Problems falling asleep: Species-appropriate tips for healthy sleep

Mögliche Ursachen für Einschlafprobleme

Our biorhythm is regulated and controlled by so-called „zeitgebers“. If you have problems falling asleep, the „zeitgeber“ is an üoveractive stress axis (regardless of whether it is acute or chronic stress) ^[22]. But also light ^[23], exercise ^[24], food ^[25] and temperature ^[26] influence our sleep-wake rhythm.

In evolutionary terms, there were relatively fixed time windows for activity and regeneration. During the day we were active, sometimes stressed, in search of food and exposed to the prevailing climatic conditions. When darkness fell, our activities were reduced and we rested accordingly in order to get a good night's sleep. In our modern world, for example, air conditioning, electric light and lack of exercise influence our bodies and send the wrong time signals that throw our biorhythms out of balance.

Art-appropriate tips for problems falling asleep and restless sleep

The causes of sleep disorders are many and varied - as are the tips for better sleep. Developing your own sleep hygiene therefore seems to make the most sense from our point of view. For this to succeed, it is important to consider all „timers“:

Light

Daylight, which has a high proportion of blue light, was only available for a maximum of 12 hours a day for the longest time of our evolution. Accordingly, our „internal clock“ is programmed to a 12/12 – day-night rhythm. In the evening hours, after 7 p.m., and especially before going to sleep, we should therefore avoid blue light. TV, notebook and cell phone screens are particularly problematic. Many devices now have software settings that reduce the amount of blue light on the screen („night mode“). You can also wear blue light filter glasses to intensify the filter effect. And in bed, it is best to completely avoid unnecessary light sources.

Daylight has a high blue light content and is a clock for the human biorhythm. We should therefore avoid blue light in the evening. Blue light filters in the form of glasses or as a software setting in devices can help here.

Stressors are many and varied and have changed dramatically in recent years. We often find it difficult to recognize them because they have become part of our culture and our normal behaviour. The new stressors often appear in bundles and activate the immune system in the long term, which can have a negative impact on our body and our health.

More and more often, psychological stress is also in the foreground and it is precisely this that affects our biorhythm and can lead to problems falling asleep. The following activities, practiced regularly, can help to reduce stress. Often just a few minutes a day are enough.

Movement

• For optimal sleep, you should exercise 4-8 hours before going to bed. The intensity does not matter, even walking is enough to improve the quality of sleep ^[33].
• The best time slots for exercise are in the morning after getting up and in the afternoon between 4 and 5 pm ^[34].
• It is important not to exercise at a high intensity just before going to sleep ^[35].

Temperature

For our ancestors, mild cold was a sign that night was falling. Warmth or heat, on the other hand, was always associated with the day. Accordingly, the temperature also influences our biorhythm:

• Avoid sleeping in temperatures below 13°C or above 23°C ^[36]
• Soaking, cold water, cold drinks or even a cold shower not only stimulate your morning sleep;not only promote vitality in the morning, but can also help you fall asleep if done in the early evening ^[37]

Nutrition

• don't eat too late. Late meals are digested poorly and disrupt not only our bowel function but also our sleep.
• don't eat too much raw food for dinner. Raw food is more difficult to digest and should be avoided in larger quantities, especially by people who have problems with their digestion.
• Fasting ^[38]. Intermittent fasting (16-8 method) has a positive effect on our stress levels and also reduces food-related inflammatory reactions in the body.
• Sleep-promoting foods. Banana, kiwi, pineapple and walnuts have a relatively high proportion of 5-hydroxytryptamine, which is a precursor of our happiness hormone serotonin and therefore also of the sleep hormone melatonin ^[39].

Die schönste Nebensache der Welt…

Sex is also beneficial for a good night's sleep. An orgasm lowers cortisol levels and promotes the release of oxytocin, which in turn helps us to fall asleep better ^[40]. In women, increased estrogen levels after orgasm lead to deeper sleep, whereas in men, increased prolactin levels make them sleepy.

These foods can promote good sleep

Herbs that can be used as an evening tea, for example:

• Valerian
• Lavender
• Melissa
• Passion flower
• Hop flowers

Helpful foods:

• Cashew
• Cocoa
• Raspberries
• Sour cherries

The best tips to help you fall asleep in a nutshell:

• Do not eat too late (until 8:00 pm)
• Avoid screens or use blue light filters 2 hours before going to sleep
• Do not go to bed too early or try to stay in a consistent rhythm
• From late afternoon (15:00) no more caffeine
• Do not take extended naps during the day, maximum 10-20 minutes power napping
• Do not doze off in front of the TV, but rather go straight to bed
• No intensive sport in the late evening (after 20:00)
• Use natural sleep aids such as valerian or hops products
• Consciously wind down in bed – meditation, PMR etc.
• Establish bedtime rituals such as reading, listening to audio books, writing a diary