Healthy sleep: how it works
Those who want to optimise their health cannot ignore sleep. Awareness of the importance of a good night’s sleep has increased – yet one in three people in Switzerland sleep badly. Learn here how to do it differently!
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We spend a third of our lives asleep, and yet the functions of sleep are still relatively unknown. What research does know, however: while we sleep, the body is working for our health. It regenerates cells, strengthens our immune system, regulates our hormone balance and processes the information of the day.
Our brains declutter when we sleep
While we sleep, our brain remains active. On the one hand, the brain works on our neuroplasticity. This involves the adaptability and changeability of our synapses, nerve cells or entire areas of the brain. Neuroplasticity is the basis for all learning. Every day, countless nerve cells connect. At night, the brain cleans out the connections that we no longer need in order to create new capacity in our control centre. This means that the synapses we need are retained and strengthened, important things are anchored in our memory and unimportant things are discarded. This decluttering process takes place in particular during deep sleep. On the other hand, the brain also removes harmful metabolic products during sleep. These occur during the day when the brain is active. When our sleep is disturbed, this important cleansing process is hindered.
Sleep influences practically all processes in the body
While we sleep - but especially during deep sleep - the body regulates countless processes that are central to our health. First and foremost, our body’s cells regenerate. Our hormonal balance also regulates itself. This has a direct influence on our metabolism – i.e. how we metabolise food, how we feel and how well our immune system is able to defend itself. For example, insufficient sleep can lead to obesity, mood swings or immune deficiency. Sleep also strengthens our cognitive abilities, memory and ability to concentrate.
Sleep is important for our mental well-being
Sleep and mental health are closely intertwined. Let’s take a closer look at the interplay between the two: A few bad nights or phases of poor sleep are completely normal in our lives. But if these phases continue, they can have consequences for our mental health. So it’s important that those affected seek help at an early stage – because sleep problems can become chronic relatively quickly and are then all the more difficult to get rid of. Sleep experts speak of a chronic sleep disorder or insomnia if a person has difficulty falling asleep, sleeping through the night or doesn’t sleep enough at least three times a week over a period of one month.
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. Sleep apnoea is also very common. In this case, those affected stop breathing repeatedly during sleep, which greatly disturbs their sleep. Many sufferers are not aware of this, says sleep expert Björn Rasch. This makes it all the more important to consult a doctor if you have been sleeping badly for several weeks. Unlike insomnia, sleep apnoea can be remedied quite easily with a breathing aid.
Both insomnia and sleep apnoea make those affected more prone to risk-taking, irritability and lack of concentration. What’s more, they can trigger anxiety disorders, depression or addictions and impair memory. This is illustrated by the fact that mentally healthy people with severe chronic sleep disorders run around twice the risk of developing depression five to ten years later. Even people with sleep disorders who have recovered from depression run a higher risk of falling ill again.
“Our sleep is like a barometer that reveals our mental health.”
If you can’t sleep, you should consider your mental well-being
And our sleep suffers if we feel imbalanced and stressed or facing a crisis. “Our sleep is like a barometer that reveals our mental health,” says Rasch. We’re aware of this in acute crises – but less so in everyday stressful situations. We should therefore ask ourselves what stresses us out during the day; for example, where the pressure of expectations on ourselves is too high or professional and social obligations are too much. “That’s where we can start to feel better – and therefore sleep better again,” says Rasch.
The fact that the mind is our most powerful tool for getting good sleep is also proven by the success of psychotherapy for people with chronic sleep disorders. “Psychotherapy has now become the standard treatment for insomnia – and it has a positive, lasting effect,” says Rasch.
Sleep patterns, sleep phases etc. – you should be familiar with these myths about sleep
Only those who don’t wake up at night have a healthy sleep. Counting sheep helps you fall asleep. Or eight hours of sleep is perfect. There are many myths surrounding our sleep. We’ve taken a closer look at six of them:
Sleep deficiency: if you don’t sleep well, you should go to bed earlier
Sleep phases: sleep before midnight is the most beneficial
Optimal sleep duration I: We need at least eight hours of sleep
Optimal sleep duration II: Too little sleep has a negative impact on our lifespan
The sleep hormone melatonin: Mobile phone use before bedtime makes it difficult to fall asleep
Disruptive factors: the full moon makes sleep more difficult
Stay calm
The right sleep rhythm: less becomes more
Optimal sleep duration: Adapt your sleep window and go to sleep at regular times
Create more relaxation during the day to sleep better at night
About the expert
Björn Rasch is a Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Fribourg. He heads the Cognitive Biopsychology and Methods department there and also conducts basic research into sleep. In his book “Sleep: Simply Explained”, which was published in 2021, Rasch considers a wide range of sleep problems and sleep disorders and explains what those affected can do about them.