Better sleep with Matt Walker's QQRT concept
One thing is clear: when we sleep well and sufficiently, we feel better and are healthier. But one thing is also clear: many people find it difficult to fall asleep in the evening and sleep through the night. If you are nodding in agony, the so-called QQRT concept may help you.
The duration and quality of your nightly sleep noticeably affect your health and mental well-being. That's why it's worthwhile for everyone to optimize their sleep as much as possible. The QQRT concept from sleep researcher Prof. Matt Walker can help you on your way to better sleep hygiene. It is based on four pillars of good sleep: quantity, quality, regularity and timing. In this article, we'll introduce it to you in more detail.
Q for quantity: How much sleep do you need?
This is about the total amount of sleep you get as an adult within 24 hours. For most people, 7-9 hours is optimal. However, it is important that the sleep duration is related: 4 x 2 hours is not the same as 8 hours of sleep in a row. Because many regenerative processes take place within the individual sleep phases, you should interrupt them as rarely as possible. Chronic lack of sleep can lead to many health problems.
What you can do:
The easiest way is to reserve a fixed time slot for your sleep, for example, go to bed at 10 p.m. every night and get up at 6 a.m. every morning. Sleep trackers like the Oura Ring (which we use ourselves) or other wearables can help you find out how long you actually sleep.
Q for quality: How restful is your sleep?
The quality of sleep is as important as its duration. “High-quality” sleep has longer periods of deep sleep and several REM phases – they are particularly relevant for physical, cognitive and emotional recovery. Waking up more often during the night (without necessarily noticing it) is normal, but longer periods of wakefulness are not beneficial to your sleep quality.
What you can do:
Your bedroom should be as dark, quiet and cool as possible. Around 18°C is a good guideline for the temperature. If your bedroom is rather noisy or your head is still too full, white noise machines can help you relax. Also pay attention to other disruptive factors such as scratchy bed linen or an uncomfortable pillow.
R for regularity: when to go to bed and when to get out?
Convinced late risers may not like to hear this, but sleeping in at the weekend can disrupt the body's sleep-wake rhythm. This means that you have a harder time falling asleep and waking up during the week - a kind of mini jet lag. And that in turn has a negative effect on the length and quality of sleep.
What you can do:
Strengthen your body's circadian rhythm by setting your normal alarm clock on the weekend. It's best to avoid taking a nap or short naps in between.
T for timing: What does the internal clock say?
Timing has nothing to do with whether you go to bed at 9 or 11 p.m., but rather relates to your body's internal clock. The ideal time to fall asleep is when you naturally feel tired. For most people, this is in the late evening hours. This "ready-for-bed" feeling is closely linked to the production of melatonin - this hormone tells the body that it is time to sleep.
What you can do:
You should sleep when it is dark. You may notice that you get tired a little earlier in winter than in summer. A short walk at midday gives you a dose of natural light, which helps set your internal clock all year round. Avoid blue light from screens in the evening: special apps or blocking glasses filter out the blue parts so that you can still watch a film without worrying. But pay attention to your natural tiredness signals, they are like a kind of internal timer.
You may be a little overwhelmed by all the rules and recommendations. Don't worry, most of the things will quickly become a pleasant habit. When you notice that you actually sleep better and feel more rested during the day, your efforts will have paid off.
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