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How well we sleep now stands and falls with our body temperature—or, more precisely, our core temperature. The body usually lowers this by one to two degrees in the evening, making you want to crawl into bed. It rises again towards the morning and prepares us to be awake and alert. The lowest temperature is reached around two o’clock in the morning. So it has to be cool for us to get into sleep mode. The optimum sleeping temperature for adults ranges from 16°C to 18°C to maintain our optimum “sleeping temperature.” Not so easy at the moment!
Sleeping in the heat: here’s how
The easiest way to achieve these temperatures in summer is air conditioning. But if you don’t even dare to dream about it, there are a few tricks and hacks to help you. “Without air conditioning at home,” reveals Dr. Jasmin Kechvar, a neurologist specializing in sleep, ”it’s important to ventilate for long periods from late evening until the morning. During the day, rooms should be darkened, for example, with shutters. Bed linen, mattresses, and sleepwear help to regulate our body temperature. Make sure you use natural, breathable materials. If necessary, a contrast shower or at least a cold leg shower can also help!”
“Highly recommended”
If our body temperature cannot drop at night, we sleep restlessly, do not sleep long enough, and sweat. The health consequences include daytime tiredness, loss of concentration and performance, and emotional instability. Furthermore, neurological complaints, such as pain, can become worse. Lastly, our cardiovascular system also suffers from long-term poor sleep. Increased blood pressure or dizziness are possible. In general, cardiovascular risk can increase without healthy sleep.
“In addition to the temperature,” says the expert, ”light and darkness also influence our sleep. If we use light correctly, it can help us to fall asleep more quickly in the challenging summer months. It influences the hormones that regulate our sleep. We get up more easily in the morning when it is bright and sunny. Conversely, light that is too bright can signal to the brain that it is still daytime, which disrupts the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Similar to sunsets, warm light colors signal the body that bedtime is approaching. Bright, direct light should be avoided in the evening.”
Banana trick & bean hack
According to the Viennese doctor, sport and nutrition are other factors in a good sleep rhythm: “It’s all about the right timing. Strenuous sports such as running or intensive workouts should be finished at least 60-90 minutes before bed. Light activities such as a walk, yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises are ideal for deep relaxation and activating our resting nerve before going to bed.”
The last meal should be planned at least two to four hours before bed. Tip: Bananas have a sleep-promoting effect as they contain a lot of the “relaxation mineral” magnesium, as do plant-based foods such as cashew nuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, and mung beans. Vitamin B6 levels should also be sufficiently high. This vitamin can be found in meat, oily fish, wholegrain products, potatoes, and green vegetables. However, too much garlic and chili can negatively affect sleep quality. The same applies to alcohol, as this increases the stress hormone cortisol, which in turn can lead to sleep disorders and nightmares.
Is none of this helping?
Then off to the doctor! Dr. Kechvar: “If brooding, circling thoughts or anxiety prevent you from falling asleep or if you are listless and exhausted in the morning despite getting enough sleep, this may indicate a depressive disorder. Experience pain or tingling in your legs at night or are physically and mentally exhausted despite getting enough sleep. There may be a neurological disorder behind it, which you should have checked out by a neurology/psychiatry specialist as soon as possible.” Don’t forget: Good sleep not only keeps us healthy but is also—keyword: cell regeneration—our ultimate beauty elixir.
- source: madonna.at/picture:
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