Become whole Episode 3 is out now.

How are you, really – deep down inside, behind the achievements, the surplus energy, and the polished exterior?

I Become whole Meet doctor and Lucia Care founder Nanna Kirkebjerg and Lucia Care partner Søren Bregendal for conversations about what truly strengthens us – physically, emotionally, and humanly. Do you sometimes think that good sleep only counts if you sleep 8 hours uninterrupted? You're not alone – but perhaps it's precisely that expectation that hinders the sleep you long for.

Sleep is not a linear achievement, but a living rhythm. We actually naturally wake up to 10 times during the night. The problem isn't waking up – it's how we relate to waking up.

Many have learned to measure the quality of sleep by its length and uninterruptedness, but deep sleep—the kind where the body cleanses and rebuilds—comes and goes in waves. It cannot be controlled. It can only be supported.

For example:

• The body's “inner washing machine” is activated in the deepest sleep phases and flushes out accumulated waste products – including the protein that is linked to Alzheimer's in brain scans.
• Relaxation, not tension, is a prerequisite for sinking into these phases. When you try to force yourself to sleep, you tense up – and sabotage exactly what you seek.
• Light movement, daylight, and breaks throughout the day create the physiological drive for sleep (sleep pressure) that the body needs in the evening.
• And if you wake up in the middle of the night? Then it's not dangerous. In fact, it can be helpful to get up, drink some warm tea, meditate briefly, and then lie down again. You simply start the sleep cycle over.

There is no single right way to sleep. There is only what your body needs – and an opportunity to cooperate with it instead of working against it.

Sleep is the body's most profound healer. But it cannot arise where you try to control it.

Listen to the section on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

What would happen if you let go of the idea of perfect sleep – and instead listened to the rhythm of sleep?