Natural Ways to improve Sleep to be more Active

Natural Ways to improve Sleep to be more Active

Sleep is one of the most important basic needs that we have to fulfill every day in order to carry out our daily lives efficiently and energetically. Without enough sleep, you will drift through the day tired and drained of energy. If you don’t get enough sleep, you will fail in all areas of life. You simply won’t have enough energy to learn, work, or train. To prevent these circumstances, you should therefore have a good sleep rhythm. That’s why I’m going to explain how your sleep works and how you can improve your sleep naturally.

How does sleep even work?

To improve your sleep, it’s important to know how sleep actually works in the first place. On the one hand, it will help you to have a better understanding of it. On the other hand, it will help you to better analyze your sleep problems and find solutions. Sleep works in four phases: three non-REM phases and one REM phase. During the first three phases, your body shuts down more and more, your temperature drops, and your heart rate and brain activity decrease. After this process, the fourth phase begins, the so-called “rapid eye movement” phase. What happens here is as follows: Your brain activity ramps back up while most bodily functions are temporarily paralyzed. It could be that this phase is very important for brain development, especially for the functions of learning and memory. But there is no proof for this yet.

However, it should also be emphasized that your body has a biological clock, the so-called “circadian system.” This function of your body determines when it needs to sleep and when it needs to be active. The so-called “sleep-wake homeostasis” is also a reminder mechanism for when your body has been active for too long. If you’ve been active for a long period of time, your body will eventually get tired, even if it’s light out. One of the most important influences on your fatigue is light. This will wake you up or keep you awake, whereas in the dark, you will find it harder to wake up or get tired more quickly. This principle is an important factor for good sleep.

If we delve deeper into the theory, we find topics such as chemicals, neurotransmitters, and hormones that influence our sleep. The chemical adenosine is produced by our body every day and broken down by the body at night. The longer you stay awake, the more adenosine your body will produce. Some substances can suppress adenosines, e.g., caffeine. There are also neurotransmitters that send signals to activate or deactivate certain cells in the body. These are, for example, the chemicals GABA, acetylcholine, orexin, and serotonin. The hormone melatonin also has quite an influence on your sleep rhythm, as it promotes sleep. If your body produces a lot of melatonin, you will find it much easier to fall asleep, and your sleep will be better. Melatonin is mainly produced when there is little light.

What can you learn from this knowledge?

Now that you know how sleep works, you should aim to apply the above facts to your sleep routine. Firstly, you should find a good balance between sleep and wakefulness. The optimum here is 8 hours of sleep and 16 hours of wakefulness. If you shift your sleep rhythm, e.g., by getting up 2 hours later, you will change your sleep in an unhealthy way. If, for example, you stay up late at the weekend and get up later, you will find it harder to fall asleep at your normal bedtime the next day. It is therefore best to have your bedtime at the same time, if possible. Because of the need for melatonin, there is also an important fact that you need to apply: reduce light in your late hours before going to sleep. In particular, I recommend turning off the lights at least one hour before you go to sleep, as well as your smartphone, computer, etc. These will keep you awake and thus also prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep. Also, don’t consume caffeine in the evening. This will only keep you awake.

On the other hand, in the morning, you should fill up on light if possible. So when you wake up, take in the light. Natural sunlight, in particular, will help you wake up quickly. Caffeine will, of course, also help, but be aware that this is not really healthy. Instead, get into the habit of a morning routine that stays the same every day. For example, you could get up at 6 a.m. every morning, open the curtains, and start with an exercise session. This will wake up your body and give you energy. Then you can meditate, eat, and take an ice-cold shower. All of these things will help to energize you early in the morning so that you are ready for the day.

If you have used all these options and still can’t sleep well, there are other things you can do to get a good night’s sleep. Firstly, pitch-black curtains that don’t let any light in are a good idea. If you install these curtains on all the windows, you will be able to darken your home at any time of day. This is especially good for those who have to work night shifts. Next, you can avoid using a blindfold to really block out any light. After all, sometimes there are still some light sources in the home.

To make the whole thing even wider, you should guarantee optimal sleep. Things like pillows, mattresses, or sources of noise can ensure that you don’t go down into the third and fourth sleep phases very easily. This would leave you poorly rested every day. To optimize this, make sure you have the perfect mattress, the best pillow, and a way to plug your ears. But be careful; the latter could make you oversleep your alarm. All of these things can be different for each person, which means your mattress and pillow need to be customized for you.