Five-star sleep
Catch as much daylight as possible during the day and avoid bright and/or blue light at night such as TV, tablet or telephone.
Light
Make sure that you catch as much daylight as possible during the day, this is especially important for your eyes.By catching as much daylight as possible during the day and avoiding bright and/or blue light at night you tell your brain that it is daytime. Your body knows better when it is not daytime anymore. The results of research show that exposure to sunlight leads to a deeper and less continuous sleep at night. Sunlight ensures that your biological clock functions properly. It keeps your body awake, keeps you alert and allows you to be active during the day.
The light on computer screens contains, among other things, "blue light" which is very similar to daylight for your brain. Apart from the fact that the blue light gives a signal to your brain to become alert again, what you see on these devices is often far from relaxing. E-mails from work, or a message on social media, can activate your brain again, while it should be relaxing. That's why you shouldn't watch blue light (TV, tablet, telephone) in the evening for more than an hour before you go to sleep.
Rhythm
Your biological clock has a fairly fixed rhythm. To support this rhythm, it is very useful to go to bed at set times and get up again at fixed times. All kinds of studies have shown that people with an irregular sleeping pattern, for example by going to bed late at the weekend in combination with a good night's sleep, have difficulty sleeping well the following days. The irregular sleeping pattern disrupts your biological clock.
Moving
Regular exercise or sport during the day improves sleep quality and the ease with which you get to sleep. A good condition ensures that you fall asleep faster, but above all that you sleep deeper. And the deeper you sleep, the better your battery recharges.
Bedroom
Make sure your bedroom can be made dark. When it is dark, your brain confirms that it is night and prevents you from waking up too early from light on your face. While sleeping you need fresh air. Studies have shown that when the CO2 level in the bedroom rises due to our exhaled air, it is too hot or too cold, or perhaps too dry or too humid, our sleep can be negatively affected. There are products for sale that are able to measure these bedroom conditions and give you an idea of whether all the values are 'green' for a good night's sleep. It is also advisable to use the bedroom only for sleeping and making love, so do not take your work into your bedroom. This strengthens the association between your bedroom and sleep.
Good bed
Make sure you have a good bed with a nice mattress and pillow. A nice bed where you like to crawl into is an important condition for a good night's sleep. The basis is the mattress and your bed base, but also your pillow, duvet and bedding make a difference. A good bed must be able to ventilate well, because you can sweat a bit at night, but it must also have the right degree of insulation. In order to fall asleep, it is important that the body is able to lower the core temperature. If you don't really like your bed, go to the appendix of this chapter.