Created by a Canadian personal development author, this method claims to help you fall asleep by following five rules before bed. What are they really worth?
While some may boast that they’ve never had a problem sleeping, for others, getting to sleep every night is a road full of pitfalls. In an article published on September 22, the British newspaper The Independent suggests the angry pillow try the “10-3-2-1-0” method, created in 2016 by Canadian personal development coach and author Craig Ballentine. In July, this aid was even transferred instagram by American pediatrician Jess Entrade. The promise? Facilitate sleep and even prevent night awakenings.
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Five simple tips
The “10-3-2-1-0” method consists of five tips. The first four should be taken before going to bed. 10 represents the number of hours before bed during which no more coffee should be consumed. 3 means the number of hours you should not eat or drink alcohol before bed. 2 for the number of hours before bed during which all work is prohibited, 1 for the hour before bed during which screens are off, and 0 for the number of times one delays getting up in the morning.
Should we consider it a miracle cure for insomniacs? If the method is not revolutionary, it contains medical truths, explains psychiatrist Patrick Lemoine, who specializes in sleep. The first tip makes sense: caffeine can prevent sleep because its stimulating effect lasts longer. “In an adult, caffeine has an effect throughout the day, you can even have a peak within ten hours after consumption,” says the doctor. So, if you want to go to bed at 11:00 p.m., it is better to stop drinking hot drinks after 1:00 p.m. As you get older, the advice is even more valid, as the elimination of caffeine from the body becomes slower. “From the age of 60, I advise my patients to drink coffee only in the morning,” comments Patrick Lemoine.
Avoid nighttime distractions
By eating too late, our sleep will also be disturbed by our digestive work. In case of insomnia, the evening meal should even be adapted. “It is better to eat slow sugars, such as pasta or rice, because fast sugars cause hypoglycemia during the night, which can wake us up,” warns the specialist. You should also prefer small amounts and avoid “heavy” food (sauces, meat, flour).
Alcohol has the same mechanism as sleeping pills, but it worsens the quality of sleep, causes apnea and leads to dehydration.
Patrick Lemoine, sleep specialist psychiatrist
Alcohol should also be avoided before going to bed. “Although the drink has the same mechanism as sleeping pills and makes us sleepy, says the psychiatrist, it worsens the quality of sleep, causes apnea and leads to dehydration, which wakes up during the night.”
Zero stimulation and no sleep
According to the “10-3-2-1-0” method, you should stop working two hours before going to bed. At least, according to Patrick Lemoine. “Finding emails in the evening disrupts the sleep phase, we don’t have time to digest one that can be painful before going to sleep. This disrupts our sleep phase. It’s best to avoid these stimuli after dinner, just as you avoid sports sessions or horror movies, because they cause too much excitement.
If you are awake but go back to sleep ten minutes later by hitting snooze, you are producing REM sleep, which is not restful.
Patrick Lemoine, sleep specialist psychiatrist
The Canadian coach then recommends turning off any screens an hour before bed. Insufficient duration according to Patrick Lemoine. The doctor reminds us. blue light from phones, tablets and computers throw off our natural rhythms. “It blocks the secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone that should naturally occur during the night,” he informs. On the other hand, television harms us less, because it is more than two meters from us and emits a small blue light, continues the specialist.
The last tip to improve the quality of nights is about waking up. For our own good, we need to break the bad habit of clicking short sleep and delay getting up for a few minutes. The advice approved by the psychiatrist. “If you are awake but fall asleep again for ten minutes, you are having paradoxical sleep, which is not restful.” Establishing a very regular waking schedule and not deviating from it too much on the weekends is important when you suffer from sleep problems.
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In conclusion: If everyone has their own bedtime rituals, despite the difficulties, then the “10-3-2-1-0” method is worth remembering as the basic rules of good sleep hygiene. Apply before taking sleeping pills.
Source: Le Figaro
