Sleep soundly all night, every night

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Sleep soundly all night, every night Posted On 12 September 2018

We all need a good night’s sleep. In fact, according to the Sleep Council, an 18 to 65-year-old needs between seven and nine hours of sleep per night in order to properly recharge for the day ahead. So how do you get that good night’s sleep that you need?

Environment

Creating the perfect sleeping environment will not only ensure that you get those seven to nine hours, but it’ll also ensure it’s the best quality you can get! There is nothing worse than struggling to sleep due to discomfort, waking up every hour because you are too hot, or you have left your TV on and a loud bang on a late-night film has startled you awake. And if you’re always waking up feeling tired the next morning, adding the necessary factors to give you a great sleep is something that your mind and body will thank you for.

Aromatherapy

Using aromatherapy is believed to work, allowing you to get a great night’s sleep. Some studies have in fact shown that putting the scent of jasmine into your bedroom can lead to a more restful night’s sleep, as well as reducing anxiety and increasing mood. Put a fresh jasmine plant on a shelf or windowsill in your bedroom. Vanilla, lavender and fresh aloe vera plants are also said to be just as effective.

Avoid distractions

Scrolling through phones, laptops and watching the TV in bed before sleeping also hinders our chances of a good quality night’s sleep. These types of technology contain ‘blue light’ which tricks our brain into not being ready for sleep. This is because this type of light also travels through the atmosphere from the sun, which means our brain believes the sun is up which can cause sleep issues. So, turn your TV or laptop off 30 to 60 minutes before sleep and stop checking your phone at least 30 minutes before bed. This will allow your brain to adjust to the night time and start winding down ready for sleep. Top tip: Try reading a book instead to keep your mind occupied.

Following on from this, keeping your bedroom as dark as possible also allows for a great sleeping environment. You can achieve this by using black out curtains or blinds. Ensure both your inside and outside lights are switched off, or keep the bedroom door closed, if you need to keep a stair light on. That small standby light on the TV can also affect your sleep, so switch it off at the plug or even better don’t have a TV in your bedroom.

Comfort is key

In order to sleep well you need to ensure comfort. This ultimately comes down to your mattress, pillows and having your bedroom at the right temperature. You shouldn’t be waking up feeling tired so, if this is the case most mornings, then you need to replace your mattress and possibly your pillows too. If you get eight hours, then that is a third of your 24-hour day you spend asleep. So, however expensive a mattress might seem to you, it’s worth spending. If your head doesn’t feel in a comfortable position, it’s too flat or the pillow seems too hard, it’s time to change those too. Again, it’s worth spending money on them for the amount of time you will spend using them!

Colour

Colour can also impact your sleeping environment. According to hotel group, Travelodge, blue is the best colour to paint your bedroom, as it creates a feeling of calmness. Those sleeping in a blue bedroom are said to get approximately seven hours and 52 minutes sleep. The study also revealed that blue helps to reduce blood pressure and heart rate for good quality sleep. Other colours that were proven to also help with a better sleep environment were certain shades of yellow, green, silver and orange. However, the worst colour schemes for bedrooms were revealed as purple, brown and grey.

Keep your room cool

Your bedroom needs to be cool at night so that you can maintain the comfort in the surroundings of your bed. Wear loose fitting clothing at night to help your body breathe, stay cool and avoid sweating. Other ways to keep the room cool are to leave windows open so there is always fresh air coming in, particularly in any hot weather. If you can, turn all lights in your house off and leave your bedroom door open, so the air can flow through the house. However, if you live on a noisy road or don’t like having your windows open, then you can opt for a fan instead. The constant whirring of a fan can also have a soothing affect which will help you fall asleep faster.

Sleep is a necessity, so creating an environment that is the best it can be is something that should be on your to-do list.