6 tips for better sleep
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0:00 - 0:03We can all have a bad night of sleep
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0:03 - 0:05and that's perfectly normal,
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0:05 - 0:07but how could we try to improve
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0:07 - 0:11both the quantity
and the quality of our sleep? -
0:11 - 0:13[Sleeping with Science]
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0:13 - 0:15(Music)
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0:15 - 0:19Here are six scientifically grounded tips
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0:19 - 0:21for better sleep.
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0:21 - 0:23The first tip is regularity.
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0:23 - 0:27Go to bed at the same time
and wake up at the same time. -
0:27 - 0:29Regularity is king,
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0:29 - 0:31and it will actually anchor your sleep
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0:31 - 0:34and improve both
the quantity and the quality, -
0:34 - 0:37no matter whether
it's the weekday or the weekend -
0:37 - 0:40or even if you've had
a bad night of sleep. -
0:40 - 0:43And the reason is
because deep within your brain, -
0:43 - 0:46you actually have a master 24-hour clock.
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0:46 - 0:49It expects regularity
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0:49 - 0:53and works best under
conditions of regularity, -
0:53 - 0:57including the control
of your sleep-wake schedule. -
0:57 - 0:59Many of us use an alarm to wake up
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0:59 - 1:02but very few of us use a to-bed alarm,
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1:02 - 1:04and that's something that can be helpful.
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1:04 - 1:07The next tip is temperature.
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1:07 - 1:08Keep it cool.
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1:08 - 1:11It turns out that your brain and your body
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1:11 - 1:16need to drop their core temperature
by about one degree Celsius -
1:16 - 1:18or around two to three degrees Fahrenheit
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1:18 - 1:22in order to initiate sleep
and then to stay asleep. -
1:22 - 1:26And this is the reason
that you will always find it easier -
1:26 - 1:30to fall asleep in a room
that's too cold than too hot. -
1:30 - 1:31So, the current recommendation
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1:31 - 1:34is to aim for a bedroom temperature
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1:34 - 1:37of around about 65 degrees Fahrenheit,
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1:37 - 1:40or a little over 18 degrees Celsius.
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1:40 - 1:43It sounds cold but cold it must be.
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1:43 - 1:46The next tip is darkness.
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1:46 - 1:49We are a dark-deprived society
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1:49 - 1:53and, in fact, we need darkness
specifically in the evening -
1:53 - 1:57to trigger the release
of a hormone called melatonin. -
1:57 - 2:02And melatonin helps regulate
the healthy timing of our sleep. -
2:02 - 2:04In the last hour before bed,
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2:04 - 2:08try to stay away from all
of those computer screens -
2:08 - 2:10and tablets and phones.
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2:10 - 2:13Dim down half the lights in your house.
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2:13 - 2:15You'd actually be quite surprised
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2:15 - 2:18at how sleepy that can make you feel.
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2:18 - 2:21If you'd like, you can wear an eye mask
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2:21 - 2:23or you can have blackout shades
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2:23 - 2:25and that will help best regulate
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2:25 - 2:28that critical sleep hormone of melatonin.
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2:28 - 2:31The next tip is walk it out.
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2:31 - 2:35Don't stay in bed awake
for long periods of time. -
2:35 - 2:37And the general rule of thumb
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2:37 - 2:39is if you've been trying to fall asleep
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2:39 - 2:42and it's been 25 minutes or so,
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2:42 - 2:44or you've woken up
and you can't get back to sleep -
2:44 - 2:46after 25 minutes,
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2:46 - 2:49the recommendation is to get out of bed
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2:49 - 2:51and go and do something different.
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2:51 - 2:53And the reason is because your brain
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2:53 - 2:56is an incredibly associative device.
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2:56 - 2:59The brain has learned the association
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2:59 - 3:02that the bed is this trigger
of wakefulness, -
3:02 - 3:05and we need to break that association.
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3:05 - 3:08And by getting out of bed,
you can go and do something else. -
3:08 - 3:11Only return to bed when you're sleepy.
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3:11 - 3:13And in that way, gradually,
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3:13 - 3:16your brain will relearn the association
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3:16 - 3:21that your bed is this place
of sound and consistent sleep. -
3:21 - 3:24The fifth tip is something
that we've actually -
3:24 - 3:27already spoken about
in detail in this series, -
3:27 - 3:30which is the impact
of alcohol and caffeine. -
3:30 - 3:33So, a good rule of thumb here
is to try to stay away -
3:33 - 3:36from caffeine in the afternoon
and in the evening -
3:36 - 3:40and certainly try
not to go to bed too tipsy. -
3:40 - 3:44The final tip: have a wind-down routine.
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3:44 - 3:47I think many of us in the modern world,
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3:47 - 3:50we expect to be able
to dive into bed at night, -
3:50 - 3:51switch off the light,
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3:51 - 3:55and we think that sleep
is also just like a light switch, -
3:55 - 3:58that we should immediately
be able to fall asleep. -
3:58 - 4:01Well, unfortunately,
sleep isn't quite like that -
4:01 - 4:02for most of us.
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4:02 - 4:05Sleep, as a physiological process,
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4:05 - 4:09is much more similar to landing a plane.
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4:09 - 4:14It takes time for your brain
to gradually descend down -
4:14 - 4:17onto the firm bedrock of good sleep.
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4:17 - 4:21In the last 20 minutes before bed
or the last half an hour, -
4:21 - 4:22even the last hour,
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4:22 - 4:25disengage from your computer
and your phone -
4:25 - 4:27and try to do something relaxing.
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4:27 - 4:30Find out whatever works for you
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4:30 - 4:34and when you have found it,
stick to that routine. -
4:34 - 4:35The last thing I should note
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4:35 - 4:39is that if you are suffering
from a sleep disorder, -
4:39 - 4:43for example, from insomnia or sleep apnea,
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4:43 - 4:47then these tips aren't necessarily
going to help you. -
4:47 - 4:49If I was your sports coach,
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4:49 - 4:52I could give you all of these tips
to improve your performance, -
4:52 - 4:54but if you have a broken ankle,
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4:54 - 4:56it's not going to make a difference.
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4:56 - 4:59We have to treat the broken ankle first
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4:59 - 5:03before we can get back to improving
the quality of your performance. -
5:03 - 5:05And it's the same way with sleep.
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5:05 - 5:08So, if you think
you have a sleep disorder, -
5:08 - 5:10just go and speak with your doctor.
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5:10 - 5:11That's the best piece of advice.
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5:11 - 5:13Where do we stand, then,
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5:13 - 5:16in all of this conversation about sleep?
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5:16 - 5:19Well, I think the evidence is clear.
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5:19 - 5:24We can think of sleep
almost like a life-support system. -
5:24 - 5:29In fact, some may even
call sleep a super power.
- Title:
- 6 tips for better sleep
- Speaker:
- Matt Walker
- Description:
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Want to not only fall asleep quickly but also stay asleep longer? Sleep scientist Matt Walker explains how your room temperature, lighting and other easy-to-fix factors can set the stage for a better night's rest.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED Series
- Duration:
- 05:28
Erin Gregory approved English subtitles for 6 tips for better sleep | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for 6 tips for better sleep | ||
Ivana Korom accepted English subtitles for 6 tips for better sleep | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for 6 tips for better sleep | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for 6 tips for better sleep | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for 6 tips for better sleep | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for 6 tips for better sleep |