On trend – a good night’s sleep
Did you know that when you sleep, your brain is “cleansed” of waste products?
Or did you know that you can get slimmer and improve your memory by getting a good night’s sleep? Recent research is increasingly demonstrating the restorative power of sleep for the body and mind. Sleeping well and getting enough sleep are therefore subject to increasing attention. Getting an optimal level of sleep has proved to be one of the most important factors in quality of life and good health. The body can actually survive longer without food than without sleep. Getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night is the absolute best and cheapest way of letting the body’s own repairing ability work its magic and renew our cells. This way both our body and psyche can recover. Foregoing sleep to catch up on something else isn’t a good idea as you put your body at risk of premature ageing. When you sleep, your body has natural access to things such as the important hormone melatonin and growth hormones. Melatonin serves as an important antioxidant, while growth hormones help the body to repair itself and can thus help to counteract premature ageing. The very latest research has also shown that when we sleep, the brain is cleared of waste products, which appears to be very important for good brain health. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) were able to show that the brain, in simple terms, is “cleansed” of toxins and waste and thus kept healthy. These various factors are some of the underlying reasons why, after a good night’s sleep, you feel more emotionally balanced and mentally sharp, can solve problems more easily, remember better, can make sensible food choices more easily, and also feel more physically resilient. During sleep, there is increased secretion of key hormones while other important processes are taking place. This means that a good night’s sleep reduces the risk of a number of different conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, a weakened immune system, impaired mental capacity, obesity, cancer, and brain diseases such as dementia.
Many different factors affect our sleep. Make sure your bedroom is a place for calm and rest, not a workplace. Remove anything that signals work and stress. Turn down the lights for a while before you go to bed, and sleep in a cool dark room. Darkness increases levels of the sleep hormone melatonin. Unfortunately, regular blinds often do not block out enough light. Buy some true blackout curtains. A cool bedroom lowers your body temperature and signals that it’s time to sleep. A warm bath a few hours before bedtime can help to reduce your body temperature, because your body regulates your temperature downwards after a while. If you want to optimise your sleep, you should avoid late meals. Ideally, you shouldn’t eat within three hours of going to bed. This activates digestion, which interferes with your sleep. In addition, the secretion of the beneficial growth hormone is adversely affected by too many carbohydrates. Other ways to improve sleep are to avoid alcohol, nicotine, and caffeinated beverages. These have an adverse effect on hormone secretion. Unfortunately, it’s all too common to self-medicate using alcohol to fall sleep. However, the initial fatigue from alcohol soon gives way to a state of increased secretion of the stress hormone norepinephrine, the price of which is superficial sleep and the risk of waking up several times during the night.
My advice for better sleep:
• Regular times are one of the most important things for good sleep. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time to maintain the body’s own biological rhythm.
• Regular physical activity improves your sleep. You should, however, avoid exercising a few hours before going to bed, since this increases your body temperature and can prevent you from falling asleep. Exercise earlier in the day, on the other hand, is beneficial for good sleep.
• Raise your melatonin levels naturally by getting daylight early in the morning to stimulates melatonin secretion in the evening. A walk to work or a short walk with the dog can make a big difference, especially during the darker months.
• An important psychological aspect of sleep and reducing stress is to prepare mentally for sleep and wind down before going to bed. Taking five or ten minutes to put the events of the day behind you will have a positive impact on your sleep. Meditation, for example, has been shown to increase melatonin levels. Write things down that you need to remember the next day. Avoid pulsing music, television entertainment, or stressful discussions just before going to bed.
