"How are you today?" "Tired". Who hasn't answered that to such a banal question? Sleeping well is essential but humans have never slept so little as in recent years. How can we sleep better for what effects it will have on our health? I tell you everything!
Over the last ten years, our average sleep time has steadily decreased. Whereas 50 years ago, we slept an average of 9 hours per night, the average sleep time is now 7 hours and 5 minutes, a decrease of more than 20%! I, like all dogs, spend between 12 and 15 hours a day sleeping, and I have to admit that I have a little trouble understanding humans.
However, it is during our sleep time that many things happen: the body regenerates, the immune system is strengthened, memory is consolidated and the growth of the child is favoured. In particular, lack of sleep weakens the immune system, which in turn becomes more vulnerable to pathogenic attacks. That's a good incentive to stop sleeping late, isn't it?
Sleep disorders are affecting more and more people. More than 15% of the French population is affected by chronic insomnia and more and more people are prone to sleep apnoea (breathing stops during sleep). These factors lead to insufficient sleep (for insomnia) or poor quality sleep (for sleep apnea). These disorders lead to increased difficulty in concentrating during the day, mood disorders, and can lead to a continuous state of depression.
There are many reasons why we sleep less than our grandparents did. First of all, our schedules are becoming overloaded, our stress levels are higher than before and our ultra-connected society keeps us awake. Today, at any time of the day or night, we can watch TV, go on social networks and even talk to our friends.
Speaking of overconnectedness, our screens are our worst enemies, and more and more people can't do without them, even in bed. The solicitations and the blue lights they diffuse make it difficult to fall asleep and do not help our brain to secrete melatonin, which is essential for falling asleep
For better quality sleep, I'm not going to tell you to count sheep, that would be too simple. Instead, here are my simple tips to apply:
- Go to bed and get up at the same time as soon as possible. Our body has an internal clock, so it knows when to secrete melatonin (in the evening) and when not to (in the morning). Varying the time of getting up and going to bed as little as possible allows our internal machine not to go out of kilter (too much) and to be more efficient. This means that you will fall asleep more quickly.
- Stop all screens after dinner. This is perhaps the most difficult advice to apply, but for a better secretion of melatonin, it is essential to stop looking at your phone, TV, computer or tablet at night. Also, we tend not to listen to our body's calls to go to bed when we're watching our favourite show or breaking our Candy Crush record. Your new evening ritual can be a good book and bed! You'll definitely rediscover the joys of reading.
- Don't eat too much in the evening. A rich dinner leads to over-digestion (poke the raclette last Saturday night) and your body, busy giving everything to digest your feast, will not have much energy left to rest...
- Exercise daily. Regular physical activity helps to eliminate excess energy and secrete feel-good hormones that will help you fall asleep peacefully. The best time to be active is in the morning or at lunchtime. Avoid doing it too late in the day or you may have trouble falling asleep.
- Establish a ritual before going to sleep. Finding an activity (without a screen) to do each night before going to sleep will allow your body to go into "melatonin secretion" mode each night at the time of this activity. Listening to soft music, reading a book, meditating, the possible activities are varied.
You have understood that sleep is your friend and you must not neglect it. Some simple advice will help you get a better night's sleep and you will see that your whole body will thank you!