March is National Bed Month, a month where we should take stock of how we spend almost one third of our lives. Every year we are told of the physical and mental perils of not getting enough sleep so below we have compiled some top tips on getting the best out of bed time.
1. Turn off those devices
Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Candy Crush or the Putnams web site we are all guilty of playing on our phones when we know we should be getting to sleep. But not only is playing Pokemon Go in bed very disturbing for your partner it is also having a detrimental effect on your sleep pattern. As the evening wears on your brain starts to wind down your mental faculties to prepare you for your bed
however constant stimulation from your mobile phone keeps your brain alert for longer resulting it taking you longer to fall asleep once you have gone to bed.
The Solution: Turn off your phone at least 90 minutes before bed time to allow your poor little brain a few hours to relax.
2. No tea No coffee
A no brainer really. The reason that you are drinking coffee in the morning is to wake yourself up so why would you drink it before going to bed. Research suggests that even coffee consumed 6 hours prior to going to bed had a detrimental effect on sleep time and sleep efficiency. How about a nice
hot cup of Cocoa? I’m afraid that this is one time when your Nan was wrong. As well as having its own fair share of caffeine the sugars in Cocoa can bring on an energy rush making it harder for you to fall asleep while the diuretic Theobromine found in Cocoa can make you need the loo in the middle of the night further disrupting your sleep.
The Solution: One word Camomile. Camomile tea has been helping people get a good night’s sleep since ancient Egypt.
3. Are you sitting comfortably?
Probably the most important item on a list about going to bed is the bed itself. First of all you want to make sure your Bedroom is an Oasis of calm. So tidy up the laundry, turn off the TV and close the curtains. The next thing is you want to make sure you have a comfortable Mattress. A mattress should be replaced every 7 to 10 years and you should make sure you purchase a mattress that is right for you. If you spend £881.56 on a mattress and sleep on it for 7 years that works out at 0.35p per day, less than the cost of a Cadburys Crème Egg.
The Solution: If you want to give your bed a makeover but don’t want to spend hundreds on a new mattress a Mattress Topper will bring comfort and luxury to any bed.
So there you go. A couple of helpful hints that will hopefully have you sleeping better this month.
And if you have any tips of your own we would love you to share them with us.
Martin and the Putnams Team
