Sleep makes you smart, creative, healthy, and beautiful –
We have it in our own hands!

Why is sleep so important for us?

Sleep is essential for our lives – even more important than nutrition and exercise. It not only affects our performance and well-being but ultimately also our health. Sleep lays the foundation for our fitness. Certain reflection and repair processes take place during sleep, without which life as we know it would not be possible. Sleep also provides a real energy boost for our brain, as a study has shown.

The exact functions of sleep are still being researched by scientists worldwide. However, some insights have already been gained in about 100 years of research. Here are the four most important facts on the topic ‘Fit through Sleep’:

“If managers knew what happens in the body when you haven’t slept well, they wouldn’t dismiss sleep as a waste of time.”

Frieder Kuhn

Good sleep makes us smarter:
During sleep, the information gathered and temporarily stored during the day is reflected upon and stored in long-term memory. This helps us learn and remember better, as Robert Stickgold from MIT demonstrated in a study.
Good sleep makes us more creative:
During sleep, serotonin and dopamine levels increase. This leads to us being calm yet energized. According to the findings of Baba Shiv from Stanford University, these are the best conditions for peak creativity. And creativity is not only the most important prerequisite for innovation but also for logical and solution-oriented thinking.
Sleep keeps us healthy:
A study by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig found that longer sleep increases the concentration of white blood cells in the blood, thereby boosting the immune system.
Sleep makes us more beautiful:
Our skin undergoes a regeneration process during sleep, and the production of the hormone leptin reduces hunger and thus prevents weight gain.

Conversely, poor sleep and sustained sleep deprivation lead to rapidly declining performance, health problems, and sometimes serious mistakes. Prof. Mark Rosekind found that our decision-making ability is reduced by 50% and our memory performance by 20% when we sleep only 5 instead of 8 hours. In an interview, he said: “It’s not that you can’t decide [when overtired], but you simply make wrong decisions.” (AINonline).

The negative consequences of poor sleep

Lack of or poor sleep should not be taken lightly, as the consequences can be serious.

Short-term consequences

Daytime sleepiness
Lack of concentration
Declining short-term memory
25% reduced work performance
7 times higher likelihood of fatigue-related accidents
Weakening of risk awareness and moral judgment
Sudden mood swings
24 hours of sleep deprivation equals 0.1% blood alcohol content

Long-term consequences

Chronic memory disorders
Mental disorders: depressive mood, irritability
Weakened immune system, 3 times higher risk of colds
Susceptibility to diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and gastrointestinal disorders
Obesity
Premature aging
More than twice as many sick days

Last but not least, the error rate is significantly increased by sleep deprivation. Investigation commissions into the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker accident concluded that sleep deprivation played a decisive role.
And falling asleep at the wheel causes damages worth several billion euros annually in Europe alone, not to mention personal injuries.

Growing awareness of good sleep

All the more astonishing that despite the importance of sleep, we still do not give the topic the necessary attention: we know too little about it, we care too little about it, and we invest too little in the subject.

But a shift in thinking in society, especially among decision-makers, is underway. For example, Peter Terium, CEO of RWE, was recently quoted in the online edition of Wirtschaftswoche (WiWo online) saying that his health is “very important […] and that includes above all getting enough sleep.” In the same report, Felicitas von Elverfeldt, a longtime executive coach for large corporations, noted: “The topic of health is becoming acceptable among executives, and that also includes sleeping properly and well.”

Harvard professor Charles Czeisler even calls the culture of sleep deprivation often found in business “the antithesis of intelligent management” (HBR October 2006).

And this change in thinking seems urgently necessary. Due to increasing mental and physical stress in professional life, more and more people find it harder to relax and get good sleep. These deficits cannot simply be compensated by special nutrition or exercise. According to a representative Forsa survey for the DAK in 2010, almost half of working people are affected. Furthermore, the majority of Germans know little or nothing about the psychological and physical processes during sleep.

It is becoming increasingly clear to players, coaches, and sports doctors that good sleep is an important success factor for athletes. For example, before the start of the World Cup in Brazil, DFB doctor Tim Meyer was quoted in the Stuttgarter Zeitung as follows: “I believe that sleep is an underestimated and therefore little-studied factor when it comes to regeneration. […] A good night’s sleep after a competition is definitely the most effective measure to regain strength.”

What exactly happens in our body during sleep?

During sleep, we typically go through four to six approximately 90-minute sleep cycles at night, characterized by a distinctive sequence of different sleep stages between deep sleep and so-called REM sleep. Although we usually wake up about 28 times on average, we rarely remember this the next morning, provided the waking phases last less than 3 minutes. But what exactly happens in my body during each phase? To learn more, hover your mouse over the individual sleep phases in the graphic below.

1st preparation phase

In our retina, there are light-sensitive cells that send a signal to the brain at the onset of darkness. The pineal gland in the brain then releases the body's own sleep hormone melatonin, and a complex chain reaction with various nutrients and messenger substances is triggered. Some of these substances deepen sleep, others block wake-promoting substances.
For example, sitting in front of blue screen light for a long time in the evening disrupts the signaling function of the retina – a possible cause of falling asleep problems.

2nd falling asleep phase

The rising melatonin level relaxes the muscles and reduces reaction ability as well as mental agility. As soon as you close your eyes, brain waves slow down and brain areas relax.

In this phase, strange thoughts often occur, which are linked more associatively than logically. This is because the thalamus, as the gatekeeper of our consciousness, which decides which signals are passed on to the cerebral cortex, shuts down about nine minutes earlier than the cerebral cortex.
With slowly rolling eye movements, we finally fall from the drowsy state into sleep.

3rd deep sleep phase

Within a few minutes, we fall into the deepest sleep of the night, during which the growth hormone somatotropin reaches its 24-hour peak. It triggers the regeneration and renewal processes that now take place in our tired muscles, stressed skin, hair, and bones. It also regulates the immune system and fat metabolism, promotes wound healing, and disposes of excess metabolic products.

At the same time, brain activity decreases and a clearing out and reorganization takes place. During the day, the brain must react quickly and soaks up a lot of information like a sponge into the hippocampus, the temporary storage of our brain. Many synapses form between brain cells, which are unnecessary. According to the prevailing theory, these are dissolved again by delta waves to make room for new ones. The cerebral cortex, where our long-term memory is located, then signals its capacity to the hippocampus. This reactivates and reflects the fresh memories of the day and stores important information in the cerebral cortex.

4. Dream phase (REM sleep)

This phase of sleep is characterized by rapid back-and-forth eye movements, which is why it is also called the REM phase (Rapid Eye Movement). It is initiated by electrical impulses from the brainstem as well as by the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

In this phase, parts of the cerebral cortex awaken and the brain becomes as active as during the day. While the large muscle groups remain completely relaxed, blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate increase. In the brain, the logical-analytical areas remain inactive, while the visual and emotional areas take command. The brain begins to dream – on average four dreams per night.
Some researchers assume that after the reorganization of factual memory during deep sleep, the dream phase serves to emotionally process the experiences of the day.

5. Awakening phase

As the wake-promoting stress hormone cortisol continues to rise throughout the night, the proportion of REM sleep compared to deep sleep increases more and more.

Finally, the brain begins to awaken. But unlike falling asleep, the cerebral cortex and thalamus wake up together. Since this process can take up to 20 minutes, it is still difficult for us to concentrate and react quickly immediately after waking.
The anterior cingulate cortex, the area directly behind the frontal lobe, wakes up immediately. Since this area is responsible for self-awareness, we perceive ourselves as groggy in the first minutes after waking.

How can we improve our sleep quality, what can we optimize about our sleep?

Once we know how important good sleep is for our performance, resilience, and health, the goal must be to improve the quality of our sleep. But how can we become fit through sleep?

First, we should be aware of how harmful sleep deprivation can be and make sure to allow ourselves enough time for nightly rest in our daily lives. However, due to our professional and social commitments, we often – especially on weekdays – have too little time for sufficient sleep. Then it’s about making the best of it. Even on short nights, we want to recover as well as possible by falling asleep quickly, waking up rarely, and thereby maximizing the time spent in deep and REM sleep phases.

At Third of Life®, we develop products designed to support exactly this – without effort and without much time. Our textiles promote quick falling asleep and rare waking through optimal moisture management, improved heat management, and the sleep-specific OptiSleep zone technology. Because often, feeling cold, sweating, or discomfort are causes of poor restorative sleep. Through our dietary supplements, we also ensure the ideal nutrient supply for the night, perfectly supporting the body's natural regeneration processes.

Moisture management

No more waking up soaked with sweat at night

Thanks to the high-quality fiber combinations and 3D structures used in our textiles, moisture is quickly transported outward. Special ventilation zones provide sufficient airflow in areas where heat accumulates. This keeps the body dry during sleep.

Heat management

No more feeling cold or too hot in bed

Precisely arranged warming and cooling zones ensure that excess heat is dissipated. We also use yarns of different heat classes. In combination with the right blanket, you can achieve your personal optimum for every season.

Comfort

A feel-good experience from the very first moment

The natural fibers we mainly use create a natural softness due to their low fiber stiffness and small cross-section. For example, MicroModal® from Lenzing is 3 times softer than cotton. In addition, seams, buttons, pockets, etc. are largely avoided to prevent skin irritation.

Nutrient supply

Nighttime “doping” for the brain

For the first time, we have developed a special dietary supplement for sleep. Because at night, the brain is sometimes more active than during the day, and the body's regeneration processes are running at full speed, consuming a lot of essential nutrients!

And much more ...

… for better sleep

In the medium and long term, our goal is to bring more product solutions to the market to optimize sleep. We continuously work on this with our partners from the fields of sleep research, textile development, and technology. We will keep you updated on further developments. Let yourself be surprised and browse through our shop.

Sleep Optimization

Sleep makes you smart, creative, healthy, and beautiful – We have it in our own hands!

Sleep makes you smart, creative, healthy, and beautiful – We have it in our own hands!

Why is sleep so important for us?

The negative consequences of poor sleep

Short-term consequences

Long-term consequences

Growing awareness of good sleep

What exactly happens in our body during sleep?

1st preparation phase

2nd falling asleep phase

3rd deep sleep phase

4. Dream phase (REM sleep)

5. Awakening phase

How can we improve our sleep quality, what can we optimize about our sleep?

Moisture management

Heat management

Comfort

Nutrient supply

And much more ...

Sleep makes you smart, creative, healthy, and beautiful –
We have it in our own hands!

Sleep makes you smart, creative, healthy, and beautiful –
We have it in our own hands!