Book Review: The Big Book of sleep (Matthew Walker)

An example: Reading the evening pout on her iPad still Ründchen, get only about half of melatonin from which they get when they instead a traditional book had read (well that our sleep spray from our CBD Shop at least we have here is a simple solution ready for you). It can be then at least a good practical tip derived

! Smartphones and other devices offer here now often factory the ability to filter blue light selectively.

Practice Tip # 1a: At night should be constant dark your bedroom .

Even with alcohol is settled, because alcohol is bad for our sleep. And even equal in some respects, because alcohol

• Fragmented our sleep, so let us just wake up again and again; the result is that we feel far from recovering the morning so how we could do it.
• Regarded as the most effective means known to suppress REM sleep (and if you have skipped the part about REM should: Suppression of REM sleep = not good!)

  The council on alcohol and sleeping can therefore only be a radical:

  Practice Tip # 2: Alcohol omit! Completely. And caffeine better too.

  Well, that might have been for one or the other a bombshell. And you hire with the wise advice of what's left anyway you. A other screw there is in any case still: temperature . Walker is one of the most underrated factors that can contribute to good sleep quality and sufficient sleep time.

  Practice Tip # 3: Your bedroom should be pretty cool (about 18.5 ° C)

  Fun Fact: Taking the above makes you look even advantage if you take before bedtime even a hot bath (best course with ner ordinary bath bomb!). The warm wet causes your blood vessels dilate. Makes sense as long as one is in hot water - you but then gets out of the tub, so the body heat quickly transported to the outside, the core body temperature decreases and we can sleep better.

  Practice Tip # 3: If you want to make it easy for you, take a hot bath before bed !

  Is it all too complicated to you? Then you could ask you ...

  What about sleeping pills?

  Anyone who had ever seriously involved with tangible sleep disorders, will certainly have drawn at least once before considering to make his life with sleeping pills easier. Walker does not recommend urgently. After all, he argues, none of the known drugs produces a state that has much in common with natural sleep. In addition, taking sleeping pills is actually also associated with a higher mortality associated. So there are studies in which to die, the probability even during the study for users of hypnotics up was five times higher than the refrain for participants to such means.

  But you have no reason to be desperate, because you are left with many options.

  What can I do instead?

  but will not take sleeping pills Anyone who suffers from insomnia, may or may not, can get help in other ways. For example, with cognitive behavioral therapy. An attempt is made with customized techniques to break bad sleep habits and eliminate fears that prevent you from sleeping.

  The part already mentioned classic of sleep hygiene are trained here:

  • avoiding alcohol and caffeine
  • A screen free bedroom
  • The right sleeping temperature
  • Fixed times for going to bed and getting up (yes, even on weekends!)
  • Only go to bed when you're really tired
  • If possible, avoid wegzudösen on the couch early in the evening
  • Never awake for extended periods in bed ying
  • If you can not sleep at night, should avoid daytime naps
  • anxiety-inducing thoughts should be avoided
  • Visible clocks in the bedroom should be avoided so that the night did not lead to even more stress

    Also, for those of us who do not really suffer from insomnia, but still want to do something for their sleep hygiene, there are a number of practical tips. This assumes Walker of 'National Institute of Health' - his example below we put you the list here in the Appendix

    .

    One of the twelve rules underlines Walker as perhaps the most important and most effective of all the most:

    Always go at the same time to bed and get up :;:
    Practice Tip # 4.

    Cool. So it should so really most successful to make their way into dreamland somehow. Speaking of ...

    What about dreams?

    Here as an intro paragraph one of Walker's book:

    "Last night they were tremendously psychotic. And tonight it will be like that again. [...] First, you have seen the previous night in a dream things that there were not - you have hallucinations. Second, you have believed things that could not be true - you have delusions. Third, you were about time, place and personality in any doubt - they were disoriented. Fourth, they experienced extreme mood swings - in psychiatry it is called an affective lability. Fifth (and that's the beauty!) They had this bizarre dream experiences this morning largely or even completely forgotten about when you wake up and - you were suffering from amnesia. Would be established in the waking state of these symptoms, you would immediately consult a psychologist. "

    Ok, of course, begs the question: why bother? The short version: you do not know. However, there are now some explanations.

    The night therapy session

    dreaming occurs during REM sleep instead, so the sleep phase in which to move our eyes (REM = rapid eye movement). The time that we spend with REM sleep is the only time of the day, there is no norepinephrine is in our brains - norepinephrine is closely related to adrenaline and both are considered stress hormones. Not that stress would be generally bad, on the contrary, sometimes we need it, because stress responses are preparing our bodies for. B. dangers before. In sleep, however, such situations are rare. Therefore, we are in this time for once completely fearless -. At least from hormonal view

    In addition, it seems as if in the REM be some kind of update some of our brain regions. This applies especially to the regions where the meaning is decoded by emotional signals. Last but not least individual memories are fused together in an abstract way - so new, complex structures can arise

    .

    The future of sleep

    In the end, Walker still dare a little wider view of society. Whether I enough REM sleep get, he says, will decide whether I think rationally and act or end as a big fat crazy booty.

    If we, the logical conclusion, which means nothing else than that rethinking must take place: school and working hours, especially from the notoriously sleep-deprived staff in hospitals and factories that work in shifts, have to adapt to the real needs of the people - not vice versa

    . , Two things happen

    For this need, so Walker: First, it must understand why the problem is the bad and keeps so stubbornly to short sleep and even worse. In the next step a model would have to develop that real change at the various screws are made possible. In short, there is much to do!

    So then ends this extensive work, the great book of sleep. A standard work, which is establishing itself in the academic setting as such, Walker is thus probably not succeed; but there is then too many factual uncertainties, generalizations and sometimes a bit too drastic representations. Still, as an antidote for chronically asleep society like ours, like it just be what is needed - one (attention pun!) Wake-up call to all those who still believe that sleep keeps us in the first place of meaningful activities and therefore should be kept as short as possible.

    the book can be

    Recommended to all those who want to deal intensively with the topic of sleep, without wallowing be identical scientific papers. The manner in which it manages Walker helps illustrate the partially quite complex relationships easily.

    So overall a thoroughly worthwhile book -. Because of one or another scientific "uncertainty" but with deductions in the B-Note

    And now, as promised, to conclude with the ...

    Bonus: 12 tips on sleep hygiene

    • Stick to a sleep schedule
    • movement is great, but not too late in the day. Attempts minutes to exercise at least thirty on most days, but not later than two to three hours before bedtime.
    • Avoid caffeine and nicotine.
    • Avoid alcoholic beverages, especially before bedtime.
    • Avoid large meals and drinks, especially late at night.
    • Avoid, if possible medications that your sleep delay or interfere.
    • No nap after 15 o'clock.
    • Relax before bedtime. Verplane your not that day that there is no time to relax. A relaxing activity, such as reading or listening to music, should be part of your ritual before bedtime.
    • Take before bed a hot bath.
    • Dark bedroom, cool bedrooms, gadget-free bedroom!
    • Sit proper sunlight. Daylight is key to regulating daily sleep behavior. At least thirty minutes abzubekommen try every day of natural sunlight. Guard if possible with the sun, or use very bright lights in the morning.
    • Do not stay awake in bed.
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