7 tips on how parents sleep better
1. set up rest breaks
Take more rest breaks during the day.
2. establish new habits
These should be practised for at least three weeks so that they become a habit.
3. empty the head
Before going to bed, write down stressful thoughts so that they are out of your head for the night.
4. recognise fatigue signals
Be aware of signs of tiredness, because the body sends signals that should not be ignored.
How much sleep do you really need to recover?
5. realise the benefits of getting enough sleep
Realise the benefits of getting enough sleep, for example that you can start the new day feeling fit, rested and relaxed.
6. observe sleep requirements
Observe over several days how much sleep you really need in order to recover, as sleep requirements vary from person to person.
- Switch off your smartphone in good time in the evening and do not take it into the bedroom.
- It's better to read in the evening, as it tends to make you tired. Ideally not on a PC or mobile phone screen.
- A creative hobby is fulfilling, a hot bath is relaxing.
- You can look forward to a good film that has been selected in advance and don't waste your evening searching.
- The more specific the goal, the less preparation time is required.
- And as is so often the case: less is more, so don't plan too much for the evening.
7. early to bed: how it works
A team of researchers in New York wanted to find out how to get to sleep earlier. To do this, they formulated «if-then rules». The scientists used these rules to train 300 young men and women - with the result that they went to bed up to 32 minutes earlier on average.
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Formulate plans: If I go to bed on time, I fall asleep more relaxed. I don't need to feel guilty that the night will be too short and I won't get enough sleep.
- Set a rule: If I want to go to bed at 11 pm, I stop what I'm doing fifteen minutes beforehand and go to sleep. As a reminder, I set the alarm for 10.45 pm so that I don't miss this time, and then I go straight to bed.
Visualisation: If I visualise the best possible outcome, how rested I will feel the next morning, then I look forward to the day ahead because I can cope better with stress when I'm well rested than when I'm tired.
Identify internal obstacles: If I can identify the reasons that prevent me from going to sleep on time, I can try to counteract them. For example, is it the inner belief: first work, then pleasure? Then I plan specific time for relaxation in my everyday life. This could be a consciously savoured tea break or a short meditation session.
