Make sure you’re sleeping in the right type and size of bed for you. A queen sized mattress may be the most popular size but that doesn’t mean it is the right sized bed for you. Acing your style and size of bed is the single best thing you can do to improve your sleep. Since you spend around a third of your life in your bed, it pays to make sure it’s right for your body. Try our mattress selector for help to find the right mattress for your body.
Avoid your TV, iPad, cellphone and computer for at least half an hour before you go to bed. Backlit devices stimulate your tired brain and stop you from falling into a deep sleep quickly. Try taking a book to bed or trying some meditation to wind down from the busy day.
Limit your overall caffeine intake and don’t have any after 11 am each day. Caffeine can stay in your body for up to eight hours after you consume it.
Well no, that’s not strictly true but don’t eat a big meal just before bed and be wary of your evening sugar intake. Aim to eat your main meal before 7 pm, so your body has ample time to digest your food before you hop into bed. Also, be careful about snacking after dinner, particularly snacks high in sugar as these can cause sleeplessness and restlessness.
If you have allergies, make sure that your bedroom is low in allergy triggers – particularly your mattress and pillows. Old mattress accumulates allergens such as dust mites, pollen particles, bacteria, mould or mildew. Mould can be a particularly nasty problem for Kiwi’s and their mattresses. Make sure that your bed is less than ten years old and if in you are really struggling, consider a mattress with hypoallergenic properties like an Ultra-Fresh treatment.
Avoid napping during the day – it causes disruption to your sleeping patterns. If you have had an unusually bad nights sleep the night before, and are just not able to make it through the day, there is the general conscientious that a nap should be less than 30 minutes or more than 90. If you are donning the nap queen crown on a regular basis, you might need to look at your nighttime patterns to see if you are getting enough quality sleep.
The ambient temperature in your bedroom can influence your ability to fall asleep and remain asleep. Did you know that our body temperature drops before bedtime to get us ready for sleep? Whereas the room temperature during the day may feel perfect, this may become too hot at night and not let our body temperature drop those necessary degrees. So if your bedroom is too hot and stuffy, you may find your sleep disrupted resulting in fatigue the next day. You can open a window or turn a fan on to get cooler, but if that doesn’t work look into investing in a new mattress designed to help regulate your body temperature. Check out our ‘cool’ technology; Kulkote. It helps manage your body temperature to assist in keeping you more comfortable in bed. Discover more about Kulkote here.
Learn how exercise impacts your sleep. Not exercising enough will impact your sleep quality, and exercising in the morning is best for falling into a deep sleep in the evening. It is recommended that we should engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per day to improve the quality of our sleep. It is important to select an activity that we like to increase the likelihood of sticking with it. Whether it be an energetic yoga class or a brisk walk, make sure you raise your heart rate each day for better quality sleep.
Healthy morning habits can kick-start our morning routine and benefit our overall well being and productivity. Establish a sleeping pattern and sticking to it, even on the weekend, can ensure a healthy circadian rhythm and bring the body and mind back into balance. But let’s be real; sometimes that snooze button practically presses its self. But consistency is important in achieving a healthy night’s sleep to feel energized and refreshed for the day. So set your bedtime and morning alarms at the same time everything until your circadian rhythm gets the memo.
Stop trying to multitask while in bed. Your bed needs to be about sleep and sleep only. Don’t spend time on anything that may alert your mind and keep you awake. Instead, focus on your bed being the place that for rest and deep sleep.
