Chatting with... Bruna Reis and Sofia Rebocho, authors of 'O Teu Mal é Sono'

Bruna Reis and Sofia Rebocho source: LinkedIn

On this World Sleep Day, we thought it was important to show you the importance of sleep in our lives and give you some tips so that when you buy Under pyjamas, you have a totally peaceful and revitalising sleep experience.

To that end, we have been chatting to the authors of the book - which is actually a variation of the podcast of the same name 'O teu mal é sono' - and we share it with you in this article.

'O teu mal é sono' Podcast source: Spotify

How did 'O Teu Mal é Sono' podcast come about?

The podcast appeared in 2020, still in the pandemic phase, when our clinic closed and we started to notice the difficulties people had to fall asleep due to the symptoms of anxiety and uncertainty with the pandemic and the reports of intense nightmares with the virus. So, I (Bruna) decided to challenge Sofia to create a podcast about sleep and its disorders, because I was already facing many beliefs, myths, half-truths and lack of knowledge about sleep in a clinical, family and social context.

How did the opportunity to turn the project into a book come about? 

We received the invitation from Manuscrito (renowned Portuguese publisher) a year after starting the podcast and instagram page. We were very surprised at the time! The challenge was to transport the essence of the project from digital to paper with a dynamic, interactive, practical book, with a close, but scientific language to rediscover what sleep is and what it means in our lives.

'O teu mal é sono' cover source: LinkedIn

What do you think affects the quality of sleep the most? 

There are numerous factors that can impact on the quality of sleep, such as the challenges of everyday life, work, lack of exercise, alcohol, food, illnesses, whether sleep disorders are present or not. But if we had to name an explosive and contemporary duo, we would say stress and technology.

How many hours of sleep do you consider essential to get a restful sleep?

Recommendations tell us that an adult should sleep between 7 to 9 hours a day. Being a wide range, and knowing that everyone's need for sleep is individual, we need to find our magic number. We can do this at a time when, for a few days, we are free from professional and/or social commitments (on holiday, for example) and do not have to use an alarm clock. If we go to bed at the first sign of drowsiness and wake up for a few days naturally, without an alarm clock, feeling revitalised, that is our magic number: the number of hours of sleep we need to wake up well and which we should preserve as much as possible.

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At Under, we try to raise awareness of the importance of sleep and the impact it has on physical and mental health. What routines do you follow and recommend for those who have difficulty falling asleep?

Keeping bedtime and wake-up times as regular as possible (even at weekends) is a golden rule because it allows our biological clock to learn the rhythm and go on autopilot to "switch off" and "switch on" at the right times. Another important routine, especially for those who have trouble falling asleep, is to make sure there is a clear separation between day and night/work and sleep. To have balance we should not overload the day with activities in a disproportionate way, it is essential to have time to relax so that we do not take our problems to bed: read, listen to music, write down the to-do list for the next day, talk to someone and switch off.

Do you think that comfort at bedtime affects the quality of sleep?

There are two fundamental things for sleep to go smoothly: safety and comfort. Nobody can sleep well in an unsafe or uncomfortable place, regardless of the origin of this discomfort (wrong room temperature, noise, untidy room, pyjamas and/or unsuitable bed linen, among other factors). Feeling comfortable is essential to rest and appropriate pyjamas can help us relax and signal that it is time to sleep.

If 'o teu mal é sono' were a Under pyjamas, what would it be? And why?

This is a funny question. We were undecided between Pacific Pyjama Set and Bloom, but we would say that the last characterises very well the growing and blossoming phase that 'o teu mal é sono' is going through. We've been trying to bring some freshness in approaching and conveying the message of the importance of sleep to the public, so Bloom fits us like a glove!

Under Sleepwear - Bloom Pyjama Set

You can listen to the podcast here and find all information about the podcast and the book at www.oteumalesono.pt