Sleeping tight
Some people are born with the gift of being able to sleep. Through thunderstorms, traffic noise, high temperatures, in light rooms, wherever. Most of us, however, are not such easy sleepers. For me, it’s light. The lighter mornings have me awake from 6 AM and apparently the same goes for my eldest son too. My husband it seems can sleep through anything. How convenient.
I don’t need a lot of sleep, but the sleep I do need must be quality sleep. As the kids have grown older we’re past the really early mornings so I’m keen to ensure I make the most of sleep time. For me, there are a few key things that need to be right.
Light – or rather, a lack of it
I like to sleep in a dark room. Blackout curtains, or ideally blackout blinds are essential. Or both! There are some beautiful ranges available now, so you don’t have to stick to plain colours or nasty fabric. If you can move your bed away from light coming through any windows that could help too.
The right mattress
Getting comfy at night is really important. If you have any back, neck or shoulder issues you’ll need support to make sure your sleep time doesn’t make anything worse. Between my husband and I, we’ve got different likes and dislikes in terms of the type of mattress, but last year we tried a memory foam Casper Mattress and there’s no looking back! Its been the best mattress.
Casper mattresses are all manufactured in the UK. That’s a big tick for us. The brand holds over 50 patents for the technology involved in the design of their mattresses for which they’ve been named as one of Time’s magazine’s 25 best inventions of 2015.
There is a Casper to suit everyone with sizes ranging from single to kingsize. You can buy your mattress online and they arrive really quickly, ready to go. They also sell pillows made from the same ethos and technology, great for supporting your neck and ensuring you wake up feeling refreshed.
The right bedding
Bedding can make a really big difference. Anything materials that are man-made are likely to make you feel hotter as it doesn’t allow air to flow through as well. We change our bedding through the seasons. In the summer we have a lighter duvet in a linen cover. In winter we go for a 12 tog duvet and use thicker linen or a brushed cotton duvet cover. In summer you could also add in a sheet to allow you to keep really cool during hot nights.
Remove tempting distractions and get offline
Don’t read your phone, read a book. Backlit devices are proven to keep you away longer and don’t aid the drifting-off process. A good old book should have you snoozing in no time at all. It’s not just about the backlit screen though. It’s about the temptation to pick up the phone and have a look. Consider charging it outside of the bedroom or perhaps even just away from the bed. Use your phone as an alarm clock? Why not go back to a traditional alarm clock? There are some really cool ones available that look much nicer than a phone by the bed! Give it a try, it might just change your sleep habits for the better.
Lighting
You have to get your brain ready for sleep. Lowering the light levels in a room as it gets closer to sleep time can really help with this. Have a low voltage bedside lamp that you can use before bed rather than the main ceiling light.
Get some exercise!
I know, it’s not interiors related but I cannot advocate the benefits of a bit of exercise enough! I was struggling to drift off. My mind was busy thinking about all the things that trouble me during the day. I’d gotten into a cycle of stressing at bedtime once other distractions had finished. I started going for a quick job or fast dog walk in the evening and it meant all the endorphins made me feel better (proven fact!!) and then I actually just went to sleep because I was physically tired. Habit broken.
Sleep tight!
