The right mattress improves posture, quality of sleep and your overall mental and physical state. But if your lifestyle isn’t geared towards getting the quantity and qu
ality of sleep you need to thrive, then a good mattress can only take you so far.
In our latest blog, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of hacks that you can do to ensure you’re getting the kind of sleep you deserve.
We all know about the positive factors associated with good sleep. It helps to recharge our body and mind, giving us the energy we need to tackle the challenges of the day.
However, perhaps we aren’t fully aware of the mechanisms our body uses to cope with poor sleep hygiene.
Lack of sleep can play havoc with hormones which can lead to weight gain associated with a larger appetite threshold, create higher chances of disease and increase mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
Studies have shown that your circadian rhythm is highly sensitive to temperature variation, and having a warm bath or shower a few hours before bedtime can make us much sleepier. It also decreases inflammation and helps soothe aching muscles.
During extremes in temperature, particularly during the summer months, it can be difficult to sleep.
Contrary to all the logical thinking the best thing to do during warm spells is have a hot bath or shower before bed. This is because it’s difficult for the body to achieve a natural drop in temperature in high heat, so once you take a dip in a hot bath, your body then works to ensure a drop in temperature over time, making it easier to sleep.
In order to try to understand how much sleep we need, it's essential first to understand how our body and brain work together to create different layers of sleep.
Sleep is separated into five different stages during a 90-minutes cycle:
- Sleepiness
- Light Sleep
- Deep Sleep
- Deeper Sleep
- REM Sleep
Each cycle restarts every 90 minutes; if you work back from when your alarm goes off, you can ensure you're waking at the beginning of a new cycle.
If you’re waking up groggy and tired after seven-hours, it is because you’re waking mid-way through a cycle, which is where the body drops into a deeper sleep state
Apps like Sleepytime can help you figure out when is best for you to wake up, so you aren’t interrupting a cycle.
Sleep is an absolute essential if we are to live a happy, healthy and well-rounded life. It’s estimated that 20million Brits aren’t getting the sleep they need, which can make life difficult for them and those around them.
The right mattress is just one piece of the jigsaw, we must improve our own sleep hygiene if we are to achieve the consistent sleep we need to function properly at work, at home or at school.
If you’d like to talk to us about upgrading your bed or mattress, or would simply want advice on which product would be right for you, give us a call on 0116 274 75 45, and a member of our expert customer services team will be happy to help.
The Negative Impacts of Sleep Deprivation
We all know about the positive factors associated with good sleep. It helps to recharge our body and mind, giving us the energy we need to tackle the challenges of the day.
However, perhaps we aren’t fully aware of the mechanisms our body uses to cope with poor sleep hygiene.
Lack of sleep can play havoc with hormones which can lead to weight gain associated with a larger appetite threshold, create higher chances of disease and increase mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
Bright Light Exposure
A natural clock ticks away in your body, known as your circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is responsible for ensuring that your body is keeping time throughout the course of your life. It works with your brain to control your body and your hormones, which gives you an energy boost when you wake up and naturally powers you down in preparation for sleep. A recent study, ‘Alleviation of sleep maintenance insomnia with timed exposure to bright light,’ found that increasing natural daylight exposure improved the time it took for participants to fall asleep by up to 83%.Blue Light Exposure
Exposure to light during the day is excellent, but at night it has the opposite effect. This is also due to the circadian rhythm, except at night your brain is tricked into confusing light from phones and electronic devices – or ‘bluelight’ – for natural sunlight. This in turn convinces your brain to release hormones like melatonin in much smaller doses, which prevents you from feeling relaxed and calm. There are a few different things that you can do to reduce blue light exposure at night:- Ideally turn off any bright lights a few hours before bedtime.
- Smartphones are the most common form of blue light exposure in the hours leading to bedtime. Download blue light filter apps from your web application store to help reduce the strain on your eyes.
Caffeine Consumption
We all know that caffeine is a powerful stimulant; aiding focus, increasing energy levels and helping us to achieve higher standards of performance at work. Caffeine consumption is also associated with a lower risk of certain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes, whilst also helping to fight obesity and similar health concerns. Our relationship with this compound, however, is neither simple nor without its drawbacks. Caffeine can survive in the bloodstream for 6-8 hours; if you're drinking coffee or energy drinks after about 3 or 4 pm, then the caffeine is still working its magic during the period in which your body is supposed to be winding down and relaxing for the night. This leads to a miserable night's sleep, which creates a cycle where you’re reliant on caffeine for another day.Take A Warm Bath Or Shower
Studies have shown that your circadian rhythm is highly sensitive to temperature variation, and having a warm bath or shower a few hours before bedtime can make us much sleepier. It also decreases inflammation and helps soothe aching muscles.
During extremes in temperature, particularly during the summer months, it can be difficult to sleep.
Contrary to all the logical thinking the best thing to do during warm spells is have a hot bath or shower before bed. This is because it’s difficult for the body to achieve a natural drop in temperature in high heat, so once you take a dip in a hot bath, your body then works to ensure a drop in temperature over time, making it easier to sleep.
Create an Environment Conducive to Sleep
Some people swear by the idea of creating an environment that’s set up specifically to achieve a good night’s sleep. Several studies have shown that external noise and distractions can cause long-term sleep deprivation problems. To create a haven for slumber, try to minimise external noise, dim light from outside or blue light within it. Ensuring your bedroom is just for sleeping will help you to maintain a quiet, casual and enjoyable place to relax and sleep properly.If You Can’t Sleep, Get Up
Understand Sleep Cycles
In order to try to understand how much sleep we need, it's essential first to understand how our body and brain work together to create different layers of sleep.
Sleep is separated into five different stages during a 90-minutes cycle:
- Sleepiness
- Light Sleep
- Deep Sleep
- Deeper Sleep
- REM Sleep
Each cycle restarts every 90 minutes; if you work back from when your alarm goes off, you can ensure you're waking at the beginning of a new cycle.
If you’re waking up groggy and tired after seven-hours, it is because you’re waking mid-way through a cycle, which is where the body drops into a deeper sleep state
Apps like Sleepytime can help you figure out when is best for you to wake up, so you aren’t interrupting a cycle.
Sleep is an absolute essential if we are to live a happy, healthy and well-rounded life. It’s estimated that 20million Brits aren’t getting the sleep they need, which can make life difficult for them and those around them.
The right mattress is just one piece of the jigsaw, we must improve our own sleep hygiene if we are to achieve the consistent sleep we need to function properly at work, at home or at school.
If you’d like to talk to us about upgrading your bed or mattress, or would simply want advice on which product would be right for you, give us a call on 0116 274 75 45, and a member of our expert customer services team will be happy to help.
