Live Podcast, Q&A

Whether it’s the 5 a.m. club, sleep-tracking apps, or dietary supplements: constantly optimizing sleep is trending. But what really works—and what doesn’t?

Many influencers advise their followers to get up early. The alarm goes off as early as 5 a.m., and then it’s time for exercise, self-improvement, and reflection. At the end of the day, of course, nighttime sleep must also be perfectly optimized—ideally with a sleep tracker. This phenomenon is referred to as “sleepmaxxing” on social media. But the constant effort to optimize one’s sleep can even become almost compulsive—and thus actually worsen sleep. After all, when you’re stressed, you don’t sleep well. Sleep researcher Dr. Christine Blume and science journalist Ilka Knigge discuss what helps and what doesn’t when it comes to sleeping better in the podcast “About Sleep.”

Featuring: Dr. Christine Blume, sleep researcher and sleep therapist at the University of Basel and the University Psychiatric Clinics of Basel

Moderator: Ilka Knigge, Science journalist, Deutschlandfunk Nova

In cooperation with Deutschlandfunk Nova