Almost everyone knows the feeling: when we do not wake up well-rested the next morning, concentration and performance become more strenuous throughout the day. Sleeping well is important and strengthens our health. Read an overview here of everything related to sleep, sleep disorders, better sleep quality, and natural sleep aids.
What is sleep?
Sleep is of central importance to our lives. To this day, not all the functions and effects of sleep have been researched in detail. Humans spend approx. (1/3) one-third of their lives sleeping. This is not lost time, however. During sleep, important regeneration processes take place in the body that we need to stay healthy.
At first glance, sleep is characterized by low physical activity and external perception. Nevertheless, sleep is an active and perfectly organized sequence of events and physical states.
Two states are distinguished, which differ significantly: Non-REM sleep (Non-rapid eye movement sleep) and REM sleep (Rapid eye movement sleep).
Non-REM sleep is divided into further stages (sleep phases), which differ, for example, by the amplitudes and brain waves produced during sleep.
The various sleep phases
- In the first phase, eye movements slow down, breathing and pulse become more regular and slower, and the muscles begin to relax. This is the falling-asleep phase (N1).
- Light sleep (N2) is characterized by: no eye movements, further relaxation of the brain, during which twitching may occur because the brain and muscles do not relax at the same rhythm.
- The eyes no longer move and external stimuli play almost no role. We find it hardest to wake up from the so-called deep sleep phase (N3); the activity of the cardiovascular system and brain decreases. This phase is particularly important for regeneration.
- REM sleep = characterized by rapid eye movements. Most dreaming takes place in this sleep phase. The brain is almost as active in this phase as it is when awake. The impressions of the day are processed and sorted during this phase. Scientists assume that this phase is very important for our health because the nervous system and psyche recover particularly well here.
In summary, the following sleep phases are distinguished: the falling-asleep phase (Non-REM sleep), the light sleep phase (Non-REM sleep), the deep sleep phase (Non-REM sleep), and REM sleep (dream sleep), which is particularly important for the psyche and nervous system. The undisturbed progression of these sleep phases is essential for our health and well-being.
Why is sleep so important?
As already mentioned, sleep is extremely important for our mental and physical health, since many important repair and regeneration processes take place outside of our consciousness. For this to happen, sufficient sleep duration and the undisturbed progression of the various sleep phases are indispensable. Sleep disorders primarily occur when one of these two factors is not met.
Sleep has the following important functions:
- Sleep serves physical and mental recovery.
- The body's defenses are strengthened by sufficient sleep; the immune system is particularly active during sleep. If you sleep too little, this weakens your defenses and makes you more susceptible to colds.
- During sleep, important growth hormones are produced for cell renewal.
- Increased lymph flow in the brain ensures that metabolic products, which would damage the brain in the long run, are broken down.
How much sleep do we need and why?
Various surveys show that most people need seven to eight hours of sleep. You can tell if you have had enough healthy sleep, for example, by whether you can work with concentration and attention during a long, sedentary task without becoming sleepy. Under normal conditions, this can be taken as a rough guide to whether the sleep was sufficient.
It is interesting that sleep researchers have found that people in Western countries now sleep on average one hour less than they did 20 years ago. However, those who sleep too little also perform less, and paradoxically, they can still get used to too little sleep, although work performance still declines.
More work, worse sleep
This primarily affects people who work a great deal and for long hours. In addition, it turns out that people with increasing working hours also suffer more frequently from sleep disorders. This was analyzed by experts at the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. While this is not surprising, it is nevertheless an important realization that more work, at the expense of sleep, does not lead to a better work performance result.
Catching up on sleep?
The good news is that you can make up for lost sleep. A study by the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia showed this. However, this only means that you can make up for lost nights after a few short nights by sleeping in properly afterward. This is not a permanent solution, as the researchers also found that regular sleep duration of six hours or less is equivalent to total sleep deprivation.
The consequences are concentration disorders, restricted information processing, and difficulties in solving problems. Our sleep duration should therefore never be less than seven hours on a permanent basis.
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What are sleep disorders?
Sleep disorders are widespread, and it is not uncommon for those affected to get used to the state resulting from lack of sleep and its immediate effects. The cause of their performance deficit and daytime sleepiness is sometimes not even known to those affected. It is estimated that approx. 25 percent of people in industrialized nations suffer from sleep disorders. The following factors may be considered as causes of sleep disorders.
What are the causes of sleep disorders?
- Psychological causes, for example, depression or persistent stress
- Organic causes, for example, cardiovascular diseases, thyroid diseases, bladder and prostate diseases, allergies, menopause due to hormonal changes
- Taking medication, especially those that affect the central nervous system or the hormonal system (for example, certain antidepressants, antihypertensives), but also stimulants with caffeine or other stimulating substances.
All these causes can be responsible for poor sleep. It is completely normal to have a restless night occasionally. It becomes problematic when this state becomes chronic. If sleep is disturbed for at least one month on three or more nights per week, you should consult a doctor. It could be a chronic sleep disorder. Sleep disorders can lead not only to psychological, professional, and relationship problems but, in the long term, to health problems as well.
What types of sleep disorders are there?
There are different types of sleep disorders. Diagnosing the type of sleep disorder is the job of a doctor. This requires a comprehensive medical history regarding possible causes. If you suspect that you are suffering from a chronic sleep disorder, consult your trusted general practitioner. The following types of sleep disorders exist:
Insomnia: This type of sleep disorder is the most common. Here, general sleep quality is impaired, which manifests as difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Insomnia can last from a few days to months or years and thus be chronic. Short-term insomnia, for example, triggered by known stress, usually goes away on its own.
For short-term insomnia, herbal preparations in combination with certain micronutrients can be helpful for support. Medicinal plants such as balm, lavender, hops, or valerian are soothing for sleep.
Hypersomnia: Even with sufficient sleep, there may be tiredness the next day. This can have different, often unconscious, but definitely serious causes. These include:
- Sleep apnea: This refers to nightly breathing pauses that can last up to ten seconds and have an impact on the oxygen supply in the body. Sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the upper airways relax, blocking or completely closing the airway in the throat area. This often causes loud snoring noises. Causes can include diseases of the upper airways, obesity, gender (men are more frequently affected), or the use of sleeping pills or sedatives. If you suspect you are suffering from sleep apnea or if you snore but feel exhausted in the morning after waking up, discuss this with your doctor immediately.
- Restless Legs Syndrome can also be a cause of hypersomnia. This is expressed by twitching in the legs, triggered by the muscles, whenever the body comes to rest. Causes can be disturbances in iron or zinc metabolism, as well as disturbances of various chemical messengers in the body (neurotransmitters), especially the dopamine balance.
- Furthermore, rare narcolepsy, which is accompanied by persistent, enormous sleepiness during the day for no apparent reason and can also manifest itself through a sudden loss of muscle tone (those affected simply nod off), can be a cause.
- Persistent muscle twitching, known as myoclonus, which prevents sleep, can have neurological diseases as a cause and should be medically clarified.
Parasomnia: These are temporary interruptions of sleep, for example, through talking in one's sleep, nightmares, sleepwalking, and teeth grinding. With parasomnias, those affected always experience behaviors and events that can be unpleasant or frightening. The term is derived from Greek and means "around sleep."
In addition to a new sleep environment, disturbing stimuli, psychological problems, anxieties, and other stress factors can be the cause. During the REM sleep phase, sleep paralysis can also occur. With this form of parasomnia, those affected wake up from sleep as if paralyzed and cannot move. The mind is awake, but the body continues to sleep. This can be frightening. Sleep paralysis occurs at least once in a lifetime in 40 percent of the total population. If such a state lasts longer or repeats itself again and again, medical advice is needed.
Disorders of the sleep-wake rhythm: This type of sleep disorder includes, for example, the famous "jet lag" after long-haul flights, but shift workers as well as doctors and nurses can also be affected by unusual working hours. In some cases, taking the hormone melatonin, which regulates the sleep-wake rhythm in the body, can be helpful. Please seek advice beforehand.
How are sleep disorders treated?
This question cannot be answered in a blanket way. Depending on the type of sleep disorder, its various causes, and the time the sleep disorder has lasted, there are completely different treatment approaches.
For short-term difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep or classic "jet lag," herbal substances (e.g., balm, lavender, valerian, and adaptogens like ashwagandha) as well as micronutrients (e.g., zinc, melatonin, L-tryptophan, and magnesium) can be helpful support. In any case, seek professional advice on what is most suitable for you.
For chronic insomnia and other chronic, i.e., longer-lasting sleep disorders, a doctor is required. Depending on the diagnosis, different procedures can then be used. It is always most sensible to address the respective cause.
If Restless Legs Syndrome is caused by an iron deficiency, for example, correcting this may already solve the problem. If stress or anxiety is the cause of a sleep disorder, psychotherapy, psychotropic drugs, and relaxation techniques can be used.
In the case of sleep apnea, an operation may even be required if, for example, functional disorders in the area of the upper airways are present and can be remedied by an operation.
Medication support may also be necessary for chronic sleep disorders to help the body and mind to regenerate and rest again. However, some synthetic sleeping pills have a high potential for addiction and must therefore always be checked carefully by the doctor.
For severe sleep disorders, patients are also referred to a sleep laboratory. By precisely recording the cardiovascular system, breathing, and brain activity, exact cause research related to individual sleep phases can be carried out here, and the patient can be looked after individually.
Which factors can lead to poor sleep?
Do you know the feeling? You slept particularly deeply and soundly after an extensive walk in the fresh air? That is no coincidence, because everything that "excites" or stresses our nervous system can have a negative effect on sleep. Through moderate exercise in the fresh air, we reduce stress. If, on the other hand, we watch an action movie shortly before going to sleep, our sympathetic nervous system, the "stress nerve," becomes active.
Physical, psychological, and mental stress are main factors for most sleep disorders. We are in a kind of "flight mode"—this is due to the sympathetic nerve, a part of our autonomic nervous system, colloquially also called the "fight-or-flight nerve," which, together with the parasympathetic nervous system, the "rest-and-digest nerve," controls our autonomic nervous system.
Our brain cannot really distinguish whether the state of stress is purely emotional (for example, thoughts about the challenges of the next working day) or whether we are—as in prehistoric times—immediately attacked and hunted by a saber-toothed tiger. Faced with such an impending challenge, sleep would be anything but favorable, and the sympathetic nervous system becomes increasingly active, increasing the respiratory and heart rate and our alertness. Not good conditions for sleeping.
The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems control our autonomic nervous system as equal partners. During sleep and rest phases, the parasympathetic nervous system is more active; in stress and concentration phases, the sympathetic nervous system. If we want to sleep well, we should therefore stimulate our parasympathetic nervous system, which means removing all stressors.
Factors that can disturb sleep:
- An unfavorable sleep environment, for example, brightness, turned-on electrical devices (e.g., mobile phone), noise, excessive temperature (should be 16 to 19 degrees in the bedroom).
- Stimulating exercise: Exercise is good, but doing strength training too late, for example, is not conducive because it produces hormones that keep us awake.
- Working too long is not conducive to sleep. Pay attention to your work-life balance. Those who work until late in the evening and are still going through their "to-do list" in their head should not expect good sleep quality.
- Alcohol is, contrary to the prevailing opinion, not a sleep aid. Alcohol reduces REM sleep and increases the risk of snoring. Furthermore, because of the detoxification that the body stimulates, we have to go to the toilet more often and simultaneously get thirsty.
Which herbal remedies support healthy sleep?
For mild and temporary sleep problems, nature often offers help. Various plants that have a positive effect on sleep quality can be considered. It is important that these must not be taken together with synthetic sleeping pills, and you should always consult your doctor first if you are taking other medications such as antidepressants or have pre-existing conditions. Whether as an essential oil and room fragrance or for ingestion—nature offers quite a lot of support for a good and healthy sleep.
Medicinal plants for sleep
- Passion flower extract: The medicinal plant has a calming and relaxing effect that has a positive impact on sleep. Passion flower is particularly suitable for people who suffer from sleep problems due to inner restlessness. Dosage forms are available in the form of teas, tinctures, and for ingestion, for example, as medicine.
- Lemon balm: Lemon balm leaves contain essential oils that inhibit the breakdown of a calming neurotransmitter in the brain, gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA for short. GABA is a neurotransmitter that has a calming effect on the central nervous system. Lemon balm is particularly suitable for nervous and anxious people, especially when their digestive tract is also affected by stress. Lemon balm can help with falling asleep.
- Lavender: the substances linalool and linalyl acetate contained in lavender oil have a calming and sleep-promoting effect. Lavender, as the colloquial saying goes, is "the mother who takes you into her arms." Lavender generally has a calming and at the same time mood-lifting effect and promotes restful sleep. Lavender oil can be taken as a capsule, for example in the form of a medicinal product. Other possible uses for lavender include room fragrances or teas. People with very sensitive stomachs should avoid taking lavender oil.
- Valerian-hops combinations: The sleep-promoting effect of valerian has been known since the 18th century. Its healing power is found in the roots, which contain the essential oils. Certain neurotransmitters of the central nervous system are inhibited by its components, which can lead to general relaxation and have sleep-promoting effects.
- The hops, or rather the ingredients in the hop flowers, can act on various parts of the body that control the sleep-wake rhythm. Therefore, hops are said to have properties similar to the sleep hormone melatonin.
Calming medicinal plants and natural substances that are intended to positively support sleep should only ever be used for temporary sleep disorders, particularly difficulty falling or staying asleep, e.g., during short-term, particularly stressful periods. In the case of chronic sleep disorders or unexplained sleep phenomena that last longer than 4 weeks or are particularly distressing, a doctor should always be consulted promptly. Under no circumstances should herbal, sleep-promoting medicinal plants be combined with synthetic sleeping pills. A combination of different herbal ingredients (lavender, lemon balm, passionflower), when properly coordinated and dosed, can increase the calming and sleep-promoting effects. It is best to seek expert advice.
Conclusion
Sleep is essential for our physical and mental well-being. Humans cannot live without sleep. It is not for nothing that sleep deprivation is considered a method of torture. If you notice that you regularly sleep less than 7 hours, you should seek professional help, because too little sleep impairs mental and physical well-being, concentration, and performance. Do not get used to poor sleep. There is help available.
For milder and short-term problems with falling or staying asleep that occur, for example, during particularly stressful times, wonderful, calming medicinal plants such as lavender and passionflower, as well as valerian and hops, can sometimes provide relief and improvement. Do not take sleep problems lightly.
Would you like to know more about the topic of sleep? Listen to the podcast Sleep is Brain Detox with sleep researcher Dr. med. Michael Feld.
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