A fact check of well-known statements about sleep

How to make your sleep restful, there is a whole range of statements about it, such as that you should go to bed before midnight, because sleep at this time is particularly restful. It is also often recommended to have a glass of alcohol before going to sleep, we will check some well-known statements about sleep and give you the tips that really work to improve your night's rest.

Midday nap is healthy

A siesta is especially common in southern climes, because people need a break at lunchtime to better withstand the high temperatures. In the cold north, this custom has not yet caught on, or a short nap during the day is considered a luxury that many can afford at most on the weekend - or it is completely frowned upon for reasons of performance pressure and is rather seen as an expression of laziness.

However, a short nap at lunchtime is a good idea for several reasons:

Scientific studies indicate that a nap can reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
If you have problems with the time change, short breaks of about 10 minutes can help you to get used to the new day-night rhythm. The internal clock is missing an hour due to the time change. If exhaustion sets in during the day, a short rest break helps.
Neurophysiological studies have shown that a short nap during a break at work not only increases concentration, but that new mental connections occur after sleep that were previously unknown. A midday nap is therefore good for one's ability to think.
A tip from many particularly successful people is to take lots of little power naps throughout the day, especially if you have a whole range of demanding tasks to complete throughout the day, it helps to take a rest or two.

It is important that the rest period at lunchtime corresponds to a period of 10 to 30 minutes. If the sleep phase lasts longer, you enter the deep sleep phase and it can take longer until you are really fit again.

Sleep before 00:00 is the most restful

People who are night owls are often told that it's better to go to bed early because sleep before midnight is better. But is that true?
There is no general answer to the question of whether you sleep best at a certain time. It rather depends on how long and how undisturbed you sleep, the body - especially the brain - needs the deep sleep phases for regeneration.

It is advisable to sleep at night, because it is usually quieter at night and sleep is thus more restful. However, if - for whatever reason - you get to bed at 02:00, you can still have a restful sleep until 09:00 or 10:00, likewise it makes no difference if you sleep from 22:00 to 06:00. However, sleeping during the day is usually not restful, as one is exposed to numerous light and noise stimuli, which make restful sleep rather difficult.

A glass in the evening is good for sleep

A glass of beer or wine helps to fall asleep, this coincides with the experience of many people. Superficially, this is true, because the alcohol calms the central nervous system. Likewise, the stress falls off many people when you can relax with a glass of alcohol and you can find peace sooner.

In fact, the consumption of alcohol is rather contrary to a restful sheep. The body does not really come to rest through alcohol, because the alcohol must be broken down again. Another less positive aspect is that alcohol causes the tongue and throat muscles to slacken, which can lead to snoring or even intermittent breathing. In this respect, alcohol should rather be avoided before falling asleep.

Not getting enough sleep - can you catch up?

In the last night still until 03:00 finished a presentation, which should be held the next morning at 08:00? So or so it has happened to each of us at some point, can you catch up on this sleep?

In general, it can be assumed that sleep cannot be made up, especially when day-to-day obligations ensure that sleep deprivation occurs, such as workloads or caring for children.

In general, it should be noted that it is never good to do without sleep, because the next day your concentration suffers, the lack of sleep literally gets on your nerves, you are annoyed, etc.

Those who permanently get too little sleep should rather think about changing their lifestyle habits, such as reducing their workload if possible or refraining from working late in the evening.