Tips and apps for a «deep and healthy sleep»
Adults «sleep away» around a third of their life. However, many experience difficulties either falling asleep or sleeping through the night. Those who would like to make their sleep as regenerating as possible can find scientifically based information and tips, as well as reviews of several sleep apps, on a new platform of the ZHAW. The platform was commissioned and financed by the Axa insurance company.
More than a third of the Swiss population experience difficulties falling asleep or sleeping through the night – this was revealed by the most recent Swiss Health Survey conducted by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office in 2017. Those who would like to improve the quality of their sleep can find countless pieces of information on this subject online. But which information is reliable and scientifically based? And which of the many smartphone apps that promise better sleep are actually any good?
The Research Unit for Health Sciences helps you to navigate this information jungle with a new information page on the «Digital Health Lab» platform of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). On behalf of Axa, the research unit has put together a collection of scientifically based information and tips on the subject of sleep. In addition to the latest findings from the field of sleep research, the «Healthy sleep» information page also provides numerous tips for enjoying a good night’s sleep: making reference to scientific studies, it shows, for example, why doing intensive sport before going to sleep should be avoided and what you can do if negative thoughts are robbing you of sleep.
Selected apps put to the test
The information page also contains reviews of several sleep apps that have been assessed according to different criteria. In performing these reviews, the research unit has not only investigated the practicality of the apps but also other criteria, such as compliance with ethical and scientific standards, transparency and user-friendliness.
The information page on the topic of sleep is part of a larger project in which the Research Unit for Health Sciences is developing scientifically based information and tips on a variety of health issues on behalf of Axa.
Ergotherapeutic perspective of sleep
Axa also demonstrates its commitment to healthcare provision with a blog on health-related topics. Here too, readers can find useful information on the topic of sleep, for example, in an interview with Verena Langlotz, an occupational therapist and lecturer at the ZHAW School of Health Professions. In the interview, Langlotz, who has specialised in how environmental factors influence our sleep, provides information on the right sleeping position, how to buy the ideal mattress and how to create a sleep-friendly environment.