The Latest in Sleep Health

At Sleepy’s we don’t just sell mattresses, we sell SLEEP. As mattress experts, we know how vital sleep is to our health and wellbeing; that we must sleep healthy to live healthy.

Each year our National Sleepy’s Conference provides the Sleepy’s team with a valuable opportunity to learn as much as we can about not just our products, but also about our service of selling sleep.

This year we were lucky to have Dr Jasneek Chawla educate us on the latest on sleep health and research. Dr Jasneek is a passionate sleep advocate and we learnt a great deal from her about the importance of sleep to our learning, development and every day productivity. From the discussion, we found that 5 sleep tips stood out in particular:

1. Increase your Sleep Drive

Increasing our sleep drive will ensure that we are sleepy at the correct time each day. To do this, we must regulate our circadian rhythm by going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day (or as close to it as possible). Our circadian rhythm is what governs how we sleep; it dips and rises at different times during the day, regulating our wakefulness and sleepiness. This is why the rhythm must be kept consistent; so that we are alert and sleepy at the appropriate times and it remains the same each day.

Dr Jasneek specified that our sleep patterns change with our age and stage in life, so we must prepare for these changes in order to look after our sleeping selves.

2. Look after your Body Clock

By establishing a body clock and keeping it consistent, falling asleep will be much easier as our body will be prepared for bed time. The best ways to do this are:

– Go to bed at the same time each day – if you need to alter your bedtime do it gradually, for example, go to bed ten minutes earlier each night if you want to gradually sleep earlier

– Keep naps to a maximum of 20 minutes

– Keep your weekend sleep routine the same as your week sleep routine (even though you may be tempted to sleep in – it’s best to stay consistent in the long term!)

– Sleep “hangovers” can occur when you sleep for too long. As an adult you need between 7-9 hours per night in order to perform at your best – any longer than this may be too much!

3. Minimise Internal Disruptions

There are a whole range of internal disruptions which can hinder our ability to fall asleep. Among them are: restless legs (RLS), nightmares, sleep apnea, etc.

Sleep Apnea is a condition which fragments the sleep due to random spouts of gasping for air. The lack of air flow is what causes those affected to wake up suddenly and without warning.

Our adjustable range of bed bases may help to ease this condition – by sleeping slightly upright the airways remain unobstructed while still offering support and comfort. If you suffer from sleep apnea, you may also be eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and Sleepy’s are registered providers.

Visit the website here to find out if you are eligible, or visit one of our friendly team in store.

Other tips to minimising internal disruptions include:

– Set aside “worry time” for each day. Allocate just half an hour to work through what is on your mind, then put it aside until tomorrow so it doesn’t cause you to stir

– Write down your nightmares. Sometimes when you write them down they may not seem so frightening, and as you have not repressed them, they are less likely to arrive unannounced in your sleep

– Review lifestyle factors such as alcohol & caffeine consumption, and your daily exercise levels – these may be having a negative impact on your ability to fall asleep

4. Minimise External Disruptions

External disruptions include everything in your sleeping environment that impacts your ability to sleep, for example, noise or light.

Light in particular interferes with our melatonin levels. Our melatonin should naturally rise to prepare us for sleep, however if we are in a light room, the brain may interpret the light as daytime and hinder the rise of our melatonin levels.

Sleeping with pets is also an external disruption which can easily be avoided. As much as we love them, they may be staggering the quality of our sleep during the night which can affect our productivity during the day.

5. Develop a positive attitude to Sleep

In an ideal world, going to bed is a time that we look forward to. We should be excited to unwind and relaxing after a busy day at work or school. We know that many people don’t have this relationship with sleep, but it is possible to alter your attitude to view sleep as an important and enjoyable part of your day. It should be a period of self-nourishing and resetting the mind for a brand new day.

In this respect, going to bed may be similar to the feelings we have about going to the gym. Sometimes we really don’t want to go; but we know that it is good for our body, mind and soul so we often force ourselves to go anyway.

If you’re not tired, don’t go to bed. Lying in bed feeling frustrated at your inability to sleep will develop negative feelings towards going to bed each evening, and towards sleep in general.

As sleep advocates we are truly grateful to Dr Jasneek for keeping us updated on the latest in sleep health and research. Take the time to read through her valuable tips above and try to incorporate them into your lifestyle – you may just find that you sleep better, perform better and feel better!

If you still need a little push towards a better night’s sleep, it might be time to consider a new mattress. The friendly team at Sleepy’s will listen to your individual needs and preferences to match you with a mattress that is suited especially for you, to help you to sleep as healthy as possible. Ask in store today about how we can match you with the perfect mattress, for an amazing night of rest and recovery.

Sleepy’s. Be Your Amazing.