12 tips to help you sleep well

To begin with, your sleep is subject to a circadian rhythm (24-hour biological rhythm) that varies from person to person. You need to respect yours, with constant bedtimes and, above all, constant wake-up times.

Although it's a good idea to go to bed at hours that don't vary too much, it's best to feel a certain degree of tiredness. An optimal sleep duration for most people is between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. (time spent sleeping, not time spent in bed).

Are you slow to fall asleep? The ideal, and considered normal, is to fall asleep in less than 30 minutes. If this isn't the case for you, you can learn to do so through the regular practice of meditation, cardiac coherence (very useful!) or hypnosis, all of which have proved their worth.

Above all, remember to restrict the time you spend in bed to two things: your sleep and sexual activity.

In fact, it is useful to separate the bed from any activity that is not compatible with sleep, such as watching television, using a smartphone or eating.

You wake up and can't get back to sleep? After 15 minutes, it's best to get up, leave your room and keep yourself occupied until your next sleep cycle arrives, with a few relaxing activities (reading, music, etc.).

Sleep is all the more elusive the harder we try to find it, and the greater our nervous tension.

Avoid naps or periods of drowsiness during the day. By following this advice, you won't fragment your sleep into several periods and you'll consolidate your night.

Physical exercise is recommended, but remember to finish at least 3 hours before going to bed. This is incompatible with quality sleep, as your body temperature naturally drops in preparation for falling asleep.

A walk, on the other hand, is highly recommended. You should also avoid hot baths just before going to bed, and intense intellectual activity late into the night.

It's also a good idea to keep mealtimes consistent, and avoid large or fatty late-night meals. Not eating enough is also unwise: we can be awakened by a late-night craving and head straight for the fridge!

Avoid stimulants after 2:00 p.m., such as coffee, cola drinks, cigarettes and alcohol. While alcohol is used by some people as a sleep inducer, it causes a poor-quality, unrefreshing night's sleep and destructures your sleep over the long term.

Instead, consider a tea, such as lime blossom, valerian or chamomile, renowned for their soothing, anti-stress properties.

Think about developing the best environmental conditions for your sleep hygiene - avoid noise, favor total darkness (use opaque curtains or a mask) and set your thermostat to an optimal temperature, between 15 and 22 degrees.

The body needs to lower its temperature to fall asleep comfortably.

You should also avoid "rumination" in bed. Trying to solve your problems before going to sleep can only lead to anxiety and nervous tension, which can make it difficult to fall asleep, and thus cause insomnia. Learn to relax before going to bed with cardiac coherence or hypnosis.

You can also write down everything that's bothering you in a notebook to clear your mind and get ready for bed: And it works!

Above all, avoid self-administration of sleeping pills. Only take them on medical advice, bearing in mind that it's best to use them in low doses - especially in the elderly - for a very limited time, sometimes in interrupted series, and that you shouldn't stop taking them abruptly, but gradually reduce the doses, in agreement with your doctor.

Laboratory recordings have shown that we sleep more than we think, and that the duration of nocturnal wakefulness is often overestimated.

It is preferable to seek well-organized, continuous sleep rather than prolonged sleep.