In collaboration with MiniJumbuk
Are you struggling to get a good night’s sleep? Here are my Top 5 tips for sleeping through the night.
1. Choosing the right mattress
Considering you spend a significant amount of time in bed, it’s really important that you have a great mattress. If you get into bed every night and do not feel comfortable straight away, it’s time to invest in a new mattress. You wouldn’t walk around in shoes that are really uncomfortable every day, so why settle for an uncomfortable bed.
A new mattress can be a big investment, so it’s worth spending time researching and visiting mattress shops to find out what suits you best. Mattress comfort is subjective, so it’s not really something you can ask a friend or family member to recommend. It can also be hard finding something that you and your other half agree on (trust me – I’ve been there). It’s also worth spending extra money to get something that will last. A good pillow can contribute to better sleep, too.
2. Finding the perfect quilt
From the time my kids started sleeping in their “big” beds, they’ve been sleeping with a wool quilt. My husband and I also sleep with a wool quilt and our favourite brand for the whole family is MiniJumbuk.
Wool is a breathable fibre that has the unique ability to regulate your body temperature to keep you warm in winter and ensure you don’t feel hot or sweaty in summer. I find that my kids and hubby don’t overheat under a wool quilt either.
Wool quilts are non allergenic, which makes them ideal for allergy sufferers. They’re also soft and easy to clean – I throw ours in the washing machine whenever they need a clean and then pop them on the clothesline to dry and air in the sun.
My recommendation for kids is the Dreamers Wool Rich Quilt and for adults the Everyday Wool Quilt.
3. Put Your Phone Away!!!
I feel hypocritical saying this but you should avoid using your phone in bed. The blue light emitted by your phone (or tablet, computer, TV) reduces the production of melatonin (our natural sleeping hormone) at night, causing increased sleeping difficulties. The best way to reduce this blue light exposure in order to improve sleep is to turn off ALL gadgets at least one hour before bedtime.
However, if you’re like me and cannot resist having one last scroll through Instagram, a late night shopping spree or playing a game (Yahtzee is my weakness), you can turn off the blue light on your device quite easily. If you’re using an iPhone (iOS 9.03 or above) there is a new feature called Night Shift.
To turn on Night Shift, go to Settings and select Display & Brightness. Then select Night Shift to choose your options.
You can choose to manually turning on Night Shift or you can set it to automatically come on and turn off at the same times each day. You can also set how drastic the color change is. Night Shift mode is available on the following devices; iPhone 6, iPad Mini 2, iPad Mini 3, iPad Air and iPad Pro.
If you have an older iPhone or an analogue phone, there are several apps available that will do the same thing as Night Shift. My husband uses f.lux but here are a few others to check out; Night Filter, Twilight, EasyEyez, Zzz iPhone filter and Bluelight.
4. Don’t lie awake watching the clock
Lying in bed and checking the time on a clock will make you anxious about not being able to fall asleep. If possible take the clock out of your bedroom. If you need the clock for the alarm, turn it around so that you cannot see the time. And do NOT reach for your phone to check the time either.
I suffer from sleep onset insomnia, which means it takes me hours to fall asleep. I used to get really stressed about how long I’d been lying awake but since getting rid of my alarm clock, it’s one less thing I lie in bed thinking about.
5. A dark and quiet room
When it’s time to go to sleep, make sure your bedroom is dark. Use curtains or blinds that will block light coming in from the window. Also try a sleeping mask for total darkness. If you have any electronics in the room that emit a bright light, consider covering them up or moving them to another room or shoving them under the bed (like I do).
Make sure your room is quiet too. No tv or music playing in the background and if there’s someone snoring in the bed, feel free to give them one or two sharp jabs to the ribs (& then pretend you’re asleep if they wake up) or send them to the couch. Otherwise, invest in a pair of earplugs.
Sweet dreams…………
Image source: Pinterest
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