Healthy Sleeping

Getting a good nights healthy sleep is important to us all, but what can you do to ensure that you do get that much needed night time rest?

It is all about comfort. If you are not comfortable then your sleep will be disturbed and you won't get the deep sleep that your body requires. By comfort we are talking about the comfort of the environment that you sleep in as well as the comfort of your own body. Let's cover this in more detail.

The environment within your bedroom is important to your sleep but we are all different so different factors affect us in different ways.

Noise - Noise can be a big factor when it comes to our sleep being disturbed. Road noise and noise from passing aircraft can wake us up. Now you can't do much about the traffic that passes close to your home, other than move house of course. What you can do is to maybe move to a bedroom at the back of the house, if there is one available, where there is less noise. If that isn't an option then look at ways of minimising the noise that reaches you. Double or Triple glazing will reduce the noise levels. Heavy curtains and blinds will also reduce the amount of noise reaching you.

If the noise is inside your home then you need to address by whatever means you can. Noisy plumbing can be repaired. If it's a partner who snores then there are ways to reduce snoring or you may have to consider sleeping in a different room.

Temperature - Your bedroom can be warm or cool, what is important is the temerature inside your bed. Too hot and you will wake up, to cold and you will wake up. As goldilocks once said, it should be just right.... for you. You can manage the warmth inside your bed by choosing the right tog rating for your duvet. Generally speaking duvets tend to be available in four or five tog ratings. These are usually 4.5, 9, 10.5, 13.5 and 15. 4.5 is the coolest and 15 the warmest, so experiment with different tog ratings until you find the best one for you. If you are still too cold then you could look at fitting an electric blanket for added heat. 

Light - Too much light can disturb your sleep. Some people can sleep with all the lights on, some people need total darkness. If you need total darkness then you might consider fitting blackout blinds to your windows. These are also great for night workers who need to sleep during the day.

Comfort - An old mattress with saggy springs or springs that stick out will definitely affect your sleep. When a mattress is old and tired it cannot support you in the same way that it used to, and it needs to be replaced. Some people like soft mattresses some prefer firmer ones but always replace an old tired mattress as soon as you can. You can add a mattress topper to a mattress that is too firm, but you cannot add much to make a soft mattress firmer. 

Mattress Hygiene - You will probably keep the same mattress for many years but over time the cleanliness of your mattress can decline. What started as a factory fresh bright clean mattress can very soon become the last place you would or should spend the night. The solution is quite simple, fit a good quality waterproof mattress protector. Without one, perspiration and other bodily fluids slowly turn that bright fresh mattress into a brown dingy one. These brown stains darken over time and begin to look worse, but its not just the appearance of your mattress that should concern you. If perespiration and moisture is reaching your mattress then over time it allows mould, fungus and bacteria to develop and thrive. Sleeping right on top of this is very unhealthy. Once the bacteria has taken hold you then get dust mites colonising the mattress. These microscopic creature breed and multiply within your mattress. Within months there can be hundreds of thousands of the living just underneath you as you sleep. During the night, as you toss and turn you are breathing in clouds of their waste products which can cause runny noses, sore eyes and breathing difficulties. The thought of it alone is unpleasant but it is also not good for your health. However all of this is easily and quickly solved using our Allergon Waterproof Mattress Protector