We spend one third of our lives asleep. This suggests that sleep is just as important to us humans as food, drink, safety and attention. Interestingly, despite all the advances in sleep medicine, there is still no clear answer to the question of why we sleep at all or what exactly sleep actually is.

The manual for healthy sleep

Basics

Effects of sleep

In the meantime, researchers and physicians have discovered that various areas of the brain as well as neurotransmitters or biochemical substances are involved in the initiation and maintenance of sleep. And also that sleeping is of central importance for relaxation and recuperation, so that our body functions are permanently maintained. During sleep, for example, the immune system is activated, metabolic products and damaged cells are broken down, toxins are eliminated and muscles are regenerated. In addition, wounds heal, skin and hair grow back, the brain processes the day’s experiences, our memory is expanded and our psyche recovers.

We sleep to stay healthy

If you deprive rodents of sleep for a month, they die. If we are deprived of our sleep for only a short time, we do not die, but we act in a clearly “subdued” manner the following day: we are less active, less alert, less efficient.

Every person has their own individual, healthy sleep needs. If we do not give in to this to the full extent, even the repeated loss of half an hour of sleep can grow over time into a considerable sleep deficit. Among many other factors, the invention of electric light, for example, has contributed to many people carrying around a significant sleep deficit.

The lack of sleep, also called sleep debt, leads to increased fatigue during the day and can have serious consequences: Traffic accidents are increasingly happening due to such a sleep deficit – caused by fatigue, reduced reaction time or suddenly falling asleep.

The manual for healthy sleep

Why good sleep is so important
What you should pay attention to in order to sleep well
How you can improve your sleep with supplements
Possible reasons for poor sleep
The Challenges

initiation

Healthy sleep is one of the most important factors to lead a full, balanced and healthy life. Sleeping well is our only naturally healthy way to prepare for our everyday challenges. It is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle, especially in a world where constant input, stress and distractions rule our daily lives. Without quality sheep, body and mind can not work and develop ideally, mostly our general condition worsens with lack of sleep.

Being constantly mentally present and working effectively during the day is an enormously high aspiration that most of us strive for, but which can only be achieved if we can start the day well rested and full of energy.

In this manual, you’ll learn how to achieve high quality sleep and the fundamental changes that need to be managed in the process. Try it out, follow all the guidelines for 30 days and watch your life fundamentally improve!

Why good sleep is so important

The body needs sleep to start a variety of processes that maintain our body and are enormously important for our mind and our health.

These include:

The detoxification of the body
The renewal and optimization of our cells
The wound healing
The release of growth hormones
During sleep, testosterone is released – a messenger that boosts libido and fat burning, and promotes muscle growth.
The regeneration and purification of organs
The mental processing of things experienced during the day

To do this, our brain uses sleep to organize, categorize, and store memories and what we have learned

What you can do to sleep well

Go to bed early ! Preferably already around 22.00 o’clock, so you wake up without alarm clock between 6.00 and 8.00 o’clock
Sleep in complete darkness, there should be no light sources, such as street lights or illuminated screens, to disturb you
Check the quality of your bed and mattress, often for example heavier people need a harder mattress
Make sure you have good ventilation, open a window before sleeping!
Make sure to keep your premises free from mold
Try not to exercise three hours before going to bed
Stop using smartphones or laptops two hours before sleeping
Go to bed full and satisfied, your body needs energy to fully regenerate during the night.
Take a hot bath or shower in the evening to come down and relax.
You should be consistent with your sleep habits so that your Circadian Rhythms can work with you and not against you. Always go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time. Especially on weekends this is important, because sleeping late then destroys your sleep rhythm and ensures that the following days, especially Monday can become a horror. One feels listless and tired, depressive moods can occur and energy levels are very low. Rarely is the reason work or efforts of everyday life, but the lack of sleep and usually poor nutrition on the weekend.

More natural methods for good sleep

A warm shower in the evening can work wonders!
Regular workouts challenge and tire your body and mind!
Power yourself up!
Get out in the fresh air and soak up some sunlight!
Your body needs light and air to produce melatonin!
Make sure you eat a balanced and rich diet.
You should also be careful to consume coffee, tea and other stimulants in moderation. These drinks promote the release of cortisol and adrenaline.

Other reasons for poor sleep

Blue light is emitted by screens, i.e. our smartphones, laptops and tablets. This radiation increases our cortisol levels, which makes it difficult to fall asleep and decreases sleep quality.

If you can’t switch off mentally and are constantly thinking about work, social media or stressful situations, it’s hard to sleep in a relaxed way.

Often, a disturbing background noise also prevents falling asleep and staying asleep. This is where earplugs help.

Especially in the morning, it is important to expose yourself to enough sunlight to increase melatonin levels.

Cortisol

Cortisol is the enemy of deep and restful sleep, so it is very important to consistently lower elevated cortisol levels. It is a stress hormone. In small amounts, our bodies do benefit from it, but permanently elevated cortisol levels lower the levels of all other hormones. Cortisol release can be stimulated by many different things. This includes work, sports, communication, food, stress and everyday tasks. Cortisol is an important hormone, unfortunately our natural cortisol levels are often skewed by an unhealthy lifestyle. This results in constantly elevated cortisol levels, which can be associated with numerous problems. These include higher body fat levels, restlessness, and sleep problems that can cause serious health problems. You can easily test your cortisol levels with a Cera test. You can either get the test through Amazon or have it done by your primary care physician.

How you can improve your sleep quality with supplements

If you have already followed all the previously mentioned points and still have problems sleeping well, the following supplements may help you. There are still some tips and tricks to achieve restful sleep.

Take magnesium of high quality and bioavailability before sleeping, especially magnesium bisglycinate, citrate or aspartate are suitable for this purpose. You should not use magnesium oxides, they only help on the toilet 😉

Take inositol to slow down and relax in the evening. Inositol helps your brain make neurotransmitters and keep them in balance.

The same goes for taurine, it will improve your sleep.

If you continue to have severe sleep problems, liposomal melatonin spray can help you, this provides deep sleep.

In your diet, make sure to include carbohydrates for dinner. They promote the release of serotonin, a hormone that makes you feel good, relaxes you and optimally prepares you for sleep.

Any type of supplementation should be done cautiously and in consultation with a physician. This is not a recommendation but merely a list of active ingredients that can potentially improve sleep. The individual impact may vary from person to person.

Index

Cortisol curve:
Cortisol levels should be high after rising and slowly decrease throughout the day.

Circadian rhythm:
This rhythm is a 24-hour cycle of physiological processes found in humans, animals, plants, fungi, and cyanobacteria. In principle, the circadian rhythm is genetically determined, but it can still be altered by external influences such as sunlight and temperature.

Inositol:
This carbohydrate helps to slow down and come down. In combination with high quality magnesium it helps to fall asleep.

Melatonin and cortisol:
These two substances are two counterparts. If one value is high, the other is low. To achieve optimal sleep quality, we need low levels of cortisol and high levels of melatonin in the evening.