worker, sleep controls all regenerative processes and is essential for your body's health. It's an active process and influences various aspects of your health and performance.
Numerous top athletes, such as US basketball player LeBron James, have recognized how important sleep is for performance and sleep up to 10 hours a day; the German average is 8 hours.
However, the quality of sleep is much more important than the duration , and both factors vary greatly from individual to individual. So, you may find that 6.5 or 7 hours is enough to rest you.
Sleep and your health
If you don't get enough quality sleep , you 'll get sick . While this isn't a law of nature, there are always exceptions, and perhaps Angela Merkel is one of them, in many cases, lack of sleep leads to poor health [3], especially in the long term.
The risk of stroke is four times higher in men who suffer from poor sleep quality. The same applies to other diseases – those who sleep poorly are generally at higher risk of disease than those who sleep well and restfully. We regenerate during sleep . The glymphatic system, your brain's garbage disposal, helps with this.
When you sleep, all the toxins and waste products that build up in your brain during the day are removed . While you sleep, your brain is thoroughly flushed and cleaned up [4].
Without the glymphatic system, your brain cannot function. It is therefore responsible for ensuring that you wake up in the morning with a clear head and can start the day full of energy.
Take-home message: Those who sleep less die sooner! It sounds drastic, but it's true. The less you sleep, the more susceptible your body is to a variety of diseases. Sleep is your greatest lever for staying healthy and reaching your full potential.
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Sleep is important for the brain
We spend a third of our lives sleeping. Of course, sleep restores our energy and lifts our mood. But what actually happens in the brain when we sleep, and how much sleep is good for us?
Sure, we recover during sleep. But that doesn't mean our brain is inactive—quite the opposite! The nerve cells in the brain are almost as active during sleep as they are when we're awake.
The only difference is that during sleep, the brain can focus entirely on itself. So it's really not surprising that sleep is extremely important for the brain and for a number of cognitive functions.
4 functions of sleep for the brain
In the past, people had no idea what sleep was for, but neuroscience now knows at least four important and quite astonishing activities that the brain performs during sleep:
- 1. While we sleep, the brain processes information and makes decisions. These decisions can then be implemented once we are awake.
- 2. The brain creates and consolidates memories . During certain phases of sleep, impressions and facts acquired during the day are consolidated in long-term memory and linked to existing memories. This is extremely important for learning and memory. This also includes motor skills, such as riding a bike, playing tennis, or dancing, which are only truly consolidated during sleep.
- 3. Sleep can also be a powerful creativity booster . While the mind is in an unconscious state of rest, it can make surprising new connections that it would never have thought of while awake.
- 4. In 2013, a series of studies found that the brain also uses sleep for a kind of "housecleaning." It removes toxic compounds that come from cells that die during the day. Researchers say we need sleep so the brain can rid itself of cellular waste. If these waste products accumulate due to a lack of sleep, it could lead to brain damage.
So we see that sleep fulfills important functions in the brain. Whether sleep also has other functions for the brain or other parts of the body is still unknown, but very likely.
Research will surely reveal more in this area. One thing is already clear: sleep is very important, but how much sleep do we need? Does the motto "the more sleep, the better" apply, or is there an optimal sleep duration?
How sleeping position affects our brain performance
Healthy sleep is at least as important for our brain as proper nutrition or regular brain training. During sleep, the brain eliminates toxins that could otherwise cause diseases like Alzheimer's.
Recent studies by researchers at Stony Brook University have gone a bit further, discovering which sleeping position is best for detoxification and the elimination of cellular waste. Stomach, back, or side?
While you slept: The brain's cleansing process. Sleep is not only responsible for our body's regeneration; interesting processes also take place in our brain. On the one hand, information is processed during sleep, and on the other, the brain undergoes a cleansing process during the night's rest period.
Research has shown that during sleep, the spaces between the brain cells expand, allowing toxic substances to be flushed out. Our brain cells are therefore very active even during sleep—they filter, clean up, and dispose of what is harmful to us and can cause disease.
Which sleeping position is best for our brain?
But which sleeping position is best for disposing of our brain waste? On our stomach, on our back, or on our side?
In fact, of all sleeping positions, sleeping on your side is the most ideal position for cleansing our brain, as researchers have recently proven using contrast agents and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).
So do something good for your brain and sleep on your side, although it has not yet been determined why the brain can turn more easily in this position.
Sleep and your memory
In 2009, Professor Born from Tübingen was able to prove that we learn during the deep sleep phase [2]. Brain waves perform a filtering function and decide which information is transferred from short-term memory to long-term memory. These processes are only possible during the deep sleep phase.
Therefore, a healthy and, above all, sufficiently long sleep not only helps you wake up more refreshed in the morning, but also strengthens your memory and feeds your long-term memory .
Only those who have a high proportion of deep sleep phases can remember vocabulary, dates and facts the next day or get more out of their training.
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2. What actually happens during sleep?
Regeneration and processing of experiences
When you get tired , your concentration and reaction speed decrease . These are the signals your body gives you when it needs a break. This usually happens in the evening, when the sun sets and your brain begins producing the sleep hormone melatonin.
During sleep, your body uses smart mechanisms to renew skin and hair , for example, and to repair tissue structures (muscle building). In your brain , the cleanup work is in full swing . This process is handled by the glymphatic system, often referred to as the brain's waste disposal system.
The glymphatic system
In order for you to wake up every morning with a clear head and start the day full of energy, you need to really clear up your mind at night.
At night, this cleansing system in your brain keeps things in order and, simply put, throws out everything that's no longer needed. Restful and extensive sleep is essential for your health and mental performance.
As you dance in dreamland, your brain regenerates so you can wake up the next morning refreshed and full of energy.
Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, researcher and discoverer of the glymphatic system, believes that regenerative sleep depends on the brain being cleansed at night of all the useless byproducts that accumulate during waking brain activity.
So, while you sleep, your brain is busy mopping the floor, washing the dishes, and taking out the trash to prepare itself for the next day. Discoveries about how the glymphatic system works have revolutionized our understanding of the purpose of sleep.
How does the glymphatic system work?
Because Dr. Maiken Nedergaard only discovered the existence and importance of the glymphatic system in 2012/2013, it has received little coverage in the mainstream media, yet it is clear: health and healing processes depend on the brain's waste disposal! [1]
The clear cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is responsible for draining toxins from the brain. The process is very similar to that of the lymphatic system. What is lymph in other organs is CSF in the brain.
Your brain cells, like all cells in the body, need nutrients and oxygen for metabolism. Like all other cells in the body, brain cellular metabolism also produces waste. During the day, this waste accumulates in the fluid in your brain.
Some of the waste dissolves in the fluid, but most of it simply collects and waits for you to fall asleep, then to be disposed of by the glymphatic system. [2]
Brain cells play a very special role in this cleansing process because they actually shrink during sleep. As they shrink, the space between the cells increases by 60%, which supports the cleansing process—more room to flush out the waste!
CSF can then flow much faster through the spaces, aided by the impulse from the arteries. The waste is flushed to the veins and then transported toward the liver.
This process occurs during slow-wave sleep, the period when you sleep most deeply. While you're in the most beautiful dreams and sleeping peacefully, your body cleanses itself of cellular waste.
Take-Home Message #1: The glymphatic system is your brain's garbage disposal. It waits for you to fall asleep so it can dispose of all the toxins and waste products that build up in your brain during the day. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is especially important in this regard!
Waste accumulates in it during the day and is flushed out of your brain at night. Because your brain cells shrink while you sleep, the CSF can optimally flush all the dirt out of your brain, thus creating new space and a healthy foundation for the next day.
Why is brain cleansing so important?
Your body needs to be regularly cleansed of toxins. This cleansing process is supported not only by the brain, but also by the skin, liver, lungs, kidneys, spleen, gallbladder, and lymphatic system. However, just like a water filter, your body's systems can slow down and weaken due to a lack of maintenance.
If your cleansing systems are no longer functioning properly, everyday activities like exercise can cause problems. This is how it usually works during exercise:
You start out full of energy and ready for anything! But after a while, your breathing becomes more irregular, your muscles slowly tire, and your stamina decreases. Your body is no longer able to transport oxygen to your muscles quickly enough.
Instead, your muscles obtain their energy anaerobically, meaning without oxygen. While you can continue your exercise program, toxic byproducts build up in your muscle cells.
These byproducts are flushed out by the body's own detoxification organs so that they can function normally again without lasting damage - this is called the recovery phase.
However, if your cleansing processes are disrupted and organs are possibly "blocked," the toxic substances cannot be removed and build up in your organs, which can lead to serious long-term damage. That's why your body's cleansing organs are so important – they look after it! When waste is created, it's swept clean! [3]
Take-Home Message #2: Not just your brain, but your entire body needs to be regularly cleansed of toxins and waste products from cellular activity. If toxic byproducts accumulate in your muscles or brain because your body's cleansing processes aren't working properly, it can lead to long-term damage.
During exercise, for example, an incredible amount of waste is produced, which is then removed by your body's own detoxification organs. So that you can continue pursuing your favorite activities while receiving optimal nutrition, it's important to always pay attention to your cleansing organs.
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The effects of sleep deprivation on the glymphatic system
For your mental performance and mental fitness, the glymphatic system is your body's most important cleansing and detoxification process .
The problem is, if you don't give your brain enough time to clean itself , the processes don't function as they should —in other words, if you don't get enough sleep, your brain's garbage disposal system can't function properly. Around 80 percent of working adults suffer from some degree of sleep deprivation.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults should sleep seven to nine hours. On average, however, we sleep far less. When your sleep is disrupted, whatever the cause, your cleansing system breaks down.
When the cleansing system breaks down, whether in the skin, liver, gallbladder, or even the glymphatic system in the brain, you run into problems! That's why balanced and regular sleep is essential for your brain.
If you have trouble falling asleep, bedtime rituals might help. A hot bath or calming background music can also help you fall asleep.
A sleep tracker could help you sleep better. A true superhero for sleep problems is the body's own sleep hormone melatonin . It is responsible for your natural day-night rhythm.
Supplementing with melatonin can both optimize your sleep quality and shorten the time it takes to fall asleep. It gives your brain the time it needs for its cleansing processes.
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Take-Home Message #3 : Brain cleansing comes at night! While you sleep, the glymphatic system works at full speed. But if your body doesn't get enough sleep, and your brain doesn't have enough time to cleanse itself, your cleansing system collapses.
Sleep is therefore essential for a clean and energized brain. Nightly rituals can help you fall asleep more easily, and a sleep tracker can help you sleep more effectively. Melatonin supplementation can also work wonders for your sleep quality and duration.
5 tips on how to support your glymphatic system
The glymphatic system depends on the mitochondria . Therefore, you should always pay attention to optimizing these cellular structures. Cell survival requires energy to perform various functions. Mitochondria are the primary source of cellular energy , and they ultimately obtain this energy from the fuel you supply to your body.
This means that if you want to improve your brain's cleansing ability , you should improve the nutrient supply to the mitochondria , and the best way to do this is through cellular detoxification. Here are 5 tips for you on how to best support your glymphatic system.
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Drink water
The most important thing is to drink plenty of water every day. The higher the tissue concentration, the more harmful the toxins in your body. Drinking 2-3 liters of water per day can help dilute and dissolve the toxins. In addition, increased fluid intake can promote their elimination through the kidneys. -
Movement
Exercise in the fresh air and sport help to exhale gaseous toxins. -
High-fiber diet
A change in diet can also help you get rid of toxins. If you eat plenty of fiber, toxins in your intestines can bind to it and be excreted. -
Paleo Diet
A paleo diet can also help with detoxification. Anything processed and potentially harmful is taboo. This essentially means fewer toxins are introduced into the body.
It's important that you regularly rid your body of remaining toxins so that your mitochondria can function optimally and supply your cells with energy. This way, you can skillfully master every everyday situation and give your brain a serious boost. -
Posture and alignment of your spine
Your brain controls every single physiological function in your body. Spinal alignment and movement are especially important for stimulating and energizing your brain. Upright posture and sufficient exercise are essential for detoxifying your brain.
The effectiveness of the glymphatic system, as you already know, depends on the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Cerebrospinal fluid, or CFS, can flow much better with good and healthy posture than with a curved spine.
A healthy and properly aligned spine can save the brain's waste disposal a lot of work and help the glymphatic system to optimally strengthen your mental performance so that you can use your energy optimally.
Take-Home Message #4: You can support your glymphatic system in many ways. For example, it relies on cells that are optimally supplied with energy. Exercise in the fresh air, a high-fiber diet, and drinking plenty of water can help.
Because the glymphatic system also relies on your cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flowing through and cleansing the spaces between cells, the alignment of your spine is also particularly important. Only when it's in a healthy shape and you maintain a straight posture can the CSF transport all the toxins and waste products away.
Sources:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4293408/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5146863/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4636982/
3. The 4 phases of sleep
Do you want to understand what happens in your body while you sleep? First of all, sleep can be roughly divided into two phases: the REM (rapid eye movement) phase and the non-REM phases, which are further divided into the falling asleep phase, light sleep, and deep sleep.
Strictly speaking, no two hours of the night are the same, and your body and mind are performing a variety of tasks. During a single night, your body goes through four different phases, every 90 minutes, and each of these cycles is different.
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1. Falling asleep phase
This sleep phase initially serves only as a transition between wakefulness and sleep. Your body prepares for sleep; blood pressure drops, breathing slows, and body temperature drops. In short, your body begins to relax, and you slowly drift off to sleep. -
2. Light sleep phase
You're probably familiar with light sleep, a sleep phase, in the form of a power nap. During light sleep, it's easy to wake up again because of something. Nevertheless, your brain is tightly closed, your muscles are relaxed, and your blood pressure drops.
Lower blood pressure protects your blood vessels and your heart. Sufficient sleep can therefore significantly reduce the strain on your cardiovascular system and thus prevent disease. You spend approximately 50% of the night in this sleep phase. A study from Harvard University shows just how much sleep can make a difference.
This study demonstrated that short power naps provide enormous regeneration for the brain and can thus optimize concentration by 30%. [1] -
3. Deep sleep phase
During deep sleep, the third stage of sleep, all your bodily functions are reduced to a minimum. Your breathing is shallow, your heart rate is slow, and your body temperature is lower. All of this happens solely to provide your body with as much energy as possible for the various regenerative tasks.
During the deep sleep phase, for example, particularly large amounts of growth hormones are released, which play a key role in strengthening the immune system and cell regeneration. The deep sleep phase is also crucial for the brain.
This is where new memory structures are created, separating and storing the day's relevant information from the unimportant. Learning (by heart) while you sleep: Not wishful thinking, but truly true! -
4. REM phase / dream phase
REM stands for "rapid eye movement." During this sleep phase, not only does eye movement increase, but heart rate, breathing, and so on also increase. Not only are your bodily functions activated, but more activity also occurs in your brain.
The Sleep Medicine Center in Munich discovered that the same brain waves are active during the REM phase as during learning processes while awake. [2] The REM phase is, in a sense, our subconscious processing mechanism for thoughts, feelings, and fears.
During this time, you dream a lot. This phase is therefore often called dream sleep. During the REM phase, your imagination is stimulated, and the logical centers of the brain are switched off. This explains your often confusing and bizarre dreams.
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The various phases are cycled through several times during a night. REM sleep sets in again after 60 to 90 minutes. Actual physical recovery occurs during the deep sleep and REM sleep phases [5].
But when do we wake up? Melatonin production stops around 6 or 7 a.m., as the sun slowly rises and a new day begins.
A rise in the stress hormone cortisol plays a significant role here, essentially the counterpart to melatonin. Around 9 a.m., we naturally experience the highest levels of cortisol and testosterone, ready to start the day with full productivity.
During the day, sunlight produces vitamin D, which is responsible for the production of the happiness hormone serotonin. In the evening, serotonin is converted into melatonin. This creates the cycle of life and sleep.
Our biological clock helps to regulate sleep patterns, feeding behavior, hormone release and blood pressure #NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/NgL7761AFE
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 2, 2017
Take-Home Message #2: Good sleep means having a high proportion of REM and deep sleep phases. Sleep consists of four stages that repeat several times throughout the night. The more often and longer you go through the deep and restorative phases, the better your sleep.
Sources:
[1] http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science
Why you dream
Sleep researcher and author Dr. Michael J. Breus, known as the "Sleep Doctor," is considered one of the leading sleep experts in the world. He says the reasons for your dreams are far from being understood.
We're still faced with a great mystery. Many theories circulate in science about why people have dreams in the first place.
There's a group of researchers who believe there's no specific purpose behind dreams and that they're merely a byproduct of things happening in our brains. Another group, however, believes we dream for a specific reason.
Here is an overview of some theories:
- Dreams are a process for processing experiences and what we've learned. Through them, the brain is supposed to store memories from short-term to long-term memory, thus making room for new ones the next day.
- Processing emotional and difficult experiences to maintain emotional well-being.
- A mental preparation of the brain to be able to withstand future dangers and challenges.
- The "simple" response to biochemical changes and electrical impulses during sleep.
Source:
http://www.thesleepdoctor.com/2017/07/25/what-do-you-know-about-your-dreams/1
4. Sleep and sport: How important sleep is for the performance of athletes
Top athletes have long known this and utilize its benefits to maximize their athletic performance . The secret to their success lies not only in specialized training, but also in sufficient and restful sleep.
Find out now exactly how sleep can improve the performance of athletes and high-performance athletes and how you can use this to your advantage.
5 ways sleep can improve athlete performance.
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1. Better focus and concentration
What might not initially sound like it has much to do with sports actually plays a crucial role in your athletic performance. The reason for this is that lack of sleep impairs your judgment.
Numerous studies have shown that motivation , focus , memory , and learning behavior are impaired by insufficient sleep . A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports has now confirmed that the less sleep you get, the lower your concentration level. [1]
This deactivates certain areas of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for your ability to concentrate.
In terms of sports, this is a big problem because as your judgment diminishes, so does your sensitivity to risks, which brings us to the next point: the reduction of injuries through sufficient sleep or, conversely, the increased risk of injury due to lack of sleep. -
2. Reduced risk of injury
A study from the University of California found that the risk of injury was significantly increased in athletes who slept less than 6 hours a night. [2]
The study found that the number of hours of sleep per night significantly determines the injury rate during games. Sleep is an even greater indicator than the number of hours of training.
And why is that? A tired athlete potentially reacts more slowly . You simply can't assess your own performance anymore and are prone to overexertion, which greatly increases the risk of injury. -
3. Optimal regeneration
If an injury does occur during exercise, sleep is also a crucial factor for recovery . While you sleep, your body performs true miracles, regenerating damaged cells and minor injuries in the muscles, etc.
During sleep, growth hormones are also released in greater quantities, which stimulate muscle growth and are important for strong bones.
Only those who pay attention to good sleep can regenerate sufficiently, build muscle and thus prepare their body for the next training session. -
4. Greater accuracy and speed
Sleep is crucial for your body's overall recovery and performance, from a physiological, biochemical, and cognitive perspective. Researchers at Stanford University in California have investigated what this means for athletic performance in practice. [3]
In the study, a group of elite basketball athletes were prescribed an extremely high dose of sleep. For seven weeks, the athletes were asked to try to sleep up to 10 hours per night. During the seven weeks, the basketball players' accuracy and sprint speed were measured.
The results were particularly sensational in terms of accuracy, which ultimately improved by almost 10%. The study's findings demonstrate the importance of long sleep periods for peak athletic performance . -
5. Improved reaction speed and endurance
Sometimes a fraction of a second can decide the outcome of a game or a race. Sleep deprivation is known to significantly reduce the reaction times so crucial for this.
Even a single night without sleep can reduce this by more than 30% and it takes several days of regeneration to compensate for the loss.
A study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine further demonstrated how drastic the loss of reaction time really is.
A sleep deprivation of 17 hours beyond the normal waking hours has approximately the same effects as a blood alcohol level of 0.5%. This definitely makes you unfit to drive. [4]
Of course, there are physiological differences between drunkenness and fatigue. Still, you wouldn't recommend someone with 0.5% blood alcohol content to perform at peak athletic performance, would you? So, anyone wondering about their poor training results after a short night's sleep now knows the answer.
What good sleep quality has to do with top athletic performance
Every top athlete has long known that an optimized training program, good fitness, and proper nutrition are essential for achieving peak athletic performance. Sleep, however, is often overlooked, yet it plays at least as important a role.
Both the quantity, i.e. the number of hours slept, and the quality of sleep are crucial and can make the difference between winning and losing.
Sleep influences virtually every aspect of sports, from motivation and muscle performance to recovery and reducing the risk of injury.
But sleep isn't just a key component for performance for elite athletes. Good sleep is essential for anyone who wants to be optimally resilient. Proper sleep ensures a balanced sleep-wake cycle, the so-called circadian rhythm.
Many factors, such as your hormone balance, your immune system, and your digestion, depend on the circadian rhythm. If you get enough good sleep, your body will also be in the right rhythm and thus optimally prepared for stress.
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If you're not sure whether you're really getting enough sleep, this article will tell you all about the most important signs of sleep deprivation.
Take-home message: Sleep influences numerous factors and could be the deciding factor between victory or defeat in sports.
Sources:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27367265
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1739867/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25028798
[4] http://www.journalsleep.org/ViewAbstract.aspx?pid=28194
5. 5 signs that you are not sleeping well
Not only sufficient sleep, but especially good sleep quality is important for your health , well-being, and overall performance. Do you sometimes feel simply exhausted and don't know why? Lack of sleep or poor sleep quality could be the reason.
The way we live today is radically different from the lifestyle of our ancestors. Our way of managing everyday life and our nights disrupts our natural sleep-wake rhythm.
Often, work is the culprit here: shift work, jet lag, office days that start too early and end too late. The sleep hormone melatonin actually ensures that we have perfect sleeping conditions.
However, our natural production is reduced these days by factors such as extreme stress at work, exercising in the evening, excessive noise levels, or exposure to artificial light in the evening. All of these factors inhibit melatonin production, and as a result, we often sleep less well.
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Here are the 5 most common signs that you are not getting enough sleep and should perhaps go to bed an hour earlier in the evening.
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1. You are moody, unbalanced and more susceptible to stress
Sleep and well-being are closely linked. Even short-term sleep deprivation, such as a sleepless night, can negatively impact your well-being.
Your mood often suffers, and you may become irritable and unbalanced. If you're deprived of sleep, you also react sensitively to criticism and stress. This makes you less resilient in challenging situations, according to a study from Stony Brook University in New York. [1]
The combination of stress and poor sleep produces an unpleasant third product: the fear of poor sleep.
This fear only further promotes poor sleep quality and even lower resilience in stressful situations.
A vicious circle. Mental illness and sleep are also often linked. According to a study by Harvard Medical School, patients with anxiety and depression often suffer from chronic insomnia. [2] -
2. Your productivity and performance collapse
If you get poor or insufficient sleep, many of your cognitive functions suffer. This includes your ability to concentrate, make rational decisions, and even your ability to formulate sentences.
This is especially devastating for your performance at work. Harvard Medical School has studied the consequences of poor sleep. The loss of performance and productivity results in an average loss of 11.3 workdays per person per year. [3]
It sounds like it might sometimes be better to put work aside so that you can start the next day with full concentration.
Even though the best intentions often lie behind it, regular and quality sleep is one of the most important ingredients for your performance. Sleep can do even more. In dreams, you process the most important events of the day, generate new creativity, and consolidate what you learned during the day.
Your brain is reset, so to speak. A study by the Center for Sleep and Cognition found that even short power naps during the day can help improve your memory and recharge your energy. [4]
Have you heard about the latest trend, power napping? A caffeine nap is guaranteed to give you even more energy. You can read how it works in this article about the effects of caffeine naps. -
3. You gain weight
Those who sleep poorly and insufficiently will gain weight in the long run, regardless of how healthy their diet is or how much exercise they do. People who sleep less than six hours a night have a completely different problem.
When you're acutely sleep deprived, your hormones start to go haywire. The appetite-suppressing hormone leptin is produced in insufficient quantities, but the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin is produced in excess.
A study by the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort found that this can also explain uncontrolled eating binges, which some may experience from jet lag. [5]
With jet lag, your body can cope with the temporary emergency. However, in the long run, you should strive for good, regular sleep for the sake of your body's health. -
4. Your judgment is diminishing
This is where the biggest victim comes into play again: your brain. Along with your performance, your judgment also drastically declines.
In both social and professional contexts, you often have to make decisions that require your brain's ability to process emotions.
When sleep deprived, certain areas of the brain are deactivated in order to keep other vital functions running.
The prefrontal cortex, the brain center where emotions are processed, is also shut down to a certain extent. It's been proven that employees suffering from sleep deprivation not only act irrationally but also deceitfully, for example, starting to sloppy work.
In addition to impaired judgment, moral inhibitions and self-control also decrease. Not so desirable, either personally or professionally, is it? -
5. You get tired quickly
This seems pretty obvious, but many people simply ignore the body's natural warning signs of exhaustion. Constant yawning, drinking way too much coffee, and dozing off during a meeting are unpleasant enough.
But it's in public that the whole thing becomes truly detrimental to your health. One in three people in Germany suffers from difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and is therefore often overtired.
Many of them still drive cars and move unsafely on the road. On average, 3,000 people are injured each year, and the number of unreported cases is likely significantly higher.
But what can you do about tiredness? There's only one thing that helps: sleep! An adult needs 7-8 hours a night to function at their best.
If you don't get the specified number of hours, it's not a big deal. The lack of sleep only has damaging long-term effects.
If these five characteristics apply to you, you should improve your sleep quality in the long term. In our article on "sleeping better," you'll learn which tricks can help you do this. BRAINEFFECT SLEEP also supports you in falling asleep more easily with the sleep hormone melatonin.
Sources:
[1] https://publichealth.stonybrookmedicine.edu/faculty/LaurenHale
[2] http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/Sleep-and-mental-health
[3] https://hms.harvard.edu/news/insomnia-costing-us-workforce-632-billion-year-researchers-estimate-9-2-11
[4] https://sleep.med.harvard.edu/people/faculty/220/robert+stickgold+phd
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15602591
6. Sleep myths
The 8-hour sleep - How much sleep does a person really need?
"On average, people need about seven hours of sleep," says Geert Mayer, neurologist and chief physician of the Hephata Clinic in Schwalmstadt, Germany. "However, there are genetically determined short and long sleepers.
Some people get by on five hours , others need nine . The problem is that many people today don't even know how much sleep they need. It's similar to eating: they lack self-awareness."
Learning while sleeping – myth or truth?
Learning while sleeping? Is it possible? Does sleep actually have a positive effect on learning ability? Learning while sleeping – myth or truth?
According to scientists at the University of York and Harvard Medical School, sleep can actually have a positive effect on our memory. We've already explained how important sleep is for our brain in this blog post.
It's intended to help people remember new information better and strengthen their memory. The new study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, examines both the learning and storage of new words so they can be recalled at any time.
The research team found that sleep, in particular, helps with remembering new vocabulary and then integrating it into the "mental lexicon" (see excerpt in The Journal of Neuroscience). So, if you want to learn a lot, you need to sleep a lot?
Sleep has a positive effect on memory
The scientists divided the study volunteers into two groups. The first group was taught new words in the morning. Afterward, their memory was tested to determine the extent to which they were able to recall the newly learned words.
They were tested again in the afternoon, without sleep in between. These subjects did not perform better in the afternoon test. The second group learned the new vocabulary in the afternoon. A test of vocabulary was administered immediately afterward.
The volunteers in this group slept overnight in a sleep lab while their brain activity was recorded using an EEG. The test the following morning showed that the group was able to recall more words than in the previous day's test.
In addition, the volunteers were able to recall the learned vocabulary more quickly, demonstrating that memory is strengthened during sleep. During sleep, the information and experiences of the day are processed, organized, and permanently stored.
The phase of deep sleep is the most important
Based on brain wave analysis, researchers found that deep sleep, rather than REM sleep (characterized by rapid eye movements) or light sleep, contributes to memory consolidation.
Further analyses showed that volunteers who recorded more sleep spindles (typical wave patterns for the non-REM sleep phase) during sleep performed better in integrating the new words with existing knowledge.
Sleep spindles reveal that information is transferred between different memory areas of the brain, especially between the hippocampus and neocortex.
The hippocampus stores content separately from others, while the neocortex links information with other knowledge.
Learning during sleep works when known information is linked
So, memory can improve by "sleeping on it." However, study leader Dr. Jakke Tamminen emphasizes that new memories are only truly useful if they can be linked to previously known information.
The results demonstrate the importance of sleep as well as the underlying brain processes that contribute to vocabulary expansion. Adequate sleep during learning is always crucial, whether you're studying for a vocabulary test at school or acquiring new knowledge for your job.
You can also find tips for successful learning and further information about memory here on the blog, including from Dr. Gunther Karsten, world memory champion, 8-time German champion, and multiple world record holder.
Conclusion and tips for learning while you sleep
Learning while you sleep is therefore not a myth, but a fact, although "learning while you sleep" cannot be taken literally. Learning while you sleep doesn't mean that you can put on headphones while you sleep and know what you heard the next morning.
Rather, learning while you sleep means that information is anchored during sleep. To enhance this effect, you can actively do the following: Relearn vocabulary shortly before going to bed. This way, your brain can remember the information particularly well while you sleep.
The number of sleep spindles increases the amount of learning. You can consciously increase the number of sleep spindles, for example, through neurofeedback training.
Place great value on a peaceful and restful sleep and create the necessary conditions for it, such as a good mattress, the right pillow, or the ideal temperature in the room.
7. Disturbances to your sleep
1. The First-Night Effect - Why new places rob you of sleep
The first night in a strange hotel room or in a different bed: You toss and turn, can't fall asleep, and don't feel refreshed or rested the next morning? This is the so-called "first-night effect."
What is the first-night effect?
This strange state of "half awake, half asleep" has nothing to do with classic sleep disorders. The first-night effect is also not dependent on age or sleeping habits . The poor sleep is caused solely by the fact that you are spending the first night in an unfamiliar place.
Young and healthy people suffer from the first-night effect just as much as those with chronic sleep disorders. The reason for the restless first night lies in human nature. Animals, for example, are better at bridging the gap between sleep and wakefulness.
Whales, dolphins, and many birds can sleep with only one half of their brain functioning while the other half remains awake. One eye remains open, allowing the animal to simultaneously sleep and vigilantly observe its surroundings.
In this way, a dolphin can stay awake and alert for at least five days, possibly even longer. As early as 1999, scientists at the Max Planck Institute discovered that animals have special abilities to avoid being surprised at night. [1]
Ducks, for example, often sleep in groups. Those lying at the edges have higher brain activity than those sleeping in the center, which is well protected. This way, the ducks avoid becoming easy prey.
Research now appears to have discovered a similar phenomenon in humans. It seems plausible that humans possess a similar, built-in "warning system," which manifests itself in the form of the first-night effect.
Scientists believe that the first-night effect occurs when one half of the brain is more alert than the other when in a new environment. This allows you to react better to unusual sounds or smells and recognize signs of danger.
The first night in a new place is disrupted by the fact that one half of your brain takes on an extra shift as a night watchman, meaning you only relax, sleep and regenerate half as much.
Humans subconsciously adapt to their environment. If you feel unfamiliar and unfamiliar with your new sleeping place, your brain will be more active than usual the first night, as you don't yet know how serious the potential threat from your environment is.
Take-Home Message #1 : The first-night effect refers to the restless, poor sleep many people experience on their first night in a new place. This phenomenon is rooted in basic human instinct: the brain is more active during the first night to detect potential dangers.
… And this is what happens in your brain
Scientists at Brown University investigated the phenomenon of the first-night effect in more detail. The study's volunteers spent several nights in the lab, specifically in a giant scanner that measures brain activity during sleep.
The subjects were fitted with electrodes on their heads and hands, allowing their brain activity, eye movements, heart rate, and much more to be monitored. The study was an outstanding success due to its results.
The study thus confirmed the hypothesis about the first-night effect . [2] The scientists at Brown University examined, among other things, so-called slow-wave sleep, which occurs during deep sleep. The brain wave frequency is particularly low during this period of sleep.
In the test subjects, this slow brainwave frequency was significantly weaker in the left hemisphere than in the right hemisphere. This increased brainwave frequency, in turn, was only measurable in certain areas of the left hemisphere.
Namely, in the so-called "default mode network." These areas of the brain are activated, for example, when you daydream and your thoughts drift without being stimulated by external stimuli.
However, as soon as you begin to consciously concentrate, the default mode network shuts down again and other brain regions are activated. During the first-night effect, your brain is more active than normal.
Brain regions are activated, and you feel like you're awake more often during the night. While you're not actually awake, your brainwave frequency is still higher than usual. The result: You don't sleep as deeply and feel less rested the next morning.
Take-Home Message #2 : With the first-night effect, the brainwave frequency in your left brain hemisphere is elevated. You don't fall asleep as quickly, sleep less deeply, and are more likely to wake up with a start. The next morning, you don't feel fit and rested.
What helps against the first-night effect?
The first-night effect is a deeply ingrained phenomenon, a relic from a time when you weren't safe from danger at night. You can't outsmart the resulting heightened brain activity and alertness.
Nevertheless, there are ways to improve sleep on the first night in a new place. The first-night effect is often accompanied by difficulty falling asleep. The sleep hormone melatonin is responsible for making you feel tired and falling asleep.
In the evening, the concentration of the sleep hormone in your blood rises, while the concentration of the "wake-up hormone" cortisol decreases. If you're having trouble getting a restful sleep, taking melatonin can help.
BRAINEFFECT HACK : With us you can get melatonin for quick sleep in the practical SLEEP capsules or as a handy SLEEP SPRAY for on the go.
Another simple trick: Always stay in the same hotel or hotel chain when you travel. While you'll still be in a different room, the decor and rooms will already be familiar. This will help you feel a bit more at home and potentially avoid the first-night effect.
Sources:
[1] http://www.orn.mpg.de/2696/Forschungsgruppe_Rattenborg
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27112296
2. Why blue light keeps you from sleeping
You were actually totally tired, and suddenly you're wide awake again? Whether it's smartphones, laptops, or tablets, they all do it. These practical devices that often serve as our evening entertainment are downright fatal to restful sleep.
The problem with blue light
Darkness is your body's natural trigger, telling it it's time to sleep. But these days, we surround ourselves with numerous bright screens that we stare at for hours after the sun goes down.
The blue light emitted by screens tells our brain the exact opposite: that you need to stay awake , because blue acts as a kind of alarm signal.
Here's how it works: There are about 30,000 cells in your eye that respond to the wavelength of light we perceive as blue. Blue light has a wavelength of 460 nanometers on the light spectrum.
When light with this spectrum falls on the cells in the eye, the information to stop the release of the sleep hormone melatonin is sent to the part of the brain that controls your “internal clock,” the circadian rhythm.
This results in you being unable to fall asleep. However, if the hormone's production is stopped, you suddenly no longer feel tired. A Harvard University study found that blue light can increase the time it takes to fall asleep by up to 30 minutes. [1]
The effects of blue light have been well known to sleep researchers and scientists for many years. In sleep research, blue light is often used as a therapy to shift sleep patterns or treat sleep disorders.
A Harvard Medical School study examined the evolution of human sleep behavior over the past 50 years. It revealed a significant decline in average sleep duration and quality. [2]
They found that insufficient sleep has a negative impact on overall health. The study examined two groups. One group stopped using devices that emitted blue light four hours before bedtime and read a regular book.
The other group used laptops, e-readers, and other devices over the same period. The results were clear: The "digital" test group had lower concentrations of the sleep hormone melatonin in their blood and therefore took an average of 10 minutes longer to fall asleep.
Not only did the time it took to fall asleep increase, but the quality of REM sleep also decreased. As a result, the test subjects felt less rested the next morning, despite sleeping the same amount of time as the other group. Shorter sleep duration and reduced sleep quality are not a problem over time.
However, a study from Penn State University found that it can lead to long-term health problems. If your circadian rhythm is disrupted by blue light, your risk of diseases such as heart attack, obesity, and type 2 diabetes increases. [3]
Poor sleep doesn't just have physical health consequences. A study from the University of Pennsylvania also linked sleep deprivation to mood swings, anxiety disorders, and depression.⁴
Take-Home Message #1: The so-called "blue light" from laptops, cell phones, and other devices reduces the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. You have trouble falling asleep, and your sleep quality deteriorates.
BRAINEFFECT HACK : Increase the melatonin content in your body with our practical SLEEP capsules and the handy SLEEP SPRAY .
Simply switch off - How to find the right balance
For most of the day, blue light isn't a problem. On the contrary: exposure to light, especially the sun, which contains extremely high levels of blue rays, is important for your well-being.
Your body needs the vitamin D produced in your skin through sunlight, for example, to produce the "feel-good hormone" serotonin. You also need blue light to wake up in the morning.
Do you have trouble getting out of bed? Then let the sun wake you up. If you don't have to get up at a specific time, leave the blinds up and just give it a try. The light stimulates your body's production of the "stress hormone" cortisol, which you need to get out of bed in the morning.
Your body clock, which regulates your circadian rhythm, begins every morning by releasing cortisol, making you awake and alert. In the evening, melatonin production begins, making you sleepy.
Therefore, this doesn't mean that you should immediately hide from all light; it's all about finding the right balance. To maximize your concentration during the day and get a restful night's sleep, it's good if your rhythm isn't disrupted.
This is where blue light comes in, as it disrupts your rhythm. You should stop using devices that emit blue light about 90 minutes before bedtime. But if you still can't put your phone down in the evening, you should remember these tricks!
Smartphones often have a feature called "night shift." If you activate this mode, all blue components are filtered out of the light. Your screen will appear noticeably warmer and more yellow. A similar feature is available for your laptop.
Corresponding programs detect your current time zone and filter out the blue light once the sun has set. Sounds like nothing stands in the way of watching movies at night and getting a restful sleep.
Take-home message #2: It's all about the dose: Try to eliminate all sources of blue light from your environment about 90 minutes before falling asleep. If that's too extreme for you, you can also use apps and programs that filter out blue light.
Blue light filters - These are the best apps and gadgets
1. f.lux
The most commonly used application for filtering blue light from screens is called f.lux and is available as a free download. f.lux is ideal if you want to stream a movie on your computer in the evening and fall asleep while watching it.
Compatible with: WINDOWS / MAC / iPad / iPhone / Linux / Android
2. Blue light filter apps for Android users
Of course, Android users don't have to go without blue light filters either. Appropriate apps can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. We recommend the free "Blue Light Filter - Eye Care" app.
3. Glasses and lenses with blue light filters
If you don't want to equip every single device with a blue light filter, you can equip yourself with glasses that filter out the blue light, no matter which screen you look at.
ZEISS, for example, not only offers glasses wearers lenses with the appropriate diopters, but also equips them with a blue light filter. Finally, PRISMA offers a complete pair of glasses with a blue light filter, with the lenses tinted orange.
Sources
[1] http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side
[2] http://www.pnas.org/content/112/4/1232.full.pdf
[3] http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/4/129/129ra43
[4] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9231952
8. Tips to sleep better
BRAINEFFECT HACK : Increase your body's melatonin levels. Our SLEEP capsules and SLEEP SPRAY with melatonin will help you do just that.
You've rarely slept so well! No more tossing and turning for hours. Instead, enjoy gentle dreams and wake up refreshed and well-rested in the morning. Is that what you want? Magnesium can help! High magnesium levels in your body can give you restful sleep and an energized start to the day.
Grandma always said, "Child, if you can't sleep, make yourself some chamomile tea and count sheep." Well, Grandma, that's kind of a thought, but unfortunately it doesn't always help. Relaxation exercises and stress reduction are often enough, but in some cases, the reasons are deeper.
For example, a Harvard Medical School study found that your phone or laptop can be a major enemy when it comes to falling asleep. [1] Devices that emit blue light can delay your ability to fall asleep and reduce sleep quality.
BRAINEFFECT HACK : Optimize your sleep with our 7-day SLEEP CHALLENGE and receive personalized tips and information for your sleep.
1. Magnesium ensures restful sleep
With an adequate magnesium supply, you can also significantly improve your sleep quality. People with full magnesium stores sleep better and fall asleep faster.
But what exactly is magnesium, and what do you need it for? First of all: Magnesium is essential for your life. It's important for the health of your bones and teeth, as well as for the interaction between nerves and muscles.
However, your body can't produce it itself , so you must get it from your diet. Magnesium is one of the most important minerals for restful sleep, and a magnesium deficiency can cause sleep problems.
It primarily stimulates the receptors of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid ( GABA ). These are transmembrane proteins in nerve cells that bind to this neurotransmitter so that it can exert its effects.
Take-Home Message #1: By consuming enough magnesium daily, you can improve your sleep quality and thus your daily stamina. Magnesium is essential for the function of GABA receptors, without which you would remain unbalanced and awake.
Magnesium deficiency can lead to sleep disorders
Okay, magnesium is important, you know that much now. But how can you tell if your body is lacking magnesium? Magnesium deficiency can manifest itself in a variety of symptoms. Here's a list of abnormalities that indicate a magnesium deficiency in your body and can be harmful:
- Trouble falling asleep and poor sleep
- Tense neck and back muscles
- Muscle cramps
- Nervousness, stress and inner restlessness
- Fatigue and depression
- Headache
- Hyperactivity and lack of concentration
If you experience one or more of these symptoms, it's advisable to consult a doctor. They can diagnose a magnesium deficiency if necessary. If this is the case, you should treat it as quickly as possible, as a magnesium deficiency can also negatively impact your other mineral levels.
Magnesium is very important for normal bodily functions, especially for a regular heartbeat. In the long term, a magnesium deficiency can have far-reaching consequences for your body.
Magnesium sources for good sleep
All well and good, now you know a lot about magnesium, but where can you get this good stuff so you can get back on track? A pasta salad made with whole-wheat pasta and sunflower seeds or whole-wheat muesli with quinoa, for example, would be a good idea.
Magnesium is found as a compound in many foods, especially in whole grain products such as bread and pasta, but also in millet, sesame, and pumpkin seeds, for example. Adults are recommended to consume 300 to 400 mg of magnesium daily (depending on age, gender, health, etc.).
If you don't feel like making yourself whole-grain sandwiches all day—100g of whole-grain bread, for example, contains an average of 50 to 60 mg of magnesium—there are other ways to get magnesium. BRAINEFFECT SLEEP with melatonin, for example, helps shorten the time it takes to fall asleep.
A daily dose of two capsules combines 58 mg of magnesium, equivalent to 15% of the recommended daily intake, with passionflower and lemon balm. In addition to natural plant substances, a daily dose also contains 1 mg of the sleep hormone melatonin , which is responsible for the natural human day-night rhythm.
Sleep better in the heat
When the nights are short and extremely hot in the summer months, many people suffer from sleep disturbances. This is not only annoying, but can also rob you of the energy you need for the day. Here are the best tips for getting a restful night's sleep despite the heat!
The ideal temperature to sleep
Summer nights are considered too warm, also called tropical nights, when temperatures rise above 20 degrees Celsius. On such nights, it's important to cool down your sleeping environment, and especially yourself! The optimal temperature for restful sleep is 15-19 degrees Celsius.
Sounds pretty cold to you, and you heat your room to a comfortable 22 degrees Celsius even in winter? Then, like many others, you're not doing your sleep any favors. Sleeping too warmly drains your body of energy, as it's busy cooling itself down.
Shortly before you fall asleep, numerous processes take place in your body. Your brain waves change, your heart rate and breathing slow down, and your body temperature drops.
During REM sleep (REM = rapid eye movement), which is particularly important for information processing and stress management, your body loses the ability to sweat. Because sweating is no longer present, your body can no longer cool itself.
If it's too warm in your room, your body will overheat, and you'll wake up during this crucial phase of sleep, REM sleep. Once awake, many people find it extremely difficult to fall back asleep, and they feel exhausted the next morning. But there are a few simple but effective tips to prevent this.
Take-home message #1: When temperatures rise above 20 degrees Celsius at night, we call them tropical nights. These make it difficult to fall asleep because they exceed the optimal temperature for restful sleep, which is 15-19 degrees Celsius.
Other factors that can make you sleep poorly in summer
Even if you don't normally have trouble falling asleep, almost everyone struggles with falling asleep or staying asleep on hot summer nights. But it's not just the heat that can cause you to get insufficient sleep. There are other factors that negatively impact your sleep on warm nights.
Maybe it's the sounds of the night, like the revelers you hear through your open window, which you only expected to cool you down a bit.
Or the light keeps you from sleeping, because the darkness in the summer months is short. Did you know that light stimulates the production of the sleep hormone melatonin , which is formed by serotonin ? delayed?
The darker it is, the more melatonin is produced, without which you can't fall asleep. In the summer, you already have trouble falling asleep early, because the light delays your body's melatonin production.
On the shortest night of the summer, the summer solstice on June 21st, it's dark for just 6 hours. That's quite a short time, and can cause you to be woken up too early by bright light or unable to fall asleep in the evening because it's still light for so long.
The long, warm evenings tempt you to eat dinner late or postpone your workout significantly until the weather has cooled down a bit. Those who don't exercise often reach for a cold beer to cool off.
Sure, that makes total sense, but it can also make you sleep worse. Exercising in the evening is also bad for falling asleep due to the associated cortisol production.
But more on that later. If it's too warm, those otherwise beautiful summer nights can become quite a torture.
Reasons for sleep problems in summer at a glance: short nights inhibit melatonin production, exercise in the evening increases cortisol release, late eating leads to insulin release, heat makes it difficult for the body to reduce its temperature at night.
Take-home message #2: Besides the heat, other factors influence your sleep in summer. The nights are shorter and brighter, which encourages late meals and evening exercise. This causes your melatonin and cortisol levels to fluctuate—a definite killer for restful sleep!
Sleep better in the heat - these tips have proven successful
Tip 1: Take a warm shower
Taking a warm shower? It's already so warm. Still, it's the best way to cool your body down. While cold water is pleasant during a shower, it also causes blood vessels to constrict, making it harder for the body to transport heat away.
A warm shower, on the other hand, causes blood vessels to dilate, the pores in your skin to open, and excess heat to dissipate from your body. Therefore, a warm shower before bed can work wonders.
Tip 2: Light food
Especially in summer, dinnertime gets pushed back further. This is disastrous, because you shouldn't eat anything about three hours before bedtime, or rather, you should only eat light meals that aren't too rich and don't sit heavily on your stomach.
Eating large amounts of food late in the evening stimulates insulin production. Because your body is still too busy digesting, it consumes a lot of energy. However, your body can use this energy to cool down, especially in hot weather. So, in the evenings in summer, less is more!
BRAINEFFECT HACK : Our smart performance shake NIGHT MODE is the perfect alternative to high-carb evening snacks. Packed with plenty of protein, fiber, magnesium, and other ingredients for a unique nighttime blend.
Tip 3: Keep out the heat
During the day, you should keep the heat out, at least in your bedroom. This means airing out at night and early in the morning, and then closing the windows. If you have curtains or blinds, draw them as well. Only in the evening, when it cools down a bit, will the air help bring your bedroom to a comfortable temperature.
When it's really dry and hot, a wet cloth in front of an open window can also help. This cloth not only improves the indoor climate but also protects against annoying mosquitoes.
Tip 4: Recharge electrolytes
It's not so noticeable, especially at night, but your body also loses fluids during sleep, namely through sweating. Did you know that your body sweats out up to half a liter of fluid at night? Therefore, it's advisable to drink a glass of fruit juice or mineral water before going to bed.
This way, your body is supplied with sufficient fluids and electrolytes during the night and you don't risk waking up because you're too thirsty.
Tip 5: No alcohol
Especially on balmy summer evenings, you tend to want to treat yourself to a cold beer. The drink initially feels like a pleasant cooling sensation, but as soon as you lie down in bed, you'll feel the downside.
While alcohol helps you fall asleep faster, it also reduces the quality of your sleep and causes you to wake up more often.
In hot weather, alcohol in the evening is doubly bad because it dehydrates the body, which already loses more fluid through sweating. So, alcohol fuels dehydration, and you wake up even thirstier.
Tip 6: Light fabrics
Another important factor is the choice of fabric, both for sleepwear and the blanket. Many people prefer to avoid fabric in hot weather and sleep without a blanket or sleepwear.
However, this isn't recommended, as you'll sweat during the night and expose yourself to colds from the draft. Therefore, choose lightweight cotton fabrics that absorb sweat and protect you from drafts.
Tip 7: No technology in the bedroom
Generally speaking, there should be no electronic devices in your bedroom. Many devices, such as smartphones and laptops, have a stimulating effect due to the blue light they emit, and they also make your bedroom warm.
Even laptops that you want to charge overnight produce heat, which in turn unnecessarily warms up your surroundings.
Tip 8: Avoid late exercise
Exercise is also more pleasant in the evenings in summer. However, this brings with it two problems when it comes to your sleep. A study from the State University of New York has now found that exercise increases cortisol levels [1].
Cortisol is your body's natural stress hormone, which makes you alert and active. Not exactly what you want before falling asleep, is it? Also, the late activity stimulates your circulation, causing you to sweat and feel warm.
This heats up your body unnecessarily. Therefore, in hot weather, you should avoid exercising about three hours before bedtime to keep your body cool.
Tip 9: Darken the room
In summer, the sun wakes you up extremely early. The first rays of sunlight reach your bedroom as early as 5 a.m. This will be too early for most people, and they haven't yet gotten enough sleep to be rested and full of energy for the day.
In summer, you should get into the habit of keeping your blinds or curtains closed. The rule here is: the darker, the better. Because light activates cortisol, the hormone that eventually wakes you up. Alternatively, a sleep mask can help.
The most important thing is that your eyes are in complete darkness. They are, in a sense, the gateway for the sun's rays and thus also for the production of sleep and wake hormones. So the darker it is, the longer you can sleep, even if the night is short!
Tip 10: Support melatonin production
Have you tried all the tips, but still can't seem to get enough sleep? BRAINEFFECT SLEEP with melatonin can help you fall asleep faster and get a good night's sleep.
SLEEP contains melatonin, your natural sleep hormone, which your body may simply be producing too little of during the short summer nights. Melatonin is supplemented by numerous other plant substances, such as passionflower and lemon balm, which have a calming and relaxing effect.
Podcast on the topic: Episode 26 | Learn to sleep better again
Dr. Michael Feld is the number one contact for all things sleep. He is a leading sleep medicine specialist in Germany, the author of numerous books, and has been advising our product team on the development of new recovery products for some time now.
He expresses the growing popularity of the topic of sleep this way: "Sleep will be the next epidemic after burnout!" Dr. Feld is involved in numerous studies such as "The Great Sleep Atlas" and shares interesting findings: Singles sleep better than couples, couples sleep better than families, and employed people sleep worse than the unemployed.
The reasons for this: pressure and sources of disruption! This episode is a comprehensive discussion of which areas are influenced by sleep, the exciting findings that sleep studies have revealed, and the biochemical processes behind simple statements like "exercising in the evening impairs sleep."
We spend about 1/3 of our lives sleeping, so our sleep deserves a certain amount of attention.
Sources
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4270305/
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