You can find out here which common mistakes made when sleeping have a negative effect on your health. Often they are easy to fix.
Kassel – There are a variety of reasons why someone does not get enough and restful sleep. For example, it is due to different working hours, such as shift work, ticking clocks in the bedroom, stress or disorder. A small change often helps to get a good night’s sleep again. However, there are also mistakes that many people make without realizing that they affect their sleep.
Good sleep is important. Permanently poor and insufficient sleep has a massive impact on everyday life and health. Just one night of restless sleep is enough to impair concentration and performance. But what happens with permanent sleep deprivation?
Sleep better with the right pillow
Specific side sleeper pillow ( link) enable a comfortable reclining position thanks to the shoulder recesses of their ergonomic butterfly shape. You lie ergonomically and can prevent neck and shoulder pain.
In principle, too little sleep cannot be defined. Everyone has their own limit as to when he or she has too little sleep. Habits, age and genetic predisposition play a role here. Despite this, several studies indicate that a sleep time of seven to eight hours a day is most effective. For some, however, six hours is enough and for others only nine. But none of that is of any use if you don’t get a good night’s sleep. There are typical mistakes that many are not aware of and that can be easily avoided.
Factors that rob you of sleep at a glance:
- A bedroom that is too bright: It is best to darken your bedroom as much as possible.
- The wrong sleeping position: Prone and left lateral positions have a suboptimal effect on sleep quality. In the former sleeping position, the cervical spine is twisted unnaturally, which promotes neck tension and back pain. Its location on the left side of the body is not optimal for people with heart problems and can even damage the largest muscle in the body.
- sports in the evening: From what time it is better to give up training, you can find out in the article: Sport in the evening: From this point on, sleep becomes worse.
- Blue light from cell phone, tablet, TV or laptop use in the evening
- The wrong pillow: A pillow that is too high or too low also has a negative effect on the quality of sleep. It is important that the S-shape of the spine is guaranteed when lying down. The head must be bedded accordingly. This is suitable for side and side tilt sleepers Pillow ACAMAR from Third of Life (promotional link) thanks to its ergonomic butterfly shape.
Common mistakes when sleeping: Why is sleep important for health?
If a sleep deficit lasts for several days or weeks, the consequences are serious. The Apotheken Umschau lists possible symptoms such as irritability, mood swings, perception and personality disorders as well as suicidal thoughts. In addition, muscle tension, breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature, hormones, metabolism and other functions can get confused if the natural rhythm of sleeping and being awake is disturbed over a longer period of time.
The health consequences of lack of sleep at a glance:
- After just one night of restless sleep: Difficulty concentrating, reduced performance
- Several days to weeks: Mood swings, irritability, cognitive and personality disorders and suicidal thoughts
- Other physical consequences: Confusion of muscle tension, breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature, hormones and metabolism
Brightness to late training: sleep errors in detail
One US study published March 2022, shows that light can not only disturb the sleep rhythm, but also has far-reaching health consequences. “The results of this study show that even a single night of moderate room lighting during sleep can impair glucose and cardiovascular regulation, which are risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome,” says Phyllis Zee, study lead author, according to a press release.
Previous studies show that light during the day activates the sympathetic nervous system, leading to increased heart rate and alertness. The results of the study, conducted at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, indicate a similar response when light is present at night. Daniela Grimaldi, co-author of the study from Illinois, USA, explains the results of the study in the release by saying:
Even when you sleep, the autonomic nervous system is activated. This is bad. Normally, heart rate and other cardiovascular parameters are lower at night and higher during the day.
Health depends on the quality of sleep: You should avoid this mistake
The researchers found that subjects who slept with lights on at night developed insulin resistance the next morning. Insulin resistance is when cells in the liver, fat, and muscle don’t respond well to insulin. Normally, the glucose from the blood is used to generate energy – this is then no longer possible. To compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin, which in turn causes blood sugar to rise over time.
In order not to expose yourself to this danger, the expert gives tips on what you can do for your sleep and thus for your health. She recommends leaving no lights on. If you do, the light shouldn’t be too bright. In addition, red to amber-colored light should be used instead of white or blue lighting. Also, this should be as far away from the sleeping person as possible. However, light at night is not the only mistake that leads to poorer sleep.
Harmful: Sleeping on the wrong side can have massive repercussions
The sleeping position also has an impact on a relaxed sleep and can have health consequences, as a study by the doctor John Doulliard showed. Those who sleep on their side are advised not to lie on their right side. There are mutliple reasons for this. First, the stomach and pancreas are on the left side of the body. If you lie on the right side, the stomach presses on the gland and reduces its activity. On the other hand, the aorta also branches off to the left from the heart. When lying on the right side, the heart has to pump “uphill”, so to speak, which is much more strenuous.
There is also another organ that lies on the left side of the body and is therefore reached more quickly when people sleep on the left side. The spleen cleans the blood and thus removes waste products. At the same time, it also has a positive effect on the lymphatic system.
Last but not least, sleeping on the left side also prevents heartburn. According to the study, a person is 50 percent more likely to have heartburn if they sleep on their right side. This is because the esophagus ends on the right side of the stomach. But if you turn to the right while sleeping, you ensure that the chyme flows back there. This causes unpleasant discomfort.
Lying ergonomically correct with special side sleeper pillows
Do you sleep on your side or on your side? Then you should use the right pillow to improve your sleep quality and prevent headaches and neck pain. That Side sleeper pillow ACAMAR from Third of Life ( link) relieves tension and pain in the neck, shoulders and spine.
Sports and mobile phones: These mistakes should be avoided because they are bad for your health
Another typical mistake that can lead to restless sleep is to exercise too late in the evening. Due to the sporting activity, the metabolism runs at full speed and the pulse also increases. That’s why the body needs a little time after exercise to cool down again. If the gap between exercise and going to bed is too short, this can lead to poorer sleep.
The light from mobile phones, tablets, laptops or televisions also causes restless sleep. The blue light from such devices signals activity to our brain and suggests that it is daytime. This mistake can be easily avoided: Instead of picking up your cell phone in the evening, grab a newspaper or a book. (Fee Halberstadt)
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