So important is sleep for your health

Sleeping fascinates me enormously. I can actually have quite a bit of trouble with sleepless nights. Then I am way too busy, too restless in my head, and sometimes I don't even know the reason why I'm tossing and turning. I also hear it a lot around me: everyone has a night when it just doesn't work, right? And for some, those are entire periods, or they don't even know any different.

So you can imagine that I was really looking forward to the event from Beter Bed, called The Sleep Experience, where I would learn everything about sleep. Now I thought I already knew a thing or two, but I was quite wrong. I was completely hanging on the lips of Matthew Walker, the world's most famous sleep scientist and neurologist. He spoke during The Sleep Experience about the effect of sleep on your everyday life, on your brain, your body, and your life expectancy. ‘Sleep is not only a common symptom of mental issues, it can also — and mostly is — the reason for these issues. It’s a two-way street.’

He also told me that we spend a third of our lives sleeping. I really didn't know it was that much. It's strange that good sleep is often underestimated and that sleep problems are often not taken seriously. This day really made me realize that sleep deprivation is not something to take lightly.

But besides this wake-up call (pun intended) he also had golden tips for a good night's sleep, which I will of course share with you. A bit of basic information beforehand: as adults, we should sleep between seven and nine hours. If you sleep less, it can feel like you are still functioning well. It's just like driving with too much alcohol: you think you can manage, but actually, you can't at all. If you get less than seven hours of sleep, you may be building up a ‘sleep debt’ and will experience the consequences later. We definitely don't want that, and that's why these four golden tips.

1. Regularity
Everyone has their own natural sleep rhythm. This has to do with the type of person you are (evening, morning, etc.). Society is still mainly focused on morning people, which often poses a problem for evening people. Once you find out what type of person you are and which sleep rhythm works best for you (for example, from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM), make sure to stick to it every day of the week. Deep in your brain, there is a 24-hour clock that expects rhythm.

2. Darkness
We need darkness to activate melatonin, which makes us feel sleepy. If you get too little light during the day at the office and then a lot in the evening from things like TV screens or because you only leave your office for the first time then, this can negatively affect your sleep rhythm. Tip: dim the lights in your house by about fifty percent in the last hour before you go to sleep. I actually don't need to say this next part, but: during this hour, really avoid all screens that emit light. Melatonin is triggered this way, which helps you fall into sleep mode, resulting in a more refreshed feeling the next day.

3. Temperature
Keep it cool! Your body needs to drop one degree to fall asleep. You have probably experienced it: you feel sleepy much faster in a too cold room than in a too warm one. You also fall asleep faster in a slightly cooler room. 18.5 degrees may seem cold, but in this case, it's perfect.

4. Walk it out
Don't stay ‘awake’ lying in bed. If you haven't fallen asleep after 25 minutes, get out of bed and do something. Your brain should not get used to the idea that you are ‘awake’ in bed. So only go to bed when you are tired. You wouldn't sit at the table waiting until you get hungry, would you? That's not how it works.

This last point was a bit of a confrontation for me because I seriously do everything in bed: work, eat, watch series, sleep, and much more. Please tell me I'm not the only one. So it's time to create some distance in this intimate relationship with my bed...

If you really don't feel like getting out of bed, try meditation. And if that's not for you, take a walk (in your mind) through an environment that feels good to you. Don't keep hammering on the thought ‘I must sleep.’ It's the same as trying to remember someone's name that you've just forgotten: the harder you try, the harder it becomes.

These tips may come just in time for you. One in five Dutch people suffers from some form of sleep deprivation. I find that quite shocking. A serious problem that can have a significant impact on your mental and physical health. Beter Bed has therefore launched a manifesto to help the Netherlands achieve better sleep. Good sleep is still heavily underestimated, while countless scientific studies prove that good sleep makes you happier, more productive, and healthier.

‘Better sleep, better life’ is their motto and I fully agree with that. I knew that poor sleep is not good for you, but my visit to The Sleep Experience really opened my eyes regarding how much it can affect your health and what you can do about it. So you understand: I forwarded these tips to all my friends who struggle with sleep, and that's why I'm sharing them with you too.