How to sleep better?
One third of our life is spent sleeping, so when sleep is difficult, it’s a real problem! However, it seems that in 50 years we have lost 1h30 of sleep…
It is not always easy to fall asleep when your head is bending under the famous mental load, your neurons are still churning like hamsters in their wheel, your body is tired… and it is not easy either to sleep all night long without waking up with a start, knowing that if you can’t fall asleep again, the day is going to be very long…
If you feel concerned, you are part of the two thirds of people who have sleep disorders!
What exactly is sleep?
“It is a decrease in the state of consciousness* that separates two periods of wakefulness. It is characterized by a loss of vigilance, a decrease in muscle tone and a partial conservation of sensitive perception” (Inserm).
Slow wave sleep and REM sleep alternate during the night, in cycles, and it is the deep slow wave sleep that is the most recuperative, during which body and mind regenerate. This represents about a quarter of the total sleep time, where the whole body rests.
*And no, this does not mean that as soon as your state of consciousness drops, as we at TiL do several times a day, you are sleeping! It’s just that you are tired…
Sleep, a key role
Many biological functions are impacted by sleep: metabolism, immune system, skin, memory and concentration… without sleep, we can no longer assimilate information and we can no longer sort it out.
Did you know that the brain consumes 20% of the energy needed by our metabolism and generates toxic waste? And it is while sleeping that the brain eliminates this waste.
Adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep as a general rule, but we have gone to an average of 6h42… look for the error! No wonder we are more nervous, stressed, tired, and vulnerable to pathologies … it’s a real vicious circle that affects the quality of life and health.
The causes of a bad sleep
Apart from the little mill that spins in the head without respite, the causes can be physical, psychic, emotional, but also external like alcohol or cannabis. Or in another register, the moon!
This weekend, it is the full moon. Some people are very affected in their sleep, because there is a proven link between its quality and the moon. Scientists say that the level of melatonin is lower, the time taken to fall asleep is longer (5 minutes), the duration of sleep is shorter (20 minutes) and slow wave sleep is less deep (source: Science et Avenir).
Full moon, time for gratitude
But we can also see the glass as half full (and we like that a lot at TiL!) and think about what Marc, who takes care of and harvests our linden trees every year, tells us:
“The moon is the light in the night, the full moon brings life, and if it disturbs your sleep, you should not curse it! In fact, it is a real chance: it allows us to have a different awakening, with a more marked sensitivity. It is another positive way of looking at insomnia: it shows a capacity to connect with energies, it is a portal of connection. If you are sensitive to it, it means that you have a connection to make. So, we must accept this insomnia and take advantage of this moment to do rituals, to read, to walk outside if we can, because the full moon allows us to see things that we don’t see at other times… “
Our TiL tips for better sleep
- We’ll spare you the “zero screens in bed advice”, which we all already know even if we don’t always respect it! Rediscover the pleasure of turning the pages of a book for example…
- Try to keep regular hours, eat a light dinner, avoid stimulants after 4pm, alcohol (or in moderation !), and spicy food.
- Drink a calming linden tea after dinner. Even better, La Poudre Zéro Souci, our delicious food supplement, concentrated with linden, lemon balm, burdock, vitamin B6 and magnesium, which not only detoxifies, but also relaxes and promotes good sleep. It can be enjoyed diluted in hot water, or sprinkled on your dessert.
- Adopt the basic rules of feng shui: cold colors such as blue and green, very soothing, even gray. Move the bed away from the front door, position the headboard against the wall, to the North, avoid feet in front of the door if you can end light your room with a subdued and diffuse light.
- Create a calming and comforting olfactory atmosphere. A few sprays of L’Eau Qui Enlace will take you under an alley of linden trees in bloom… more soothing, there is not ! And some of you told us it even helps them making beautiful dreams..
- Try to put your emotions to rest and lighten your mind… breathing, meditation, yoga… find what is most beneficial to you. This exercise, derived from sophrology, allows you to fall asleep quickly: in bed, block the right nostril with your thumb and breathe in through the left nostril. Exhale through the right nostril while blocking the left nostril with the thumb. And so on, until you are relaxed and close to sleep.
- Do some physical activity, but not sports during the 4 hours before bedtime, as the body must have time to cool down before sleeping.
- Think about your skin as well, which needs a recuperative sleep to regenerate itself during the night, at the peak of cell renewal. Le Baume Qui Ressource, our soothing regenerating night balm, is a velvety delight that infuses the skin with all its soothing, anti-oxidant and moisturizing active ingredients: Tiliactiv4® concentrated flowers, leaves, buds and twigs of linden, rose centifolia, alfalfa, passionflower and nasturtium combine to give your skin the smooth, plump and rested appearance of a good night.
A peaceful sleep is a quest that is at the heart of TiL’s concerns, THE soothing brand created from the linden tree, celebrated since time immemorial for its calming properties. Because we think that missing a third of our lives is a lot, especially knowing the impact that poor sleep has on our body, our health and our life in general!
So please, take care of your nights … and of yourself 🙏🏼
