You had a bad night and now you are annoying yourself as soon as you get up, imagining the difficult day that promises to be. Many of this scenario knows it for various reasons. According to Inserm, one in two French people suffer from sleep disorders, and almost one in five women between 25 and 64 years old is faced with a form of chronic insomnia. However, sleep is not a luxury, but a biological necessity. When you sleep badly, the body and the brain work in slow motion: drop in vigilance, memory disorders, irritability, but also increased stress and emotional vulnerability.
“A bad night acts as a stress for the body. It disturbs brain functioning, affects concentration, and weakens our mood”, explains Dr. Jonathan Taieb, sleep doctor in a previous article.
Fortunately, several strategies can help you limit the damage and take good until evening. Here they are.
Adopt a positive mental posture as soon as you wake up
Let’s start with a mental exercise that we often forget. No need to ruminate your night! This is the advice of Dr. Rachel Salas, neurologist at Johns Hopkins in the magazine Women “s health. The inner speech has a real impact:
“”Thinking in the morning that we are still going to sleep badly maintains the vicious circle of insomnia. It is better to say to yourself: ‘I’m going to recover tonight’. “
By focusing on what you can control, your actions of the day, you reduce anxiety linked to lack of sleep.
Take a suitable nap
For Dr. Taieb, nap is the most effective technique for limiting the effects of a too short night: “It is a simple, free and accessible tool for everyone … provided you respect a few rules.”
Three formats can be useful to you:
- The “Flash” nap (10 min): a micro-painting to release muscle and mental tension;
- The “Power Nap” (20 to 30 min): Ideal during the lunch break, it offers cognitive recovery without post-stem drowsiness;
- Long nap (90 min) : If you have the opportunity, the long nap allows you to recover a complete cycle, but can be difficult to stall and increase the risk of inertia (groggy awakening).
Be careful not to take a nap after 4 p.m. so as not to disturb the sleeping in the evening.
Walk in daylight as soon as possible
Exposing your body to natural light in the morning is a very effective way to resynchronize your biological clock.
“Daylight is a powerful signal to relaunch our circadian rhythm. This is what indicates to the brain that it is time to be active,” recalls Dr. Taieb.
A walk of 20 to 30 minutes outside, even at moderate rhythm, is enough to relaunch the production of serotonin, hormone of well-being, which turns into melatonin in the evening to promote falling asleep.
Make regular and active breaks
If you have to work, especially on screen, it is essential to give yourself a 5 -minute break every 60 to 90 minutes. On the other hand, avoid social networks or static breaks. On the contrary, move, stretch, drink water.
“It is in micro-painted that we preserve our vigilance. Without that, we collapse at the end of the morning”underlines Dr. Taieb.
Eat smart at noon
An overly generous meal can worsen drowsiness. The ideal: a light and balanced diet, with lean proteins (eggs, chicken, legumes), vegetables and few fast sugars.
“Avoid rich or sweet dishes that trigger reaction hypoglycemia. This causes a stroke for sure”warns the doctor.
Make soft sports
Doing sports helps reduce stress and prepare a good sleep for the evening, provided you don’t do too much. “Sport releases endorphins, but if it is intense, it can exhaust an already tired body. Favor walking, yoga or stretching”recommends Dr. Taieb.
Do not abuse caffeine
It is a current reflex: one or more coffees will be able to wake you up. But beware of timing: “It takes between 4 to 6 hours for caffeine to be eliminated. Avoid drinking it after 1 pm if you are considering a nap”he recalls. A coffee in the morning, another after lunch, then cut.
Prepare your following night in the afternoon
This is perhaps the most underestimated point: recovering from a bad night goes through a good preparation of the next. Here are the reflexes to adopt:
- Maintain a temperature of 18–19 ° C in the room;
- Turn off the screens at least an hour before sleeping;
- Prefer a book, soft music or a relaxing podcast;
- Try to keep stable sleep schedules, even on weekends.
What if it is repeated? Watch out for chronic insomnia
A bad night remains punctual. But if it becomes regular, you have to consult.
“”We are talking about chronic insomnia when the troubles repeat themselves at least three times a week, for more than three months “specifies Dr. Taieb.
In more than half of cases, this insomnia is linked to mental factors: anxiety, stress, mental overload, life upheaval which must be known to move forward. Cognitive and behavioral therapies (TCC) can then help to get out. To find out more, see a sleep doctor.