In some cases, poor and restless sleep can be traced back to diseases such as sleep apnea, cardiac arrhythmia, or high blood pressure. Many medications can also disrupt sleep or cause drowsiness. Please contact your doctor to rule out such causes.
Attention note
Difficulty falling asleep and sleeping through the night? Check these tips!
Attention note
In some cases, poor and restless sleep can be traced back to diseases such as sleep apnea, cardiac arrhythmia, or high blood pressure. Many medications can also disrupt sleep or cause drowsiness. Please contact your doctor to rule out such causes.
Sleep Hygiene – Behavioral Factors
Sleeping troubles
Sleep hygiene refers to all habits and circumstances that are conducive to healthy sleep. Consistently following a few simple rules often results in a significant improvement in sleep quality.
Sleep hygiene helps with problems falling asleep, i.e. if you need more than 30 minutes to fall asleep after going to bed, or with problems sleeping through the night, i.e. if you wake up regularly at night and then lie awake for a long time.
Healthy sleep strengthens the immune system and general well-being. The rules of sleep hygiene will help you to have a restful sleep and thus reduce your daytime tiredness and increase your mental and physical performance during the day.
Pay attention to the following four things:
- Do not eat large meals 3 hours before bedtime.
- Stop drinking coffee or other beverages containing caffeine and tea 4 to 8 hours before bedtime.
- Stop drinking alcohol 3 hours before bedtime.
- Don't smoke after 7pm (or better yet, quit smoking altogether).
Please read the detailed information and application tips in our guide to Sleep Hygiene – Behavioral Factors.
Sleep Hygiene – Environmental Factors
Sleeping troubles
The following tips may help if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep through the night:
- Try to have regular times for getting up and going to bed.
- Avoid excessive physical exertion after 6 p.m.
- Create a transition period between daily life and bedtime (reference value: 2 hours).
- Establish a bedtime ritual, that is, a series of regular actions performed in the same order.
- Make your environment comfortable and conducive to sleep (temperature, light, noise).
- Don't look at your watch at night, turn off your cell phone.
- Do not spend more time in bed than you slept on average per night (reference value: 7-8 hours).
- If you wake up at night, do not expose yourself to strong light.
- Don't pressure yourself with the idea that you'll only be rested if you've slept through the night.
- Keep a sleep diary.
Detailed information, application tips and a list of useful Websites, videos and other sources (e.g. sleep diaries) can be found in our Vademecum on Sleep Hygiene - Environmental Factors (in German, the English version will follow shortly).
Melatonin intake
Sleep disorders
Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced in the brain in response to darkness. It signals the body that it is time to sleep and thus regulates the sleep-wake cycles.
Taking melatonin can help regulate the sleep, and thus manage sleep disorders and improve sleep quality. Then the treatment should be gradually discontinued. Melatonin intake should be complemented by the sleep hygiene measures.
Before starting to take melatonin, it is important that a doctor assesses the sleep disorder(s). Indeed, while it is safe for medical use, it is important to understand what are exactly the troubles: falling asleep, sleeping through the night, or maybe there are other causes that provoke insomnia?
