Many people have trouble falling asleep or wake up constantly at night. A doctor reveals six tricks on YouTube – for example, to go without a cell phone and coffee.
To be well rested all day long, full of energy and motivated – everyone should wish for that. The reality is different: Many people drag themselves through their everyday lives tired, exhausted and in a bad mood. The doctor Ali Abdaal promises exactly that on his YouTube channel. “Why I’m never tired” is the title of one of his videos there.
Abdaal explains the way to a good sleep in six steps – because there is no point in going to bed early if you lie awake for a long time or wake up again and again in between. One of his most important techniques: he has given up taking his smartphone to bed with him. The cell phone is now at the other end of the room. At most, an e-reader with a warmer light setting can be placed on the bedside table. Above all, the blue light emitted by the smartphone screen prevents the release of the sleep hormone melatonin.
Better sleep thanks to a real alarm clock next to the bed
In order to get up on time in the morning, Abdaal has bought a real, old-fashioned alarm clock instead of the alarm function of the smartphone. The annoying noise forces him to get up and turn off the alarm clock, the Youtuber observed. The smartphone alarm is also annoying, but it can be easily turned off with a voice command.
Abdaal’s third tip is aimed primarily at all coffee drinkers: no coffee after 2 p.m. – or more precisely: no caffeine. This also includes cola, for example. “Caffeine stays in our blood forever, and even if we think we are now immune to the effects – we are not,” he says. Logical: Those who drink coffee in the morning to wake up need not be surprised if the caffeine has the same effect in the afternoon or evening.
Abdaal has also invested in black, opaque curtains. When it comes to your own sleep, these products are the best value for money, he says. They ensure that the room in which one sleeps is largely darkened and thereby improve the quality of sleep.
A military trick helps
Another important factor is the room temperature. For this Abdaal refers to the bestseller “The Big Book of Sleep” by Matthew Walker, director of the Berkeley University Sleep Laboratory. Good sleep helps prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer, according to Walker. The neuropsychologist recommends a bedroom temperature of 19 degrees.
Finally, another insider tip from Ali Abdaal: He practices one. This should make it possible to fall asleep deeply and soundly within just two minutes. The trick: you try to relax all muscles one after the other – first in the face, then in the legs, then in the rest of the body. “Every time I want to fall asleep, I do it – and most of the time it works,” says Abdaal.
