Column – Everything can be a pillow
Sleep in Thailand is not a holy grail that requires a darkened room, an orthopedic mattress and a mindfulness app. Sleep is simply something you do, when and where it suits you. No time to go to bed? No problem. The sidewalk, a plastic stool or the seat of a Honda Dream will do just fine.
While Westerners have to worm their way to the edge of unconsciousness with lavender sprays, weighted blankets and ASMR whispers, the average Thai simply closes their eyes and is done. No complicated ritual, no ruminations on the meaning of life, no twisting and turning to find the perfect sleeping position. Just BAM, gone. Even a stray dog, not the most demanding of sleepers, looks on enviously.
It is fascinating and frustrating at the same time. There you are, a Western, worn-out office slave with a back that only functions on physiotherapy and paracetamol, while a Thai construction worker doubles over on a bag of cement in the burning sun and is deep in dreamland within three seconds. We make a science of it. They make an art of it.
Perhaps it is the Western obsession with comfort. Our beds must be ‘supportive’, our mattresses ‘adaptive’, our pillows ‘pressure relieving’. The Thai, on the other hand, believe in a radically different approach: if the head rests on something, it is a pillow. And if the body lies somewhere, it is a bed. Simple. No fuss.
You would almost think that we are doing it wrong. That all those ergonomic mattresses and sleep coaches are taking us further away from real sleep. We close the curtains, they close their eyes. Simple.
While we chase sleep with our melatonin pills and white noise machines, somewhere a taxi driver lies across the backseat of his own car, dreaming of rice with pork. The man who lies tossing and turning for hours on a Tempur mattress? Fully rested. But then without being rested.
Maybe we should just accept that we will never rise above the level of an amateur insomnia club when it comes to sleep. We can keep investing in high-tech mattresses and biorhythm apps, but until we learn to sleep on a stool with one buttock and half a vertebra in the air, we will remain beginners.
The Thai? The Picasso of sleeping. Us? The Van Goghs, one ear to our sleep coach, the other in stress.
The Thai is sleeping. We are worrying. About why we are not sleeping. And in the meantime we buy an even more expensive pillow. For decoration.
About this blogger
- The Expat (66) has been living in Pattaya for 17 years and enjoys every day in the land of milk and honey! Previously employed in road and hydraulic engineering, but fled the capricious weather in the Netherlands. Lives here with his Thai girlfriend and two dogs just outside Pattaya, a 3-minute walk from the beach. Hobbies: enjoying life, going out, sports and philosophizing with friends about football, Formula 1 and politics.
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It is sometimes said that a Thai can sleep on a wire.
“If the head rests on something, it is a pillow. And if the body lies somewhere, it is a bed.” also fits in with that.
My wife says “I'm tired”, lies down somewhere, yawns once and is in dreamland.
Something I am jealous of.
Friends of mine had a Belgian friend who had won over a Thai. She didn't know Dutch. But what happens when we come to visit? That turned out to be no problem. She sat there and fell asleep immediately. And kept that up until they left again. Can you imagine it?
When I met my in-laws here in 2007, my mother-in-law was the first to go dancing whenever there was a party.
But also the first to go to sleep, on a rock-hard table…..
My Thai girlfriend sleeps fine on a hard bed and with noisy air conditioning, but I can't sleep with either.
Sometimes she can sleep for 10 hours and sometimes she can surf the internet until 04.00am and then sleep and get up early. She makes up for the lack of sleep with afternoon naps or a good night's sleep.
I recently moved to my new home, the mother-in-law came with me, she has her own room with a bed, 2 days later the bed was put aside and she slept next to it on the floor, the bed was too soft was her explanation
Could it be that our white Farangs' poor sleep is due to our excess weight?
Most Thais have a great figure and perfect BMI, but us?
I myself am also quite a few kilos overweight and have difficulty sleeping deeply for long periods of time and with night sweats, which I believe are both cause and effect.
It is a consequence of obesity, which also causes lower back pain and discomfort, because I cannot sleep comfortably for long periods of time in a relaxed position.
Unfortunately, after losing 15% it is now almost impossible to lose more weight, especially in the hot period, when I am less active during the day. If it is below 07.00 degrees at 20:7 in the morning I still go for a 0.800 km walk every day, but with the current temperature this is not an option, it is already irresponsible to do much exercise under the sun at 10.00 in the sun, only some gardening and pool maintenance in the shade until max. XNUMX:XNUMX.
So yes, I too am jealous of all those Thais who can sleep at all times, but unfortunately not me.
Next month the ordeal of flying to Europe again, which for me means 30-36 hours of no sleep and boredom on the plane, after 3 films that gets boring too.
Being overweight is without a doubt also a cause of poor sleep.
“Most Thais have a great figure and perfect BMI”
When I look at Thailand and its people in general, I get the impression that many people will have trouble sleeping in the future because of this...
Maybe a hint.
I am also more overweight than is healthy. I also hardly lose any weight.
But I know the cause.
Despite the fact that I work in the garden every day between 7 and 10, I compensate for it later with my Burgundian lifestyle. My own fault, tough luck and I realize that.
But as for sleeping. Maybe a tip.
I started sleeping a lot better after visiting the sleep clinic.
It was determined that I suffer from sleep apnea.
They gave me a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine and since then I wake up well rested.
In Belgium, this is paid by the health insurance fund, except for a personal contribution of 7 euros per month.
Maybe it's an idea to have that measured too. The difference is really big.
If you only sleep I can recommend Magnesium Taurate. It is magnesium combined with taurine, which stimulates the production of GABA, a neurotransmitter that promotes sleep.
Helps with stress reduction and deep sleep. Good for the heart and supports healthy blood pressure. Don't expect miracles right away, but just try it for a month, I bet you'll be satisfied. Dosage and use:
200-400 mg magnesium taurate 30-60 minutes before bedtime.
Avoid caffeine and blue light to enhance the effect.
Ruud, book a ticket in Business or Premium Economy class. Enjoy.
Then you really will sleep. -:)
What I miss in the article and comments is the fact that as people get older they need less sleep.
An afternoon nap, 1-1,5 hours, and at night 5-6 hours is enough for me.
Then I really sleep. Without all those 'auxiliary material nonsense'.
Go to bed with a book or a puzzle. Let's see how fast you fall asleep.
And can't sleep? You shouldn't 'force' it. Just go out, take a walk in the cool night.
It would be nice if Thai people could NOT sleep everywhere at all times, such as while driving. 🙂
The fact that Thais fall asleep while driving should be studied.
How often are stimulants/drugs the cause? Or the Thai psyche?
A CPAP device is not a “tool-tool trick” and sleep apnea is not solved by taking a short walk. Although there are some standard things you can do yourself to reduce it, they do not solve everything. Much depends on the cause and a diagnosis is necessary for that
Just read up on it.
https://www.gezondheid.be/artikel/slaapapneu/wat-is-slaapapneu-en-hoe-kan-je-het-voorkomen-en-behandelen-1759
By the way, falling asleep while driving can also be a result of sleep apnea and that is why you can also lose your driver's license temporarily or permanently. In Belgium anyway...
One way to not need an apnea device is to lose weight. As you yourself suggested. Using aids does not promote doing what is necessary. In order to lose weight, and therefore less physical discomfort and better sleep, you can only take 50% of everything. In the long run, you only take what is good and healthy and you don't have to take any of the bad. I have sworn off that "Burgundian" lifestyle, but it's just an excuse not to do what is good for body and soul. I am now 67 years old, have not smoked for 25 years, exercise every day, eat lots of vegetables, moderate fruit, no red meat, bread for breakfast every now and then, lots of muesli and oats, low-fat yoghurt, only a good drink in the weekends, no beer or wine, Now a BMI <25 and lost 45 kg in 10 years. PS: Take the nutritional advice from Peter (editor) seriously!
My sleep apnea is not just related to losing weight and also needs to be treated surgically to remove the cause. But you don't know those causes and I don't plan on blaming them on TB.
Losing weight would be beneficial, but it would only solve it partially, meaning I would still need that device until the problem is surgically resolved.
Just keep doing what you're doing because before you know it, another 45 kg will have been added. They didn't just come on by themselves.
By the way, I'm the same age, haven't smoked for 15 years and also work in the garden 2-3 hours a day.
Why do you think there are so few psychologists and psychiatrists in Thailand? But let's not lose sleep over that. Just like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Santa Claus on a white elephant ( 😉 khunRick) and the latest iPhone, they will become commonplace within a few decades and everyone will have their house 'shrink'. In the meantime, sleep tight and 'fan di'.
Although I have the impression that nowadays people go to a psychologist or psychiatrist for everything and that is how it should be if you want to keep up with the times. And if you don't, people look at you as if there is really something wrong with you.
But okay. If I see that people cut holes in a nice pair of jeans because that is also how it is supposed to fit in, then it must be my fault I think 😉
Indeed, we can still learn a lot from the mental resilience of Thais.
Here in the West, they grow hothouse plants in safe rooms and just about everyone has an identity problem. And oh yeah, thank goodness the ripped jeans look is over. For an update on the mental health of some young people, I recommend watching Adolescence on Netflix. According to some critics, the best TV show ever made. Sit down and hold your jaw.