It depends on the individual, but on average you need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night to feel good. How can you best maintain good quality sleep? Here is advice from Dr Liath Guetta, pulmonologist and sleep doctor.
Sleep is essential to our good health, both physical and mental. So how can we preserve it? There are some simple tips to put in place to get a restful night’s sleep once night falls.
Stop screens from 9:30 p.m.
When the subject of sleep is mentioned to Dr. Guetta, the first thing that comes to mind is screens. “I’ll start with this because it’s difficult to get across. But it’s imperative to stop consuming screens after 9:30 p.m. in the evening. You can watch TV or any screen located more than two meters from you. So no tablets , smartphone or computer in the evening” insists the specialist.
In fact, screens disrupt sleep due to the blue light they emit. And there is no need to put forward the argument for wearing filter glasses, because they only filter “30%” of the blue light which disrupts sleep, according to Liath Guetta.
Favor a calm activity
Once the screens are turned off, what should I do? “Favor a calm activity” recommends Dr. Guetta. “This could be listening to a podcast or a story. The advantage of immersing yourself in this type of listening allows the brain, by projecting itself into the story, to disconnect, a bit like in self-hypnosis.“explains the expert.”We sit in our living room, relax and listen… But be careful, you never go to bed if you don’t sleep.”.
We postpone sleep time and go to sleep when we feel tired
Sometimes to ease our conscience, we tell ourselves that we are going to bed early. “By going to bed when you don’t want to, you tell yourself you’re doing well, but it doesn’t work. We will keep tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.” believes Dr Guetta. “On the contrary, we must postpone the moment of sleep, until we feel tired and go to sleep at that time”.
In the same way, you don’t stay in bed if you wake up in the middle of the night. “The bed is for sleeping, if you are awake, you go to your living room, you turn on your podcast and you wait until you feel like sleeping again, to go back to bed.”. And we especially don’t delay waking up in the morning, so as not to shift our sleep schedule.
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Limit coffee, alcohol and stimulants
When it comes to food and drinks, it is also possible to act. “Regarding caffeine, we limit ourselves to three coffees per day, the last at 3 p.m. latest. We also measure our consumption of alcohol and tobacco, which harm sleep.“recommends the specialist. And for the evening meal, plan to eat early.”You must go to bed on an empty stomach, that is to say at least two hours after eating, to avoid any feeling of heaviness which would disrupt sleep. she concludes.
