Sleep: The body's most important medicine
Many Danes do not sleep optimally, and it turns out that over 40% of the adult population suffers from sleep problems. This is a significant problem that can be a catalyst for many negative consequences of getting too little and poor sleep. The causes of sleep difficulties are often well-known and are conditioned by stress, acute illnesses, emotional circumstances, and social or work-related conditions, e.g., shift work or collegial problems. Sleep coach and owner of the company Sovecoach.dk, Joan Flak, helps children, young people, and adults optimize their sleep quality. Joan Flak has been involved in well-being and quality of life for over 20 years and highlights a good night's sleep as the most important element in our lives and welfare. She points out that good sleep is as crucial for our well-being as a healthy diet and exercise.
Sleep deprivation is a catalyst for illness and poor well-being
Sleep difficulties, also called insomnia, can be defined as conditions where one has difficulty falling asleep, difficulty sleeping through the night, or wakes up too early, and where the sleep difficulty is associated with daytime symptoms, e.g., daytime fatigue. Sleep difficulties are among the most common and bothersome symptoms among the Danish population. In fact, we have never experienced a generation that deprioritizes their sleep so much.
In recent years, it has become clear that sleep, especially deep sleep, is of great importance for our lives and well-being. When we deprioritize our sleep, our bodies do not regenerate optimally at the right times at night. This inhibits, for example, the formation of the hormones that ensure the development and maintenance of our body and brain, which therefore impairs our physical health, well-being, and significantly our overall quality of life. It also limits our immune system, which increases the risk of serious illnesses. Therefore, good sleep is essential to make us well-rested, energized, and generally function well in everyday life.
Deep sleep is the focal point
A survey by Kantar Gallup, conducted for Gjensidige, shows that every third Dane sleeps less than the recommended seven to nine hours for adults, due to stress, racing thoughts, and personal sleep needs. Precisely, every fourth person who sleeps less than seven hours a night states in the survey that the lack of sleep is because they do not feel they need the recommended amount of sleep.
Sleep deprivation limits our daily lives. It weakens our concentration and makes us irritable – resulting in less motivation to handle daily tasks.
"When you invest in your sleep, you invest in your quality of life"
- owner of Sovecoach.dk, Joan Flak
Sleep coach, Joan Flak, emphasizes the importance of sleep and compares a day without a good night's sleep to cycling uphill – all day long. Therefore, she believes that we should take our sleep seriously. She highlights the human sleep cycle, which includes the first 90 minutes of our sleep – after which the body needs to find its way into deep sleep. Joan Flak considers this a point of contention if we experience too many light awakenings. It is therefore important to reach deep sleep, which helps achieve REM sleep, which Joan Flak believes is incredibly important for both our physical and mental health.
There are many methods to optimize and improve our sleep. Joan Flak recommends the weighted blanket as a perfect tool for Danes with sleep problems. ScandinavianRest has designed the weighted blanket, created to provide better sleep quality and reduce daytime fatigue. Unlike normal duvets, the weighted blanket uses extra weight to soothe the nervous system. This reduces racing thoughts and other disturbances before deep sleep. It is based on a number of studies that prove that pressure touch reduces restlessness and sleep difficulties. This tool can certainly be an essential step towards better sleep.