A night can sometimes last a very long time if you can't sleep. But you'll catch up on that sleep at the weekend, right? Santé unravels 6 sleeping myths.
Myth 1:a cup of coffee after dinner is best
TRUTH: On average, we Dutch drink four cups of coffee a day. This makes us world champions in coffee drinking, according to American research. But all that caffeine can keep you from falling asleep at night. It disrupts the quality of sleep and blocks the production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
SOLUTION: Don't drink coffee six hours before you go to sleep, that's the time your metabolism needs to process caffeine. In addition to coffee, caffeine is also hidden in many other products, such as energy drinks, cola, black tea, dark chocolate, chewing gum, and some pain relief for headaches or migraines.
You can reduce the need for coffee by drinking echinacea tea during lunch, for example. Echinacea ensures that the caffeine from your morning coffee stays in your body longer. Second, eat broccoli at night. This vegetable ensures that the caffeine that is still present disappears from your body faster.
Read all 6 sleep myths from page 28 in the April issue of Santé.
