This Surprising Activity Can Improve Your Sleep Quality

For people who suffer from insomnia and other sleep disorders, ways to induce sleep and improve sleep quality are generally no longer much of a mystery. Light meals in the evening, turning off screens an hour before bed, physical exercise during the day, relaxation before going to bed, reading, stopping coffee, meditation… when it comes to better sleep, more or less effective advice There are innumerable.

Yet, even after testing them all separately or together, you don’t see any improvement. A new study was published in Physiology and behavior Explored the benefits of another technique that’s as invigorating as it is potentially effective.

Forget Hot Showers, Try Cold Showers

Among the activities that should be banned right before bed, many experts cite the example of taking a hot shower or a hot bath. These increase body temperature, just like physical activity or a hearty meal, which should also be avoided before bed. that interferes with sleepBut should we replace hot bath with cold bath? In any case, that’s what Robert Allen and his fellow researchers asked themselves.

He believes, “We are seeing a growing trend toward cold water immersion among the general population, with the belief that it can contribute to a number of positive physical and psychological changes related to improved general health and well-being.” saipost,

encouraging results on sleep

The researchers conducted their experiment on a small sample. They recruited 13 healthy participants, including eight men and five women, whose average age was about 21 years. The experiment involved submerging participants up to their waist or chest. In water maintained at 10°C For 10 minutes three times a week for four weeks. Measurements were taken at six time points: before the first immersion, immediately after the first immersion, and at the end of each week. The researchers assessed their cognitive performance, their well-being, the quality of their sleep and their anxiety levels.

In addition to a partial improvement in cognitive performance, the results reported by the participants showed Reduction in sleep disordersRobert Allen assures, “Regular therapeutic immersion in cold water for two weeks improved subjective sleep, reducing sleep disturbances.” PsyPostImmersion in cold water to promote sleep may be more effective at times when sleep disturbances are more pronounced. »To confirm the benefits of cold baths on sleep quality, it will be necessary to conduct experiments on a larger scale and in more natural environments, outside laboratories. Despite this, researchers emphasize the difficulty of designing the perfect experiment, without any limitations. “Our data provided us with more questions to investigate, such as the importance of water temperature on sleep and sleep quality before starting the immersion protocol,” says Robert Allen.