Do you have trouble falling asleep at night? Do you experience frequent nighttime awakenings? Imagine that one in six French people also suffer this unpleasant experience every time they go to bed. The plausible causes? It could be an overheated bedroom, an unsuitable evening diet, outside noise, or even inadequate bedding. However, lack of sleep is not without consequences for our health and daily performance. It undeniably conditions our lives! That's why fine-tuning our sleep hygiene should never be underestimated. To take care of our sleep, the best secret is to create an optimal sleeping environment! Fall into the arms of Morpheus more easily thanks to our few practical tips to avoid insomnia!
Why is it so important to sleep well?
Sleep contributes to the regeneration of our body's cells . It plays an important role in consolidating our memory (post-learning). Among other things, it allows us to naturally get rid of toxins, strengthen our memory capacity and bring strength and vitality to our body ... As you will have understood, sleep is a vital need like hunger, thirst, breathing or even sexuality.
What are the factors that disrupt sleep?
Although sleep is a vital need for our well-being, it is an element that is often "neglected." Indeed, certain disruptive elements are at the origin of sleep disorders , thus preventing the secretion of melatonin. Whether internal or environmental, these disruptive factors can harm our sleep. Overview of these elements that are harmful to our sleep.
- Light : whether natural, artificial or blue, it invites us to stay awake
- Electromagnetic waves : these are generated by cell phones, television, Wi-Fi networks, etc. An invisible nuisance, certainly, but which affects our sleep and the production of melatonin.
- Changing bedtimes: Most people are unable to maintain a regular bedtime routine, which is a plausible cause of their difficulty falling asleep.
- An incorrect circadian rhythm: A person suffering from a circadian rhythm disorder cannot wake up or go to sleep at normal times. This disruption of the biological rhythm is caused by regular intense physical activity, jet lag, or taking certain medications.
- Diet : without necessarily being aware of it, the consumption of fatty foods and stimulants before going to bed disrupts our sleep.
- Inadequate bedroom temperature : Room temperature and sleep are closely linked. Excessive heat or a room that is too cold can disrupt our sleep.
- Poor bedding : Most people don't care much about their bedding, even though it's a vital element in the quest for a restful night. If it's not high-quality, bedding can quickly become a disruptive factor in our sleep. It's essential to have a good mattress, but also quality pillows like those offered by Alba Matelas .
Top tips for creating a good sleep environment
Looking for sustainable solutions to improve your sleep and combat insomnia? Let's review best practices that will help you create a stable sleep environment conducive to calm, peaceful nights.
Set a regular sleep schedule
A good night's sleep is characterized by well-established habits. Among them is a regular bedtime. Going to bed at a set time each night allows us to program our bodies to get used to a regular sleep rhythm. It's undoubtedly a simple but effective sleep hygiene practice, allowing us to better maintain our bodies and thus facilitate falling asleep.
Eat a healthy diet in the evening
Many people are unaware of the potential impact of diet on sleep quality. And yet, eating too much fat or too much food can have a negative impact on our ability to fall asleep. Quite the opposite, this unsuitable evening eating habit leads to poor digestion and, subsequently, prevents us from sleeping well. With this in mind, we offer our tips for sleeping better by consuming, among other things:
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foods rich in tryptophan such as poultry, potatoes, eggs, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and fish
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legumes such as lentils, beans or peasâŠ
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fruits such as dates, figs, melon or even bananas
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vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, zucchini, broccoli, artichoke, cabbage or even peppers of all kinds (green, red or yellow). You can also prepare a salad with tomatoes or carrots to help eliminate toxins from your body
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a herbal tea instead of tea, 0% fat fromage blanc for dessert or, better still, a natural yogurt to finish your meal lightly.
As you can see, a healthy and varied diet contributes significantly to creating an environment conducive to falling asleep. What's more, avoid consuming caffeine, nicotine, energy drinks, or alcohol 4 to 6 hours before going to bed. These factors make sleep restless and directly affect the quality and depth of sleep.
Avoid distractions and blue light once in bed
Bed is for sleeping! Sometimes we tend to associate electronic devices and bedtime. But unfortunately, the blue light from screens is not at all good for our sleeping environment! As simple as it may seem, simply not using your smartphone or computer in bed helps you sleep better. Indeed, blue lights and their use falsify the information communicated to our brain. In other words, they only fool your brain. Faced with these lights, your brain will believe that it is still daytime, leading in the long run to circadian rhythm disorders . It would therefore be more appropriate to put away your electronic devices at least an hour before going to bed.
Own better bedding for peaceful and lasting nights
Are you having trouble falling asleep even after drastic changes to your sleeping habits? If so, consider changing your pillow or mattress, or even both if necessary! Simply sleeping on a mattress that's too soft or too firm can negatively affect your sleep environment. Whether it's poor quality or too old, your mattress makes all the difference to your sleep. The same goes for your pillow.
Own the right mattress
For a better quality of sleep, opt for high-end mattresses. They perfectly respect your body shape and your sleeping habits. To sleep better, there is nothing like a mattress with a soft feel and firm support like those found at Alba. A guarantee of softness and well-being , Alba mattresses are perfectly suited to finding sleep without micro-awakenings. Among our flagship products are the Alba Pearl mattresses. Mattresses validated by a scientific study, they will bring you comfort, lasting back health but also better body thermoregulation.
Invest in a quality pillow
Neck pain, headaches upon waking, or constant muscle tension? What if these aches and pains are partly related to your pillow? If it's too stiff, it will cause pressure points in your neck. If it's too soft, it won't be able to support your neck properly. Finding the right balance isn't necessarily child's play for most people!
And yet, Alba still has more than one trick up its sleeve to best satisfy "heavy sleepers"! To sleep better, we offer you a pillow specially designed to promote relaxation and falling asleep. 100% natural and composed of 98% rubber tree sap , Alba Cloud pillows are able to support your neck point by point for immediate relief. Nothing to complain about the shape, the composition and the fibers that compose them; everything has been prepared to ensure both comfort and health and of course, long-lasting sleep!
Regular sleep schedules, a healthy evening diet , and a room at the right temperature and insulated from noise are among the secrets of a good sleeping environment. Add to this a comfortable mattress and a quality pillow, and your nights will be nothing but restorative! We sincerely hope that our advice has been beneficial to you and that you will not fail to make good use of it to improve your sleep. And as we always say, health is a right for everyone! So don't wait any longer to get rid of your old habits and create a new sleeping environment conducive to peaceful nights!
