Good sleep
Zzz – We can't live without sleep
A good night's sleep is so important for our health. We shed some light on how sleep problems affect stress and vice versa.
In the old days, long before electricity existed, people went to bed when the sun went down. They slept and often woke up in the middle of the night, where they talked to each other, made love, prayed, and reflected on the course of life. Then they fell asleep again and slept until the sun rose.
Sleep stages
💤 A sleep cycle has different stages: Light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep. From light sleep, we transition into deep sleep, which is followed by a short period of REM sleep. From here, sleep becomes light again.
💤 The first period of REM sleep is short. As the night progresses, you will have longer phases of REM sleep and less deep sleep. The first part of the night is when deep sleep is active and crucial for your recovery. This is when the brain flushes out what it doesn't need, and the immune system forms new cells. Deep sleep is reduced by stress and if you go to bed too late. The hours between 10 PM and midnight are important.
💤 A full sleep cycle lasts 90-110 minutes. You should ideally have five sleep cycles. Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Women often need a little more, as gender differences can play a role.
💤 Too little sleep affects dream sleep. When we dream, our subconscious mind processes our emotional life. Therefore, some people may become irritable with a pronounced tendency toward bad moods or anger if they sleep too little.
What is chronic insomnia?
Over 600,000 Danes suffer from chronic sleep problems. Chronic sleep difficulties are characterized by having trouble falling asleep or waking up after more than 30 minutes for more than three days a week, for a period of over three months.
Most people experience short-term sleep problems due to temporary stress, overload, worries, grief, or similar issues. This is not dangerous, but a reminder that the system is overloaded.
Follow your inner clock and sleep better
Inside your brain, there's a small clock that tells your body when it's time for bed and time to wake up, eat, and be active before relaxing again. Biologically, our cycles are controlled by two factors: sleep pressure and circadian rhythm, which together regulate the depth and duration of sleep.
Sleep pressure helps the body maintain a balance between the right amount of sleep and wakefulness over time. Sleep pressure increases the longer you have been awake. It is influenced by, among other things, how well we slept the night before and how physically active we are. 16 hours of wakefulness and an active lifestyle create good sleep pressure.
The circadian rhythm and the body's rhythms are controlled by a collection of nerve cells in the brain called the internal clock. A number of signaling substances and hormones are responsible for whether we feel awake, and others, such as melatonin, influence us becoming sleepy.
The Natural Sleep Cycle
Darkness activates the production of melatonin, which is the body's sleep hormone, helping us feel tired and fall asleep. Melatonin levels are highest at night and lowest during the day. It's important to get daylight in the morning to stop melatonin production.
As we use energy throughout the day, the neurotransmitter adenosine accumulates in the brain. Adenosine helps to increase sleep pressure, making us more and more tired. It is important that adenosine is excreted from the brain – and this happens during a good and sufficient night's sleep, so that we feel well-rested in the morning. If we don't get enough sleep, we accumulate adenosine in the brain, and we feel tired and sluggish.
What happens when we sleep?
- Sleep is just as important for our health and well-being as a healthy diet and exercise. Sleep regulates important biological processes in our body.
- The brain sorts and processes the day's information while we sleep. This strengthens long-term memory, learning ability, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
- Our mood and emotional lives are balanced during sleep. We meet the world with a more positive mind and become better at accommodating others.
- During sleep, a cleansing takes place where harmful waste products from the body and brain are removed. During deep sleep, the brain flushes out, among other things, toxic proteins that play a role in the development of Alzheimer's and dementia.
- The immune system is strengthened, and your body works to regenerate muscles, organs, and cells.
What does sleep mean for the skin?
Lack of sleep causes wrinkles and sagging skin: Poor sleep reduces the skin's ability to both regenerate and produce collagen, which keeps the skin smooth and supple. That is why lack of sleep causes the skin to age more quickly.
Our skin doesn't heal well when we don't get enough sleep: During deep sleep, growth hormones help repair damaged skin cells. Free radicals are destroyed, and skin damage caused by pollution and UV rays is repaired. Without sufficient sleep, the skin does not heal optimally and is therefore extra vulnerable to damage and stressors such as sun, pollution, and bacteria.
Sleep deprivation can cause dull and blemished skin: Insufficient sleep increases the tendency for inflammation. It can make the skin red, blemished, or irritated and more sensitive to allergic reactions. Blood circulation also becomes less effective. Sleep deprivation thus leads to lower blood oxygenation, which can make the skin appear blotchy, pigmented, and grayish.
The skin is part of the immune system: The skin is the body's largest organ, protecting us from impacts and external factors such as bacteria. Poor sleep weakens the body's immune system and impairs the skin's protective barrier function.
Sleep and stress are closely related
”Sleep problems and racing thoughts often go hand in hand. It is important for a good night's sleep to be able to set boundaries, meaning to clear your head of thoughts before you go to sleep. You can do this by anchoring yourself well into your body in the evening with, for example, yoga nidra or a warm foot bath.”
Nanna Kirkebjerg, Doctor and Founder
Decidedly, stress can lead to sleep difficulties and poor sleep quality, while insufficient sleep over a longer period can increase stress levels. Worrying thoughts, racing thoughts, or anxiety put your brain and body into overdrive, resulting in the production of sleep-disrupting hormones like dopamine and cortisol.
It's a vicious cycle that can have serious implications for both physical and mental health. Understanding the connection between stress and sleep is the first step to breaking this frustrating spiral.
How do I break a negative spiral?
When we experience a threat – physical or psychological, real or imagined – the body's hormonal stress response is triggered, leading to, among other things, the release of stress hormones. A healthy stress response involves a rapid increase in stress hormones, which enables us to fight or flee from a real and present danger, followed by a rapid decrease in stress hormones when the incident is over. The same biological system that controls the hormonal stress response plays an important role in regulating our circadian rhythm.
Our psychological processes and mental health are crucial for sleep to function. You can consciously work to create a healthier circadian rhythm and a relaxing evening routine that pulls you away from your thoughts and grounds you in your body. This way, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps you achieve better rest and recovery. The Cognitive Diamond can help you gain clarity on the connection between our thoughts, emotions, behavior, and body.
Print “Tips for good sleep” (pdf) and place it on your nightstand. That way, you'll always have sleep tips at hand – and no screen emitting blue light in the dark.
Are you having trouble sleeping? Take a shortcut to better sleep with our yoga nidra.
