The sun goes down, winter coats are taken out of the closet and the days are getting shorter. It's clear, winter is coming! That also means that on the night of October 31, we turn the clocks back an hour, from 3 a.m. to 2 a.m. Yes, sleep an hour longer! Yet many people dread this, because it confuses their sleep rhythm (and that of the whole family, read the children). How can you ensure that you do sleep well, turning back the clock and all year round?
Our sleep depends on our biorhythm, our internal clock. It works under the influence of the sleep hormone melatonin, which your body mainly produces when it is dark. In winter we get less light than during other seasons, causing our biorhythms to get confused. We are often tired during the day due to the little daylight, which in turn ensures that we no longer feel tired in the evening. Almost a quarter of the Dutch population suffers from sleeping problems. This is apparent from the health survey by Statistics Netherlands (CBS). A lack of sleep, insomnia, an interrupted sleep rhythm, etc. lead to various ailments (including headache, poor concentration, lack of energy) but also to bigger problems. With a large lack of sleep, for example, your reaction speed can be slower, you have an increased risk of, among other things, diabetes and you can develop memory problems.
The switch to winter time is experienced by many as a mini jet lag. If you are used to going to bed and getting up at fairly fixed times, then an hour certainly brings some change. This is even more true for young children. It can help to go to bed and get up 15 minutes later a few days before the switch. This way you have a less abrupt change and you spread that extra hour of sleep over several days. You are actually reprogramming your biorhythm, adapted to winter time. For those who are not a regular sleeper, it can help to change the clock the night before, instead of at night. This way you are a day ahead of the switch and you are more aware of when you go to sleep a little later.
In addition, quiet sounds can make a huge difference before you go to sleep. That is also the opinion of Dr. Shelby Harris, who specializes in the treatment of sleeping problems. “I advise people to schedule half an hour of relaxation every night before going to sleep, and sounds play an important role in that. It's important to find something that helps you be "in the moment", to calm down and focus on what you're hearing. It is essential that you discover which sound works for you to induce sleep, because that varies from person to person,” advises Harris. Sonos is responding to this with several Sleep Stations that they have recently launched on their radio streaming service Sonos Radio. In collaboration with specialists (including Mikael Jorgensen and Greg McCallister), they have put together various Sleep Stations that help you unwind, fall asleep and sleep better.
Sonos deliberately chose not to let people relax with singing or spoken stories. Human voices are too distracting, causing us to listen too much instead of relaxing and slowly unwinding. Did you know that even noise can help you fall asleep? Gregg McCallister (Senior Sound Experience Manager at Sonos):“Noise is great for masking external noise and stimuli, but there are different flavors of noise. And people may prefer one or the other, or one may be more appropriate for a particular situation. That's why we created 3 types of noise:white, pink and brown.”
The solution or ultimate playlist does not exist, which makes sense when you consider how much we differ from each other. But the right moments of rest when it's still light, a routine adapted to the change to winter time and a series of Sleep Stations, hopefully help you find your sleep rhythm this weekend. I'm curious what works for you!
