THE SECRET TO WONDERFUL SLEEP? A GOOD LEADER CONTROLS HIS SLEEP… DURING THE DAY

If you can’t, then see what Tuuliki Hion, one of Estonia’s most famous sleep doctors, writes about good sleep.

Tuuliki Hion is a psychiatrist at the University of Tartu’s Psychiatric Clinic, who was one of the first doctors from Estonia to successfully pass the sleep medicine exam in Berlin and obtain the somnologist qualification.

Some people can switch themselves off immediately if they just want to. This is an automatic process that starts when alertness decreases. At the same time, people are very different: some fall asleep immediately, while others cannot or will not fall asleep.

We actually start to accumulate fatigue from the moment we wake up in the morning. The earlier we wake up, the earlier our evening sleep comes. During the day, we are bombarded with information and have to solve many problems – all of which makes us alert. It is to be expected that sleep decreases during more difficult times, for example, when there are some changes or innovations in life or work. However, we can do a lot to ensure that our sleep is restful and that we are completely rested by the next morning.

FULL EIGHT HOURS – QUICKLY GET OUT OF BED!

The body’s normal sleep requirement is about eight hours, there is no point in staying in bed for more. If the sleep time is less than seven hours, then the need to sleep in may arise on weekends. We should take into account that long-term sleep debt seriously disrupts the ability to concentrate.

Those who work from Monday to Friday often find it difficult to fall asleep on Sunday evening. The reason is usually that people simply sleep more on days off. So in this case, going to bed later on Sunday can be a good idea. Going to bed early to wait for sleep is not a good idea.

APPROPRIATE OVERALL DAILY LOAD

Most of the time, we do much more than is appropriate for our body and mind. We think that the body and mind should be able to cope with what we prescribe for them. Many can – some even need a little sleep, while still being full of energy all day long. But there are few of them. Using vitamins and stimulants to force yourself to endure a lot of stress for years is not right. If you can no longer do otherwise, then this is a sign that major restructuring is necessary in your working life.

YOU SHOULD GET SOBER BEFORE BEDTIME

Alcohol significantly disrupts sleep. If the effect of alcohol remains during sleep, then nighttime sleep is disturbed: sleep is often interrupted, morning awakening may be too early, etc. Alcohol also worsens snoring and collapse of the throat during sleep (sleep apnea). Alcohol is known to break down at a rate of 1 unit per hour. 1 unit is about 12 cl of wine, 250 ml of beer, 4 cl of 40-proof alcohol. There should be 3-4 days a week without alcohol, the remaining days the daily amount of alcohol should remain within 1 unit for women, 2-3 units for men.

STIMULANTS BEFORE LUNCH

Use stimulants, energy drinks, coffee, tea made from tea leaves, coca drinks sparingly and no more after lunch. Their duration of action is much longer than you think. If your sleep is not disturbed despite a lot of stimulants, then you are either still young or you have a sleep-wake system that can turn off alertness at any time.

Read more on Director.ee about what else you can do to have a wonderful sleep.