Despite decades on research on the subject, there’s still a lot about sleep that we as a society don’t know. We all need it, and we all do it, but many of the key aspects of sleep remain shrouded in mystery, and this has led to a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about the subject.

This can be dangerous, as understanding more about sleep is essential to improving your sleep health and helping you rest easy. With that in mind, here are five key facts about sleep that may come as a surprise.

Counting sheep might make it harder to fall asleep

Counting sheep is arguably the most famous piece of sleep advice out there, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good tip. While counting sheep may be successful in that it stops your mind from wandering onto potential stressors which are keeping you up, it also highlights how much you’re struggling, giving a clear indication of how long you’ve been trying to nod off.

A study from Oxford University found that counting sheep actually prohibited participants from falling asleep. Sleep experts are now offering alternative advice that doesn’t involve counting, such as walking your mind through a house you know really well.  

Your brain doesn’t rest while you sleep, your body does

Sleep allows your brain to restore rather than rest. When you sleep, your brain is actually working quite hard. This work allows it to heal and repair, giving you the energy and brainpower you need for the following day. But while your brain isn’t necessarily resting during sleep, your body is. Sleep is essential for allowing your body to rest and recuperate from the day’s efforts. This entails the release of hormones like growth hormone, as well as the circulation of nutrients to the body in the bloodstream.

Your body won’t get used to sleeping less

It’s often thought that if you get the same amount of sleep every night, your body will get used to it, even if that amount of sleep is especially low. After all, some of the world’s most well-known people claim to forego sleep for much of the night, with one of American’s founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, writing in his autobiography that only slept five hours a night.

However, sleeplessness is always detrimental to your health, and the longer you suffer from sleep deprivation, the worse its effects can be. Missing out on sleep can impact your heart health, your weight, your emotional stability and your mental wellbeing.

Naps can be good. But they shouldn’t replace a solid night’s sleep

We’re often told to avoid napping at all costs, as it can make it more difficult to sleep through the night. But while this latter fact may be true, having a nap during the day is arguably better than simply not getting enough sleep during both the day and night.

Ideally, we would all sleep for the recommended 7-9 hours every night, but if you find yourself operating on very little sleep, a nap can help to restore some of the energy you’ve lost during the night.

One bad night’s sleep actually can make all the difference

While not catastrophic, one bad night’s sleep can be detrimental to your wellbeing. You might think that a single late night isn’t going to make much difference in the grand scheme of things, but even one night of missed sleep can impact your physical health, your mental health, and your internal body clock.

That’s not to say that you can’t enjoy a late night now and again, but prioritising a healthy sleep schedule is essential to protecting your overall health in the long run.

The best sleep happens on a high quality mattress, so check out the Perks range on our website now. You can also explore the rest of our blog for more sleep news and tips.

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Despite years of research on the subject, there is still a lot that science doesn’t understand about sleep, and one of the biggest areas of mystery is dreaming. We’ve all experienced a strange, intense or even frightening dream at some point in our lives. When you wake up, you may find yourself sighing with relief that it was only a dream, and it’s over now.

Unless, of course, you have the same dream again night after night.

Experiencing the same dream again and again is known as recurring dreaming, and if you’ve suffered from this peculiar phenomenon, chances are you’re asking yourself what it means and whether it can be stopped.

To shine a light on the mysterious subject of recurring dreams, we’re taking a look at some of the most common questions on the subject.

Do recurring dreams have a common pattern?

While every person’s dream is unique, and no two people will experience the exact same dream, there are certain themes which are known to occur time and time again in multiple individuals. These may not always be outrightly frightening, but more often than not they involve negative or stressful experiences.

Some of the most common themes to appear in recurring dreams include:

• Losing your teeth
• Going back to school
• Being chased or attacked
• Being naked
• Being stuck or trapped
• Flying
• Falling
• Being unable to speak
• Missing a test
• Running late
• Moving in slow motion
• Crashing or losing control of a vehicle

While details may change about the dream – like the vehicle you’re driving, for example – experiencing the same event or sensation time and time again still counts as a recurring dream.

What do recurring dreams mean?

Thought they have been extensively studied, experts have yet to find any evidence that recurring dreams offer any deep or significant meaning beyond exposing potential areas of stress in your life. Many experts believe that recurring dreams reflect areas in your life such as unmet needs, factors causing frustration, and issues from the past that remain unresolved.

A common example is dreaming that you’ve missed an exam at school. You could have this dream years after graduating, so it’s obviously not a real risk, but it could represent fears about failure or nervousness about an upcoming job interview or similar event.

This idea is reflected in a 2017 study, published in Motivation and Emotion, which linked negative recurring dreams to unmet psychological needs.

Recurring dreams could arise as a result of personal issues (like grief or stress), unresolved issues (like abuse, bullying or family conflict), or stress about current events. For example, a 2022 study published in Nature and Science of Sleep found a strong connection between nightmares and people who had suffered Covid-19. It was thought that the stress surrounding the virus negatively impacted participants’ sleep quality.

Can we put a stop to having the same dream over and over again?

You can’t always control the content of your dreams, but it can be helping to analyse various factors in your life to find out what might be causing you stress or upset. This may involve looking inward, spending time on yourself, or reaching out to a loved one for support. You can also consider seeking out professional support to identify and explore the causes of any unwanted emotions and learn coping mechanisms.

Use your recurring dreams and a sign that something needs to change, and take the necessary time to explore the challenges you face to improve both your sleep quality and mental wellbeing.

The best sleep happens on a high-quality mattress, so check out the Perks range now. You can also explore the rest of our blog for more sleep news and tips.

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Experts have explored the relationship between fitness, movement and sleep for years now, with current studies strongly suggesting a bidirectional relationship between our exercise choices and our sleep quality. In other words, moderate exercise during the day (not immediately before bedtime) can help you sleep better, and not getting enough sleep can lead to lower levels of physical activity.

But when it comes to sleep, not all exercise is created equal. Some exercises promote better, higher quality sleep than others, and understanding more about these exercises can help you rest easier.

Strengthening exercises

Strength training, or resistance exercises, are those which focus on building muscle strength throughout the body, including lifting weights, working out with resistance bands, and bodyweight movements like push-ups and sit-ups. Completing regular sets of strength-focused repetitions can help you look and feel stronger over time.

Research has shown that regular resistance exercises can improve sleep quality, with one 2018 study published in Sleep Medicine Review concluding that strength training can act as an effective intervention in improving sleep quality. Strength training can also help to lower your risk of anxiety and depression, both of which are common factors associated with sleep disorders like insomnia.

Aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise – also known as cardio – is another popular form of fitness, and is intended to build your heart rate, raise your breathing and improve blood pressure. As such, it can greatly reduce your risk of heart disease.

Aerobic exercises differ in intensity, with moderate exercises including brisk walking, bike riding and water aerobics, and vigorous exercises including running, lap-swimming, mountain biking or playing sports like basketball.

When performed regularly, aerobic exercise can improve sleep quality and reduce daytime sleepiness when you’re feeling tired. Studies have also shown that moderate aerobic activity can decrease the severity of sleep-related breathing conditions like sleep apnoea. What’s more, sleep experts at Howard County General Hospital in the United States concluded that the effects of aerobic exercise on sleep are similar to those of sleeping pills.

Yoga and stretching

Focusing on breathing, meditation, strength-building and posture improvement, yoga has been shown to lower stress levels, help with weight management and reduce aches and pains.

It can also help to improve sleep quality. While the link between yoga and sleep has not been extensively explored, many studies analysing the relationship have concluded that practising yoga can result in better sleep. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine Found that yoga can improve sleep quality in elderly people, while a 2020 study published in BMC Psychiatry found that yoga could reduce insomnia levels in women.

A systematic review of sleep studies published on Google Scholar, MEDLINE, PubMed and more concluded that just 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day can alleviate anxiety and help you sleep better at night.

Gentle yoga stretches are often encouraged as a good way to wind down both the body and the mind in the run-up to bedtime. Not only does this help to alleviate physical tension, but it also encourages you to slow down your mind and prepare yourself for sleep. Stretching is a great alternative to watching television or scrolling through social media in the hour or so before going to sleep.

The best sleep happens on a high-quality mattress, so check out the Perks range now. You can also explore the rest of our blog for more sleep news and tips.

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We’re all familiar with the stereotype of the tortured artist – the idea that the more hardships we face, the more our creativity flourishes. Everything from addiction to grief and, yes, even sleeplessness, have been romanticised by the idea that we turn our pain into poetry.

However, there’s danger behind this message. It’s important to remember that, as the vessels for our own creativity, our efforts don’t flourish unless we do. Taking care of ourselves is an essential component of improving our work, and this includes getting a good night’s sleep.

And this doesn’t just relate to creative pursuits like art, writing and music. Creativity appears in every aspect of our lives, from problem-solving to social plans to work meetings.

So if you want to boost your creativity, here’s why you should start by improving your sleep habits.

Sleep and creativity – what the research says

There is plenty of research into the impact of sleep and sleeplessness respectively, with many researchers looking at how sleep impacts various aspects of our day to day lives, including our creativity.

One 2009 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA found that REM sleep could enhance our creativity when compared to non-REM, or non-dreaming, sleep. It was concluded that REM sleep could support us in creative problem solving. As such, missing out on sleep means missing out on dreaming, which can lead to us not displaying as much creativity as we would otherwise.

Moreover, a more recent – and more experimental study – was carried out by the Journal of Sleep Research. Researchers gave participants a creative task to complete in the evening, covertly filling the room with a certain scent while the task was carried out. Overnight, some participants had the same scent pumped into the room while they slept.

It was found that those who slept with the scent present performed better on creative tasks the next day, suggesting that they were able to practice their creative problem solving during their sleep.

In 2017, a research review published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences cemented this theory, looking at historical dream records and modern laboratory research to conclude that dreams were essential for creative problem solving.

Why is sleep so important for creativity?

Alongside nutrition and fitness, sleep is one of the most important pillars of our overall health, wellbeing and function. It supports both our physical and mental health, and in doing so improves our ability to make connections and solve problems – both of which are essential for fuelling the creative process. Concentration, mood management, memory and more are all supported by a good night’s sleep.

So prioritising healthy sleep is essential not just to your creativity, but to your health overall. Set yourself a strict sleep-wake cycle that you can stick to every day, giving yourself enough time to enjoy the 7-9 hours of high quality sleep recommended by the National Sleep Foundation. You should also keep your bedroom cool and dark, and free from smartphones and other tech. In the run up to bedtime, consider reading, having a bath or meditating rather than scrolling through social media. This will help your brain wind down effectively and get the rest it needs to be creative the next day.

The best sleep happens on a high-quality mattress, so check out the Perks range today. You can also explore the rest of our blog for more sleep news and tips.

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Considering the fact that sleep is something we all do, there are still many mysteries surrounding sleep. From the meaning behind our dreams to the impact of our bedroom environment, questions about sleep are still being studied by researchers to this day.

And one such question is this: how long should it take to fall asleep? For some of us, sleep comes as soon as our heads hit the pillow. For others, it can take half an hour, an hour or even longer to drift off. What do these fluctuations mean, and what is the optimum length of time it should take for the best quality sleep?

These are the questions we’re going to be tackling today, looking at recent research. We’ll also be exploring the various steps you can take to make falling asleep easier and more rewarding.

How long should it take to fall asleep?

The time taken to fall asleep differs for everyone, but there is an ideal window of time which is thought to indicate better quality sleep overall. Research from the Sleep Charity and Northumbria University found that the time it takes us to drop off at night is a key indicator of our holistic sleep health.

The study, which was published in the Nature of Science and Sleep Journal, concluded that how quickly we think we fall asleep (known as sleep latency) is a strong indicator of our overall sleep quality, which in turn was impacted by how long it actually takes to enter the sleep cycle.

According to the research, those who think they fall asleep within 10-15 minutes of getting into bed are more likely to have better sleep health. If it takes longer than 15 minutes, sleep health may be under pressure, and those who took longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep suffered from a drop in sleep efficiency.

On the other hand, those who fell asleep almost as soon as their head hit the pillow were found to be in danger of ‘sleep debt’, meaning they often did not give themselves enough time to enjoy the recommended 7-9 hours of good quality sleep per night put forward by the National Sleep Foundation.

In short, 10 to 20 minutes is thought to be the preferred amount of time it should take you to fall asleep.

How to fall asleep more easily

Anyone who has experienced a sleepless night knows just how frustrating it can be to actively try and fall asleep. However, there are certain steps you can take to unwind in the run up to bedtime and make sleep come more easily.

Common activities like using your smartphone and scrolling through social media can be hugely detrimental to sleep quality. If you’re staying logged onto your social platforms or emails right up until lights out, this is most likely delaying sleep by keeping your brain unnecessarily alert.

Instead, try reading, meditating or doing gentle stretches in the run up to bedtime. You should also keep your bedroom free from tech, and ensure that the space is cool and dark when you go to bed. Try to avoid using your bedroom during the day – especially for work – as it should be somewhere you associate with rest and relaxation.

Making simple lifestyle changes like these, as well as avoiding caffeine and excess alcohol as bedtime approaches, can help you rest easy.

The best sleep happens on a high-quality mattress, so check out the Perks range today. You can also explore the rest of our blog for more sleep news and tips.

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We all experience sleep a little differently. For some of us, sleep comes easily and we quickly fall into a deep slumber. For others, things are a little trickier, and it can take a long time to fall asleep once your head hits the pillow.

However, research has suggested how long it should take you to fall asleep at night, in order to experience the highest level of sleep quality. We’re going to take a closer look at these findings, and explore the various ways you can improve your sleep with a few simple investments and lifestyle changes.

So if you’re hoping to improve the quality of your sleep, read on.

The findings

A study, conducted by the Sleep Council in partnership with Northumbria University examined the time it takes us to fall asleep at night. Findings suggested that the length of this period of time is a key indicator of our overall sleep health.

The research found that those who take longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep may experience a lower level of sleep efficiency overall. However, it also stated that falling asleep in less than 5 minutes could be a sign of sleep debt, meaning you’re forcing your body to stay up longer than it wants to.

The optimum amount of time it should take to fall asleep is between 10 and 15 minutes, according to the study. These are the individuals who were found to be most likely of having good sleep health.

The findings also shone a light on what may be stopping people falling asleep within this ideal timeframe. Specifically, the study suggested that focusing on trying to get to sleep can be detrimental. Actively trying to fall asleep is both physically and emotionally intense; leading to feelings of panic or frustration which can have a direct impact on your levels of relaxation.

How can you improve your sleep quality?

If you’re one of the people who struggles to fall asleep, who frequently wakes during the night, or who generally wakes up feeling tired and lethargic, what can you do to improve the quality of your sleep? These simple changes can make all the difference.

Get into a routine

Routine is crucial to improving your sleep health. By establishing a designated time for going to sleep and waking up, you’ll find that your body naturally learns when it should be winding down for the night. For the best results, you should stick to your routine even on the weekends.

Change your eating and drinking habits

Certain foods and drinks – like coffee, alcohol and sugary snacks – can make it more difficult to fall asleep if you consume them soon before going to bed. A well-balanced dinner three to four hours before bed is the best way to fuel your body for sleep.

Avoid electronics

Bright screens can disrupt your body’s release of melatonin: the body’s natural sleep hormone which thrives in darkness. It’s also been shown that scrolling through social media right up until bed time can make you feel more anxious, making it more difficult to fall asleep quickly. Try to get into the habit of putting your phone away for at least an hour before bedtime, instead opting to read a book or engage in some relaxing meditation.

Create the ideal sleep space

Light and temperature both play a huge role in impacting our ability to fall asleep. The ideal sleep space is cool and dark, with a comfortable mattress and pillow set that supports the spine as your sleep, helping you avoid aches and pains.

Is your mattress getting a little tired? Want to improve your sleep. Invest in a naturally cooling Medical Grade foam mattress from Mammoth today. Click here to explore the range

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Unlike 85 per cent of mammalian species, humans only sleep once per day. Whether this is the way nature intended us to work, or if it’s simply the way we’ve conditioned ourselves in response to modern society, is still largely unknown to scientists. Regardless, what is clear is that almost a third of us say we simply aren’t getting enough sleep.

Short bouts of sleep during the day, otherwise known as ‘power napping’, can be one effective way to tackle sleep deprivation and increase the amount of time you spend sleeping. Author and sleep expert Sara C. Mednick, PhD, a sleep researcher at the University of California, agrees:

“You can get incredible benefits from 15 to 20 minutes of napping. You reset the system and get a burst of alertness and increased motor performance. That’s what most people really need to stave off sleepiness and get an energy boost.”

So what are the benefits of power napping, and how can you make the most of them?

The benefits of power napping

Power napping is about more than just trying to catch up on lost sleep. The practice is slowly but surely creeping into workplaces across the UK — like London-based tech firm Potato, and Nats: the UK’s national air traffic control service — and when you explore the benefits of power napping this comes as no surprise.

According to recent findings, it can actively improve our productivity during our waking hours. In fact, power napping has been shown to improve cognitive performance in a variety of different ways, including:

• Facilitating creative problem solving and logical reasoning
• Enhancing our ability to retain and remember information
• Increasing our capacity for learning new information
• Improving our overall mood and reducing stress levels
• Decreasing our chances of making errors on the job
• Increasing mental alertness and reducing fatigue.

But in order to gain the full benefits of power napping, you need to know how to do it right.

What’s the best way to power nap?

Pick the right time and duration

You need to be organised when arranging a power nap. It’s recommended that you schedule your nap for the same time everyday in order to train your body to fall asleep easily at that time of day. Between 1 and 3pm is when we tend to experience a natural dip in energy, making this prime nap time.  Set your alarm for between 15 and 20 minutes. Ensure your power nap isn’t too close to your usual bed time, though, as this could hinder the quality of sleep at night.

Find the optimum environment

By creating a sleep-friendly environment, you increase your chances of actually falling asleep during your designated nap-time. Find a quiet, dark environment at a comfortable temperature, preferably around 18 degrees centigrade. This will give you the most beneficial setting when to comes to trying to catch a few daytime Z’s.

Silence your mind

Training your body to power nap can lead to some mental resistance, as we typically train our bodies to stay awake throughout the afternoon no matter how tired we feel. You may spend your first few naps simply lying awake, but even this can be restorative. Close your eyes and take deep breaths in order to calm your mind. Eventually, you’ll have no trouble falling asleep.

Consider a coffee first

It may sound strange, but a pre-nap coffee can help you feel even more refreshed when you wake up. It typically takes around 20 minutes for your body to absorb caffeine, which is also the length of time you should be aiming to nap for. Consequentially, the caffeine will work its way into your system while you sleep, helping to rouse you after your allotted nap time and helping you to feel extra alert when you wake up.

Want to wake up feel refreshed? Improve your sleep quality by test driving a Mammoth mattress. Just click here to find your nearest retailer.

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In my last blog post, I talked a little bit about how the national sleep crisis has deepened as a result of the commercial pressures on the population. I discussed how missing out on sleep may be lowering productivity and making the workplace an altogether less enjoyable place to be.

But what about the things that we like to spend cash on to make ourselves feel better? Are they really doing much to improve or protect our health and wellbeing?

Caffeine addiction

Millions of people in the UK enjoy a good brew every day. Coffee, in particular, has exploded in popularity over the last decade as more and more of us rely on a caffeine hit each day to wake us up and keep us ticking along until the end of the working day.

According to market research in 2017 the number of coffee outlets has grown by 130% since 2006 and the average Brit is spending more than £2,100 per year on coffee (£5.75 per day). To put that in some context, that’s 8% of the average salary of an individual. The self-employed typically spend even more at a sizeable £2,600 per year. Often this is seen as a by-product of working remotely and holding meetings in coffee houses . . . alternatively known as “coffices”.

Interestingly, there is a strong association between daily intake of caffeine, reduced sleep quality and increased daytime sleepiness – precisely the opposite of what many people drink coffee to achieve. This effect can, of course, depend on the timing of the consumption but it is apparent that simply getting a good night’s sleep can do more for energy levels across the course of the day than drinking coffee.

Beauty products or beauty sleep

According to a 2017 survey by Totallymoney.com, the average individual in the UK is spending almost £4,500 (£12.32 per day) on their looks each year. The highest average spends was found to be in Leeds (£7,000) and London (£6,300), while the lowest was Aberdeen (£2,710).

Such significant sums of money are fascinating when we put it into the context of a study carried out by researchers in Stockholm in 2017. Pictures of a group of young, healthy adults were taken (make-up free) before and after 2 nights of sleep restriction. These pictures were then shown to strangers who were asked to judge them on their attractiveness, health and trustworthiness. Unsurprisingly, the strangers rated the sleep-deprived group lower on all 3 counts.

This research leads us to think that simply maintaining a healthy sleep pattern can help people to look their best and even avoid the need for expensive make-up and other beauty products.

Pain relief

Latest estimates suggest that low back pain currently costs a total of £12.3 billion to the UK economy. This can be broken down into £1.6 billion for direct healthcare resources, £1.6 billion related to informal care and £9.1 billion through lost productivity (indirect costs). In other words, we’re not taking brilliant care of ourselves.

Pain is much more likely to come about if we adopt poor postures, overload the spine or stay in fixed positions for too long on a regular basis. Failing to safeguard our spinal health at work and through the night can result in costly treatments from physiotherapists or chiropractors, as well as pain relief and rehabilitation products.

Alternatively, many people resort to pain medication – either privately or through prescriptions from the NHS. When we consider that £70 million was spent by the NHS on paracetamol prescriptions alone, it is clear that the cost of pain relief is not insignificant.

Placing value in sleep

In 2016, the Bed Federation estimated that consumers paid £450, on average, for a mattress and that they typically changed mattress once every 8 years. That equates to roughly 15p a night or £1.07 a week.

Weighed up against the cost of daily life – coffees, food, entertainment, beauty products etc – and it is clear that we as a society do not place significant value on our sleep. Yet the value for money that good sleep provides is unquestionable.

At Mammoth, we are acutely aware of the value in sleep and why we believe that the work we do in developing new, innovative and effective sleep technologies is so crucial to the health and wellbeing of our customers.

Let’s first recognise that you and your mattress are going to spend a lot of time in bed together. Doing the sums, if you sleep for 7 hours a night on a mattress for the recommended 8-year lifespan, your body is going to be in contact with it for more than 20,000 hours .  . . that’s 2.3 years?

No other object, apart from maybe certain items of jewellery like a wedding ring, will come into such close contact with your body for that length of time.

Therefore, it should be a really important purchase and one that we should all perhaps be thinking a little differently about. Most of us will spend many more hours a week in bed than we will on the sofa or in our cars. But how often are snap decisions made when it comes to choosing a mattress?

Let’s do some more sums:

Sleeping on a mattress worth £1,000 for 8 years (or 2,920 nights) works out at 34p per night – the price of an apple.

This amount, of course, can be halved if your sharing a bed with your partner, so that’s down to 17p each per night – the price of a banana to provide your body with essential health benefits.

This works out at a total of £125 per year and when we compare that to our annual spends on coffee, pain relief and beauty products, we could soon realise that getting a little bit more quality sleep may be a much more sensible route to make our lives that little bit more productive and profitable.

Ready to upgrade your sleep? Explore the Mammoth range now.

The post Why sleep gives your health the most bang for its buck – Dr Jonathan Bloomfield appeared first on Mammoth Perks.

When it comes to maintaining our overall health, there aren’t many things more important than sleep. Sleep not only helps repair and rest our bodies, but also improves our memory and even helps us improve our learning. However, one study has found that there’s a particular day of the week that we find hard to crack – a day when insomnia bites for many of us.

Sunday is the day of restlessness…

Meditation and sleep experts Calm recently conducted a survey through YouGov which polled over four thousand American and British participants. The results were clear, and Sunday produces the highest number of restless nights by far.

In fact, the survey found that 46% of those asked admitted to having trouble sleeping on a Sunday night. This is a staggering 29% higher than the next worst night for insomnia, Monday (17%).

Which night gives us the best sleep?

Saturday and Wednesday were both tied for third place with 9% of people admitting restless nights, followed by Tuesday with 8%, Friday with 7% and Thursday in last place with only 5%. This makes Thursday the night that produces the lowest level of insomnia.

So what is the explanation for these results? It could well be down to the nature of the modern working week. Sunday night leaves us anxious about the full week ahead, whereas by Thursday the weekend is in sight, most of the work is done and you’re beginning to wind down.

So if you tuck yourself in on a Sunday worried about the week to come, what can you do to sleep better?

Improving your sleep quality?

Ditch the devices

The rise of smartphones has had a huge impact on the way we sleep . . . unfortunately for the worse. These devices are particularly bad for sleep as not only do they expose us to harsh light, but they also keep our brains wired with a constant flow of information that makes it difficult to switch off and fall asleep.

Aim to stop using your device at least an hour before you actually hit the hay. Try reading to get your brain tuned in for rest or, even better, meditate before bed to help you wind down.

Dim the lights

Light plays an important role in our ability to sleep. Lots of light releases the hormone serotonin in our bodies. This is our natural happy, energy-filled drug. It’s great for getting you moving in the morning, but not so great when you’re trying to relax before bed.

Darkness, on the other hand, releases the hormone melatonin. Melatonin is the opposite of serotonin: it tells your body that it’s time to relax and go to bed. That’s why you should enjoy your evening in low, muted light and avoid bright screens before bed.

Have a caffeine curfew

Caffeine releases energy which can make us feel more awake. It might sound obvious, but many of us still enjoy a cup of coffee in the evening. Instead, try replacing your evening coffee with herbal tea. Camomile is particularly good for helping our bodies prepare for sleep.

Get out and about during the day

Getting a healthy dose of serotonin during the day helps your body unwind later on, so get outside and enjoy the great outdoors at some point over the weekend. Exercise helps too, whether it’s a run, an outdoor workout class or even just a Sunday afternoon walk.

Invest in a quality mattress

They say it’s a poor workman who blames their tools, but sometimes a bad night’s sleep is the fault of your bed rather than you. Sleep is absolutely vital to our overall health, so a high-quality mattress is an important investment that your body will thank you for.

If the time has come for you to invest in a new mattress, why not test drive the very best and discover the Science of Comfort? You find your nearest stockist using our retail finder here.

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Dr Glen Kemp of Newcastle’s Science City gives us his view on the problems of poor sleep patterns. He suggests that a large proportion of the population suffer from low-level chronic sleep deprivation, often without realizing it. He says,

“Looking at electronic devices just before going to bed can trick the brain into keeping us awake. So even an apparently regular sleep pattern can be an unhealthy one if it results in insufficient sleep.”

The mental effects of consistent sleep loss can be profound. Repeated loss of sleep not only reduces energy and leaves an individual with a sense of fatigue, it also impacts on co-ordination, hormone balance and brain function. In fact, it is thought that sustained sleep deprivation may be connected with memory loss and even Alzheimer’s disease.

You may believe that half an hour sleep lost a night is neither here nor there, but experts are now saying that this could be a dangerous misconception.

Dr Kemp says, “Even mild but repeated loss of sleep has been shown to have a significant impact on mental performance.

“Although oversleeping has been shown to have a negative effect too there is a psychologically beneficial effect in reducing stress levels induced by loss of sleep. So a guilt-free period of deep relaxation is still beneficial without necessarily being fully asleep.”

Another popular belief is that having a lie-in on a weekend can negate any sleep loss incurred during the week through working late or watching TV until late in the night. However, this could also be a misconception with current thinking suggesting that a fundamental shift in sleep patterns to allow more time in bed.

Dr Kemps suggests, “The ideal situation would be to change sleep patterns to eliminate chronic sleep deprivation. In most cases this means an earlier night.”

Love them or loathe them – and it has to be said that most of us love them – electronic devices are an integral part of our day-to-day life now. But this shouldn’t extend to the bedroom.

Lights out means lights out

Our eyes are connected to our brains in such a way that the sight of bright light can’t help but stimulate our brains into wakefulness. Don’t be fooled by the idea that background TV watching helps to send you drifting off to sleep. Yes, you may regularly fall asleep in front of a screen, but the light exposure will still impact on your quality of sleep.

This light, combined with the stimulation of whatever it is being shown on the screen, reduces our brains’ efficiency at shutting down for rest and recovery. Scientifically speaking, it disrupts our circadian rhythms concerned with the day–night cycle.

It is particularly important to pay attention to the body’s natural cycle of sleep and remove obstructions in children, as their need for sleep is greater as they grow and the development of their brain function ongoing.

Want to improve your sleep? Why not test drive a Mammoth at your nearest stockist today?

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