Investing in your sleep – We spend a third of our lives in bed after all…

It is crazy to think about how much of our lives we spend in bed. If you’re doing it right and getting the recommended eight hours a night, you’ll spend a third of your life snoozing. That’s because sleep is really important and our bodies are adamant we do it as much as possible.

So it is a really good idea that we help them along by giving them the best possible chance of getting the highest quality sleep, especially if we aren’t managing a full eight hours. Work, babies and busy social lives sometimes mean we can’t dedicate as much time as we would like to our beds, so when we are there we need to make sure we’re doing it right.

We do this by investing in our sleep. Here are our top 5 ways to do that.

Invest in a high quality mattress

Do not underestimate the importance of a high quality mattress. You might not even know your current mattress is bad until you try a brand new one, so even if you feel as though all is well, it is a good idea to change your mattress if it is older than eight years old, if it creaks, if it sinks, or if there is damage anywhere on it.

We recommend a mattress made with high quality natural materials because these are:

• breathable (which means they are not prone to mould),
• durable (which means they last longer than mattresses made with manufactured materials),
• hypoallergenic (which means they are great for people who are prone to allergic reactions),
• naturally fire retardant (which means no nasty chemicals are needed to make them safe).

Ely mattresses come with a ten year warranty and, because we are so convinced that trying one will improve your sleep so dramatically you won’t be able to bear being parted from it, a thirty-day sleep trial.

Make your bedroom a haven of calm

If you’re struggling to sleep, it might be time to overhaul your bedroom. Redecorating and removing clutter can have a surprising impact on our sleep. Blue, yellow, green, silver, orange and pink are the best colours for a bedroom, because they help reduce stress and soothe the nervous system.

If you have hoarding tendencies, it’s time to get help and declutter. St Lawrence University in New York found that those at risk of a hoarding disorder sleep worse than those without a lot of clutter. Unusable bedrooms and less comfortable or nonfunctional beds increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction, depression, and stress.

Meditation

You might think it is all hippy nonsense, but meditation has been proven to improve insomnia.

Perhaps you don’t think you have the time to commit, but ten minutes a day of meditation is all you need to improve your overall mood and the quality of your sleep.

If you’re a newbie, there are plenty of apps you can download to help you learn the ropes. They’ll teach you how to switch off your mind with guided meditation and calming music. You’ll be a pro in no time!

Sweet scents

Your nose is a powerful tool. It communicates with your brain and tells you when it is time to eat, or there is something to be alarmed about, or the dog made a mess in the living room. It can also tell you when it is time to go to sleep.

The following scents have been linked to sleepiness:

• Lavender
• Valerian
• Bergamot
• Roman chamomile
• Clary sage
• Sweet marjoram
• Cedarwood

You can buy these scents in essential oil form, as incense, or, if you want an easy life, as candles. Put them in your bedroom and they’ll tell your nose to tell your brain it is time to go to sleep.

Invest the time

We know that life is busy and you might feel like sitting up and watching TV is vital for your health and wellbeing because you have barely any free time, but trust us when we tell you that investing more of your free time in sleep is going to make you feel a lot better.

Obviously this isn’t always possible, but if you can let go of some of the things you are doing when you could be sleeping and invest that time into sleeping instead, it is going to improve your overall mood, as well as your health and wellbeing.

Start with your mattress

If you are ready to improve your sleep today, browse our mattress range. They’re made from all natural materials and come with a thirty day sleep trial and ten year warranty.

Our two-man team will deliver your mattress and recycle your old one, so there’s fuss free delivery.

Let us transform your sleep. Invest in an Ely mattress.