“Bad sleep costs up to 5 years of life”: 5 tips for a good night

Being well rested is without a doubt a good feeling. The body needs sleep to regenerate, gain new strength and “charge the battery”. Unless your name is Elon Musk, who supposedly gets through the day rested and productive with just 6 hours of sleep, experts consider 8 hours of sleep to be ideal for adults.

• Also read: What we can learn from professional athletes: 8 tips for better sleep

Good sheep is also essential for health. A study from the University of South Florida found that people who suffer from sleep disorders are more likely to have heart problems. Poor sleep can also be proven to be a cause of depression – the Max Planck Society, for example, is researching this topic.

According to another study, at least 30 percent of the population suffers from sleep disorders. “Current studies show that sleeping too short and going to bed too irregularly actually cost years of life” – namely between 2 and 5 years, says psychologist Manuel Schabus, head of the Laboratory for Sleep and Consciousness Research at the University of Salzburg. In the workplace, poor sleep reduces productivity, and there are more sick days and accidents. Only around 15 percent of those affected would seek professional help, says Schabus.

You sleep a third of your life

How to get as much rest as possible at night is something that should concern everyone at least once in their life. On average, people spend no less than a third of their life sleeping. Unless your name is Elon Musk.

Parents already worry about their babies getting enough and good sleep. Hardly anyone who accompanies children as they grow up is not familiar with the extra trips with the stroller or even the car to gently rock the little ones to sleep. Engine noise as white noise. And the parents’ sleep is inextricably linked to that of their offspring. Children worsen their parents’ sleep quality for up to 6 years, according to several studies.

• You might also be interested in: This is how we escape the winter blues

Here’s what you can do to sleep better

As long as there are no health conditions that affect sleep, researchers agree on the following points when it comes to good sleep quality.

• No media use before bed: Regardless of whether you quickly check your emails or scroll through the feed on social media, the quality of your sleep is affected. Even better: banish all technical devices from the bedroom.
• No alcohol or other stimulants in the evening: Even if you feel like you can fall asleep better after a glass or two of beer, appearances are deceiving. Studies show that sleep is “shallower” then. The deep sleep phases are shorter and you wake up more often.
• Lots of exercise during the day, no extreme sports before bed: A study found that moderate strength training and stretching exercises have the most sleep-promoting effects. Subjects who participated in moderate aerobic exercise also reported less time to fall asleep, fewer nighttime awakenings, longer sleep duration, higher sleep efficiency and less general restlessness.
• Constant sleep rhythm and fixed bedtime: Anyone who has children knows that a consistent daily rhythm (with exceptions) helps enormously. If bedtime is overlooked, it can sometimes end in exhausting and long evenings. It’s not that different for adults. A fixed bedtime helps the body to switch off more quickly.
• Enough sleep per night, but not too much: Studies show that those who don’t sleep enough perform less during the day. However, one is often not aware of this. Because you can get used to too little sleep. Many studies show that most people need 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Anyone who can work with concentration during the day while sitting for long periods of time without becoming sleepy has found their personal sleep quota.

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