Sleep Guide - Tips for a Good Night's Sleep

Contents of this article:

• Sleep keeps us healthy
• Sleep types
• REM sleep
• Helpful tips
• Summertime sleep guide

We’ve put together a useful guide with tips for a more restful and deeper sleep. So that you can start your day recovered, refreshed and energised, because one thing is for sure: sleep is essential to our health!

Sleep keeps us healthy

Getting a good night's sleep is imperative for good health, and let's face it, an essential part of being an agreeable person. Sleep needs vary from person to person, but it is advised that adults get between 7-9 hours of sleep a day.

Sleep is important for a variety of reasons. It allows our body to slow down and recover from the tasks and activities of the day before. Important bodily functions take place during sleep. Information is stored, muscles recover, and memories are formed. Without enough sleep, these processes are short circuited, which affects long term physical and mental well being.

Sleep is absolutely essential for storing memories and learning. This encompasses both pre and post periods of learning. Think of your brain as a blank canvas, ready to learn and absorb information. Studying tired severely impedes your ability to store information. This is because you’re highly distracted and struggle to concentrate because the feeling of fatigue is so powerful and affects your ability to retain information (similar to being very hungry!)

In addition to affecting information storage, sleep deprivation can even cause information or memory loss. It can also increase susceptibility to developing forms of depression and anxiety. Individuals who have extended periods of sleep deprivation, develop chronic fatigue. This can feel very similar to being drunk. Judgment, reactions and performance are heavily impaired which can put you at risk of dangerous accidents.

Sleep Types

There are 2 different kinds of sleep: Rapid-Eye-Movement (REM) Sleep and Non-REM sleep. These are important to distinguish between, because the bodily functions carried out in these two sleep stages vary considerably. Each sleep cycle takes between 70-120 minutes. The first part of sleep is Non-REM and is made up of 3 stages:

1. Transition

This is the period of falling asleep. You’re dozing off but not fully asleep yet.

2. Early Sleep

You are asleep, but not deeply. Eye movement and breathing slow down and body temperature decreases. It is easy to be woken in this phase.

3. Deep Sleep

Your body and mind slow down even more and begin recovery mode. Very little eye or muscle movement. It is hard to be woken in this phase, and you will likely feel groggy and disoriented if woken.

During NON-REM sleep your body:

• Builds bone and muscle
• Repairs tissue
• Strengthens immune system

Typically, as you age, you need less deep sleep and younger children tend to get more deep sleep than adults.

REM-Schlaf

This is the second, later part of your sleep. Here, brain activity picks up again, which is why this is the stage where dreaming occurs. Our eyes dart around (hence the name) and our breathing rate increases. While the brain is active, muscles are more or less paralysed which keeps us from physically acting out what we dream. Similar to NON-REM sleep, we get less and less of it as we age.

During REM sleep:

• Faster breathing
• Increased heart rate
• Rapid eye movement

As we get older, it is common for people to explain that they either don’t sleep well, or don’t sleep enough. Most of our days are so busy and often stressful, that it is difficult to shut down and fall asleep. We are also inundated with different stimuli and distractions that can keep us from getting a good night's sleep. In fact, 50% of adults suffer from insomnia at one point in their lives.

Getting a good night’s sleep is not only important, but achievable. Similar to exercise, it is important to establish a routine, incorporate certain things and eliminate others.

Helpful Tips

1. Schedule

Try to go to bed at roughly the same time every night, and set an alarm at the same time each day. Establishing this routine will adjust your internal body clock and program your body when to roughly expect sleep soon. Body clocks can be really effective, and people often end up waking up naturally at these times, because they’re rested and accustomed to it.

2. Save your bed for sleeping

Make your bed your dedicated sleep spot. For other relaxing moments, find a different spot to lounge. Dedicating your bed exclusively to sleep also helps wire your brain and subconsciously get ready for sleep.

3. Avoid screens

Try to go screenless 30-60 minutes before bed. Screens emit blue light which interrupts our circadian rhythm. It suppresses the hormone melatonin and gives us the false feeling it is still daytime. This delays natural feelings of fatigue and can cause trouble falling asleep. Taking a bath, reading a book or listening to a podcast is a great way to do something relaxing, get in the sleep mentality and eventually doze off while still being entertained.

4. Exercise

Exercising has benefits across the board. Daily exercise, even moderate like a walk, helps induce sleep because in addition to mental fatigue, your body also signals it needs a rest.

Sleep Tips for the Summer

During the summer, we often struggle to sleep well. When temperatures get high we sweat, feel uncomfortable and sleep poorly. We've put together some helpful tips to help you get a good night's sleep even when it's hot and humid outside.

1. Cotton > synthetics

When temperatures get really high, we’re tempted to completely do without sheets or pyjamas and wear as little as possible to stay cool. However, it is actually recommended to still sleep in pyjamas and sheets, as these can absorb any sweat you might shed during the night and allow the skin to breathe. Important is that you select materials like cotton and avoid synthetics like nylon.

2. Keep your apartment dark

Keeping your apartment or bedroom dark during the day helps keep temperatures cool. Blocking out the sun can help prevent your room from heating up. We recommend keeping your curtains or blinds drawn throughout the day and avoid that sauna-effect!

3. Cold water

For a short-term cool off, you can hold your wrists under cold water. This sinks the blood temperature and causes a pleasant cool-off effect.

4. Freeze your pillow and sheets

When it gets really hot, you can always put your pillow or sheets in the fridge or freezer before you go to sleep. Remember to wrap them in a casing before, to protect them from stains. Before you head to bed, remove from freezer and you have a lovely cool sleeping arrangement!

5. Unplug devices

Electronics in your room that are on/running emit heat. Any unnecessary devices like TVs, radios, humidifiers etc. should be unplugged or moved into another room to avoid unnecessary heat-emitters.

And of course, last but not least, we recommend investing in a fan to maintain a nice cool breeze in your room!

Further exciting articles on wellness topics:

• Vegan Eating – Everything You Need to Know
• Brain Food – Natural Power for Your Brain
• Intuitive Eating – The Science of Listening to Your Body
• Healthy and Long-Term Weight Loss
• Superfoods – How 'Super' and How Healthy are They Really?

For even more foodie and wellness content, follow us on Instagram! And if you want behind-the-scenes content and co-create recipes with us, then join the Every. Community.

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Sources:

Walker, Matt (2019) ‘Sleep is your superpower’ Ted Talks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MuIMqhT8DM&t=133s

Dana Foundation (2020) ‘How sleep affects your brain’ https://www.dana.org/article/the-sleep-deprived-brain/

The Sleep Foundation https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/what-happens-when-you-sleep

The Sleep Foundation https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia