Re-Mind Project Self-Help Tools

Better understanding your sleep

Sleep is important

Sleep is essential because it helps to:

  • Recover physically
  • Think and learn better
  • Managing your emotions
  • Maintaining good health

Everyone is different, with varying sleep needs (between 6 and 10 hours) and schedules. Some people are more "morning people," others more "night owls." Waking up during the night is normal.

For what ?

Sleep works in cycles. It is normal to wake up briefly during these cycles.

Dreams

Dreams are part of sleep:

  • They are more frequent at the end of the night
  • They mix memories and emotions
  • They can be strange.
  • They may also be absent

Dreams are not dangerous

Why do we dream?
The brain continues to work during the night and processes emotions and memories.

Nightmares

Nightmares are dreams that make you feel afraid:

  • They can wake us up
  • They are more frequent in cases of stress

They are normal when they don't occur too often and don't interfere with your daily life. After a stressful event, nightmares may occur more frequently and then gradually decrease.

Why do we have nightmares?

This is a way to manage difficult emotions or stressful memories.

When sleep becomes difficult

It can happen:

  • Having difficulty falling asleep
  • Waking up several times during the night and having difficulty falling back asleep
  • To feel like you're sleeping poorly
  • To feel tired despite a full night's sleep

For what ?

Sleep is sensitive to stress, emotions, and the environment. When your situation improves and you are less stressed, sleep also improves in most cases.

The vicious cycle of insomnia and stress

The more you try to force sleep, the more stress increases and the more the body remains on alert.
This is the vicious cycle of insomnia and stress: stress activates the body, when it should be calm in order to fall asleep.

Some tips to improve your sleep

The bed is made for sleeping

  • Go to bed when you are drowsy (e.g., itchy eyes, yawning, closing eyelids)
  • Avoid prolonged activities in bed such as watching television, knitting, using your phone, or reading.
  • Avoid staying awake in bed for long periods. If you can't sleep: get up calmly; do something quiet; come back when you feel sleepy.

For what ?

The brain learns to associate the bed with sleep. If you stay awake in bed, it associates the bed with wakefulness and other activities.

Maintain a rhythm

  • Getting up at the same time every day. Even after a bad night's sleep.

For what ?

The body functions with an internal clock. Getting up at a fixed time helps to stabilize it.

Soothe the body in the evening

Before going to sleep, and always away from your bed, do a relaxing activity.

  • Slow breathing (e.g., heart coherence or relaxation exercise)
  • Calm music
  • Simple reading

Avoid screens and stress

The Respirelax+ app can be useful for practicing heart coherence and learning to calm breathing in minutes.

For what ?

The body needs to slow down to fall asleep. Screens and stress keep it on alert.

Calm the thoughts

When thoughts arise such as:

  • "I'm not going to sleep."

You can try to transform them into positive thoughts:

  • "My body knows how to sleep," "despite bad nights, I've already managed to function the next day."

For what ?

Stressful thoughts keep us awake. Calmer thoughts help the body relax. With practice, the brain is able to influence its thoughts in a positive way.

Daylight helps the night

Daylight helps the night:

  • Go outside in the daylight, especially in the morning
  • Engage in regular physical activity (ideally early in the day).
  • Limit naps to 20–40
  • No naps after 4pm
  • Reduce screen time and bright lights in the evening

For what ?

Light and activity help to regulate the sleep clock and increase natural tiredness in the evening.

Accepting imperfect nights

  • Some nights are less good
  • This is normal and sleep returns naturally

For what ?

The more you fight sleep, the more you prevent it. Acceptance improves sleep. "Sleep hunger" increases when you haven't slept; this is what we call sleep pressure.

Avoid if possible

  • Staying awake in bed for a long time
  • Check the time several times during the night
  • Using the phone in bed
  • Drinking coffee, black tea, or energy drinks at the end of the day
  • Reduce screen time and bright lights in the evening
  • Taking long naps
  • Putting too much pressure on yourself to “absolutely sleep”.

What to do next
A nightmare?

To wake up completely, to reorient oneself in the present and to regain one's calm

  • Move: get out of bed, sit down or stand up
  • Take a deep breath
  • Regaining a sense of security by looking at a reassuring object nearby
  • Orienting oneself in the present: looking around, drinking some water, washing one's face…

Useful resources

Psy-Health.ch Swiss resource for promoting the mental health of migrants, with information adapted to the realities of migration.

The Swiss Red Cross's Sui Ressource app is aimed at refugees in Switzerland. Free and available in seven languages, it raises awareness about mental health and supports integration (link to sleep in the well-being section).

When should you ask for help?

It is important to ask for help if:

  • The sleep difficulties have been ongoing for more than three months.
  • They appear more than three times a week
  • Nightmares are disturbing you greatly, even during the day
  • Fatigue has a significant impact on your daily life.

Sleep problems are serious. Effective solutions exist. Talking about your difficulties is already a first step.

Do you want to be accompanied?

You can take the test online, contact Re-Mind, or ask a professional to guide you towards appropriate support.