The Dutch method: could this improve your sleep – and social life?

The Dutch method is presented as a sleep strategy and life philosophy, possibly in place since the Reformation and about 500 years old. It looks extremely open; the name might sound like contraception, but that would be a fringe benefit. At its heart, it is a simple suggestion: keep the curtains open.

The reasoning is biological. Light at night can stop you releasing melatonin, while sunlight in the daytime, especially in the morning, helps set the body's clock. A study last year found that getting sunlight before 10am improved sleep quality. So the advice is practical: have blinds and curtains open as you wake, which a sleep consultant says can positively affect sleep.

The Netherlands has a reputation for open windows or no curtains, often linked to Calvinist ideas that the righteous have nothing to hide.

Netherlands

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