10 tips to make up for a bad night

Take a shower at sunrise

Can not get you out of bed this morning? Insomnia, multiple awakenings, your night has been awful? Medisite gives you the tips to quickly recover from a bad night, with the advice of Dr. Jérôme Lefrançois, general practitioner and member of the French Society for Research and Sleep Medicine (SFRMS).
Just out of bed, you jump in the shower? A good idea to energize your body. Indeed, "a hot shower warms the body, which will awaken him" explains Dr. Lefrançois. The doctor's advice: "The ideal is to finish the shower by spraying your legs with cold water to stimulate the venous circulation, which will complete the awakening effect."

A mandatory breakfast with protein

After a bad night, the question does not arise: you have to have breakfast! "It is not only necessary to take one, but also and take it at the usual hours", says Dr. Lefrançois. "It is indeed never advisable to sleep late to sleep more and hope to recover", he adds. What foods at breakfast? Eat protein, "eggs for example, ham if you are used to eating, or vegetable protein" advises the doctor. "Add to the menu a dairy product, whole grains and fruits." Tea or coffee, how much to drink? "One can use the anti-sleep virtues of caffeine by drinking a tea or a coffee in the morning", supports the doctor. But beware, if it is possible to drink a cup at breakfast, do not multiply it during the day so as not to interfere with falling asleep at night.

Turn on the lights in the morning

Light acts directly on the sleep and wake cycle because it blocks melatonin, the sleep hormone. The doctor's advice: "In winter, when the day comes up late, remember to turn on all the lights in the morning to wake up the body.You can also turn on a light therapy light. sift them as much as possible", suggests Dr. Lefrançois.

During the day, avoid foods that tire

Throughout the day, avoid consuming foods that are even more tiring on your body. The advice to apply at dinner: "Avoid drinking alcohol at night because it disrupts sleep and causes multiple awakenings", warns Dr. Lefrançois. In addition, the dinner must be the least fat and the least sweet possible: "Do not replace the end of meal fruit with a candy, bad for the metabolism and for sleep.Prefer instead the slow sugars of legumes and cereals complete ", suggests the doctor. At what time do we eat ? "In the evening, it is important to finish eating at least 1h30 before bedtime, which often occurs at 22h or 22h30 for the early night and at midnight or midnight and a half for the night owl", advises Dr. Lefrançois.

Do not go to bed too early the next night

Should I go to bed earlier to catch up? Certainly not, replies Dr. Lefrancois. "We must above all respect his biological clock" he says, "because we are programmed to fall asleep every night at the same time, a quarter of an hour close". Be careful not to let the "train of sleep" pass, and not want to catch it too early!

A nap of 15 minutes in the early afternoon

"This is the best way to make up for a bad night", says Dr. Jérôme Lefrançois, general practitioner and member of the French Society for Research and Sleep Medicine (SFRMS). In practice: to respond to the emergency, it is best to opt for a restorative nap, short and effective. "The ideal is to do it in the early afternoon, and it does not exceed 15 or 20 minutes", advises Dr. Lefrançois. "Because if the nap lasts longer, a complete cycle of sleep is triggered and one goes out to the mass' physically and morally.The other risk is to generate an embarrassment to fall asleep the next evening", warns doctor. So think of scheduling an alarm clock not to stay too long in the arms of Morpheus. Take care of your environment: "For the nap, choose an isolated place where you will not be disturbed, not in complete darkness but with low light", advises Dr. Lefrançois. At work too, it is sometimes possible! "You can even take a short nap while sitting at his desk, it can be learned!" Reveals the doctor.

Play sports even after a bad night

It is important to be active every day, especially after a bad night. The doctor's advice: "The human being is made to move every day.Take physical activity (brisk walking, cycling, swimming ...) for at least 40 minutes per day, preferably consecutive" advises Dr. Lefrançois. Why ? "In addition to the beneficial metabolic effects, the sport calls for a need for sleep, the body functions better and the internal clock recalibrates itself", develops the doctor. "The brain will be better oxygenated and the body temperature raised, which will have a waking and anti-sleep effect.It is also why it is not advisable to practice a sport late at night" Dr. Lefrançois.

At work, breaks of 5 minutes every 1h30

Whether it's very short naps or quiet little time without sleep, "breaking up your rest is a good recovery strategy," says Dr. Lefrançois. In the event of fatigue in the morning: "Validate this bodily need by making cuts of 5 to 10 minutes, every 90 minutes" offers the doctor. In practice: "In a quiet place in terms of light and noise, close your eyes and let your brain wander in autopilot" describes Dr. Lefrançois.

Why did you sleep badly?

The bad night can occur exceptionally or repeatedly. In either case, it is important to identify the causes for remediation. The doctor's explanation: "The bad night may have special circumstances: after a heavy dinner and watered, it is normal that the night is shortened and of poor quality, under the influence of digestion and excitement. Heavy stress can also affect the quality of sleep, and the bad night must always be brought closer to its trigger, to better manage it over the long term. "

In the long run, good habits to take

To guarantee quality sleep over the long term, you have to take care of your lifestyle, by applying the following rules:

• go to bed and get up at the same time every day
• practice daily physical activity
• turn off all screens at least two hours before bedtime, "because their blue light blocks melatonin, the sleep hormone", says Dr. Lefrançois.
• if stress is a bad night factor: "Learn to manage it through modern psychotherapy techniques such as hypnosis or cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)" advises the doctor. "A few sessions are sometimes enough to see more clearly and restore a proper sleep", he adds.

(Source)