Eat kiwi, laugh – and have an orgasm

If you were awake last night or had trouble falling asleep yesterday, you are not alone. Among Swedes between the ages of 45 and 64, almost one in two states that they have sleep problems, according to statistics from the Public Health Agency.

– There is a lot that affects us and it is difficult to relax and find peace and quiet to sleep. And it is definitely quite a big challenge right now that we are affected in different ways by what is happening in the outside world, says sleep researcher Christian Benedict in Nyhetsmorgon.

He is currently working on the book “Sleep to a better life – what breathing, sex, melatonin, weight blanket, full moon and kiwi can do for your sleep”, where he explains what constitutes good sleep, what to avoid if you want to sleep good night and gives a series of concrete tips for those who struggle with sleep problems.

– We no longer talk about probabilities but about black and white. There are many people who have sleep problems, but it is an umbrella term and as many different views as it can appear.

Map your sleep

Christian Benedict believes that we should first map our sleep to get an idea of ​​what our sleep pattern looks like, compared over a longer period. This can be done by using different sleep tracking apps or by charting the night’s sleep, using emojis.

– Use an emoji system: a happy emoji, an in-between, and a not-so-happy-with-sleep emoji. So you do this day by day and assess and after a month or two you can count the emojis you have. If most of the emojis are happy, you are on the right side of sleep. So try to zoom out a bit and have a helicopter perspective when it comes to sleep.

If you wake up during the night and have difficulty falling back to sleep, or lie in bed for a long time without being able to fall asleep with thoughts spinning, it is a good idea to leave the bedroom for a while. But it is important to engage in activities that do not overstimulate the brain.

– When there is stress, you see that it is good to leave the bedroom. Do something in peace and quiet in the living room. Listen to a podcast or music, read something. And when you feel sleepy enough, you return and try one more time.

Eat kiwi, laugh – and have an orgasm

For those who have struggled with sleep for a long time, it is probably not unusual to have tried most things. But are there any quick fixes, some effective tips that work better than others? According to a study, two kiwi fruits before bedtime have positive effects on both falling asleep and sleep quality, and laughing a lot should also deepen the quality of sleep, says the sleep researcher. And several studies show that an orgasm works particularly well.

– If you think purely medically about the orgasm, a lot of substances are released that have a calm and calming effect – oxytocin, the love hormone! Says the sleep researcher.

– But if you have a very tired wife next to you, maybe you should fix it yourself? Tabs Jenny Strömstedt in.