Sleep well!

A good night’s sleep is vital to your physical and mental well-being. But we’re actually all sleeping less, with all the related negative consequences. How do you once again make sleeping a way of life rather than the tailpiece of the day?

The annual survey of the Dutch Association for Sleep and Wakefulness reveals that people in the Netherlands are sleeping an average of 1.5 to 2 hours less a night. Some thirty percent of the Dutch population is even sleeping only six hours or less per day. This is nothing to brag about, because too little sleep significantly impacts both physical and mental health. Sleep deprivation negatively affects your mood and makes it harder for you to concentrate. It also causes you to become stressed more quickly and impairs your cognitive functions. Having an irregular sleeping rhythm for ten years or longer will even cause your brain to age by an additional 6.5 years.

Ideal bedtime
The amount of sleep needed differs per age group. Babies need around 16 hours of sleep a day. Toddlers need 12 hours, primary school children need 11 to 12 hours and high school students and college students up to age 25 need at least 9 hours. Adults need an average of 7.5 hours of sleep. These hours of sleep are needed to restore and repair the brain. Norwegian researcher Claire Sexton describes it perfectly: ‘Sleep is actually the brain’s housekeeper.’ In fact: there are virtually no aspects of our lives that will not improve when we get enough sleep. Your creativity and inventiveness are given a boost and you gain greater self-confidence and decisiveness.

Preparation time
Three things are imperative if you want to get a good night’s sleep: you must be sleepy enough, you must be relaxed and you must want to sleep. In other words, a good night’s sleep requires preparation time. One aspect of these preparations entails switching off your tablet, smartphone and laptop about two hours before you want to go to sleep, because otherwise you will be too active. Dim the lights and perhaps light some candles. You can also take a hot shower or bath. While it might sound contradictory, this will actually cool down your body from the inside out and help you sleep well. If you want to watch television, view something that is not too mentally stimulating. Also don’t have any heated discussions, but do something relaxing that isn’t too taxing for you.

How financially fit are you?
Besides a healthy life, you want a healthy pension. By staying aware of the pension market and react to it in a flexible way, we keep your pension in top condition. Do you already have a pension scheme with BeFrank? Then you can see how your pension is doing on your Personal Pension page. Here you will also find the most important updates. Do you not have a pension scheme with BeFrank yet? Ask your employer about the possibilities.