Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): El dormir bien mejora tu salud y tu bienestar. - Sleeping well improves your health and your well-being.

In Spanish, you can put “el” + infinitive to turn the verb into a noun-like expression, similar to “the act of sleeping well” or “good-quality sleep”.

El dormir bien = the act/state/habit of sleeping well (a general concept)
Dormir bien = to sleep well / sleeping well (more verbal)

Both are grammatically correct, but:

Everyday Spanish in Spain would more typically say: “Dormir bien mejora tu salud y tu bienestar.”
“El dormir bien” sounds a bit more formal, written, or stylistic, as if we’re treating it like an abstract concept.

So is “Dormir bien mejora tu salud y tu bienestar” also correct, and is it more natural?

Yes, it is fully correct and, in fact, more natural in normal conversation:

Dormir bien mejora tu salud y tu bienestar. ✅ (most common in speech)
El dormir bien mejora tu salud y tu bienestar. ✅ (correct, but more formal/abstract-sounding)

If you’re talking or writing in a neutral, natural style, prefer “Dormir bien mejora…”.

What is the subject of “mejora”, and why is it singular?

The subject is “El dormir bien” (or “Dormir bien” if you drop the article).

Mejora is 3rd person singular present indicative of mejorar.
Since “el dormir bien” is treated as one single concept (the act of sleeping well), the verb must be singular:

El dormir bien (subject, singular) mejora (singular) tu salud y tu bienestar.

You would not say “El dormir bien mejoran…” because that would incorrectly treat the subject as plural.

Why is “bien” placed after “dormir” and what kind of word is it?

Bien is an adverb, and in Spanish, adverbs that modify verbs usually come after the verb:

Dormir bien = to sleep well
Literally: to sleep
- well

You don’t say “bien dormir” here (that sounds odd), because:

Bien modifies how you sleep (the action), so it follows the verb: dormir bien.

If you wanted an adjective + noun idea (like “good sleep”), you’d change structure:

El buen dormir (less common, literary)
Un buen sueño = a good sleep / a good night’s sleep

But in your sentence, “dormir bien” is verb + adverb.

What is the difference between “dormir” and “sueño” in this context?

Dormir = to sleep (verb)
Sueño = sleep (as a noun) or a dream

So you can express the idea in different ways:

Dormir bien mejora tu salud… = Sleeping well improves your health.
Un buen sueño mejora tu salud… = A good sleep improves your health.
El sueño de calidad mejora tu salud… = Quality sleep improves your health.

Your sentence chooses the verb (dormir), not the noun (sueño), but the meaning is very close to “Good sleep improves your health.”

Why is it “tu” without an accent and not “tú” with an accent?

tu (no accent) = your (possessive adjective)
- tu salud = your health
- tu bienestar = your well-being
tú (with accent) = you (subject pronoun)
- Tú duermes bien. = You sleep well.

In your sentence, “tu salud y tu bienestar” are things that belong to you, so Spanish uses tu (without accent).

Why is “tu” repeated before “bienestar”? Could we say “tu salud y bienestar”?

Both are possible:

tu salud y tu bienestar ✅
tu salud y bienestar ✅

The difference is subtle:

Repeating tu (tu salud y tu bienestar) sounds a bit clearer and more balanced, and is very common in careful or written Spanish.
Omitting the second tu (tu salud y bienestar) is shorter and also acceptable; the possessed items are understood to be the same person’s.

So stylistically, both are fine. Your version with both tus is slightly more emphatic and tidy.

Why is there no article before “salud” or “bienestar”? Could I say “la salud y el bienestar”?

Yes, you could say:

Dormir bien mejora la salud y el bienestar. ✅

That means “Sleeping well improves health and well-being (in general).” It’s more general/impersonal.

In the original sentence:

tu salud y tu bienestar = your health and your well-being
It’s more directly addressed to the person you’re talking to.

So the choice is about focus:

la salud y el bienestar → health and well-being in general
tu salud y tu bienestar → specifically your health and well-being

What exactly does “bienestar” mean?

Bienestar is a noun meaning well-being. It’s an abstract term that includes:

physical comfort
mental and emotional balance
overall quality of life and how “well” you feel

So:

tu salud = your health (more physical/medical)
tu bienestar = your well-being (broader: physical + mental + emotional)

They often appear together, as in your sentence.

Is “El dormir bien mejora tu salud y tu bienestar” natural in Spain, or does it sound strange?

It is correct Spanish and understandable, but in modern, everyday Peninsular Spanish, people would usually say:

Dormir bien mejora tu salud y tu bienestar.
Dormir bien es bueno para tu salud.
Dormir bien mejora la salud y el bienestar.

“El dormir bien” is a bit formal, written, or rhetorical—you might see it in:

articles about health
academic or literary writing
headlines or stylistic texts

So it doesn’t sound wrong, just more elevated than everyday speech.

What tense and person is “mejora”, and what would be some common alternatives?

Mejora is:

verb: mejorar
tense: present indicative
person: 3rd person singular (he/she/it improves)

In context: (El dormir bien) mejora tu salud…

Some common alternative forms:

mejorará (future):
- Dormir bien mejorará tu salud… = Sleeping well will improve your health…
mejoraba (imperfect):
- Dormir bien mejoraba tu salud… = Sleeping well used to improve your health…
mejoró (preterite):
- Dormir bien mejoró tu salud… = Sleeping well improved your health…

For general facts or advice, Spanish usually uses the present indicative, as in your sentence.

Can I completely rephrase this in a very natural way but keep the meaning?

Yes, several very natural options in Spain would be:

Dormir bien mejora tu salud y tu bienestar.
Dormir bien es bueno para tu salud y tu bienestar.
Dormir bien es fundamental para tu salud y tu bienestar.

All keep the same basic idea: good sleep is good for your health and well-being.