MAN, I’m dragging today… you know those nights when you just can’t get comfortable or you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t seem to get your brain to shut off?? Well, unfortunately it even happens to sleep bloggers too. Of course, you’ll want to make sure you’re on a good supportive and comfortable mattress first, but there are also some other things you can try to help yourself get into (and stay in!) that deep, restorative sleep our bodies crave.

It’s widely suggested by sleep health professionals everywhere that one of the best things you can do for yourself is get into a sleep ritual or routine. If your body is accustomed to winding down and waking up around the same time every night, it’ll be much easier not to cringe when your alarm goes off in the morning. Something I’ve started since the New Year and have really been loving is to get in bed about an hour before I’d like to fall asleep, and have some great ‘me’ time. Whether it’s leafing through a magazine and having an herbal tea, or surfing the web and listening to some relaxing music on my laptop, I usually devote about an hour to sit and clear my head. Something new I’m going to try is to on pen and paper, write down what I need to do, or things stressing me out–hopefully to avoid what happened last night where I thought about all of that stuff from 4:30am until my alarm started screaming at me this morning.

Also, the temperature of the room and your bed plays a big role I think. I try to keep my room cool enough to where it’s almost a little uncomfortable unless I’m snuggled up. With the winter in Louisville being as mild as it has, I love to leave the windows open and enjoy the crisp air outside, and the sounds that go along with it. I also think that taking 5 when I get up to make  the bed and be sure my clothes made it somewhere other than the floor allows me to come home and feel far more relaxed and excited to get into bed. I use a DreamFit quilted sheet set made of temperature-regulating bamboo where the top sheet is essentially a sheet and a quilt in one piece. The fitted sheet is specially designed and guaranteed never to shift or pop off. The pillow cases are double sided too, so I’ve gotten out of the habit of having tons of decorative pillows all over the place. To make the bed I really just have to pull up the sheet and flip the pillows over. And, the set can be laundered in the washing machine. So no more taking a bulky comforter to the dry cleaners. It is so SMART. And soft. And luxurious. And wonderful. But I digress….

Eating a responsible dinner and calling it a night on any alcohol consumption at least 2 hours before you get in bed is also really important. Fried and fattening foods can tend to give people acid issues when they try to go to sleep, and if your body is busy trying to process alcohol, it keeps you out of that deep sleep your body needs to fully recharge. As we start edging into spring and it’s promise of warmer weather, if you can go on a walk with your spouse, kids, a friend, or your fur baby, you’ll get some great relaxing time with loved ones catching up on the day, and also getting in some light exercise which is awesome not only for your overall health, but your sleep health too.

I can’t wait to try and take my own advice in a few hours, and hopefully get back what I lost last night.. because the most important thing about having a great night’s sleep is the great DAY afterwards.

Cheers!

I want to start us off by focusing how to make a good decision when searching for a mattress, because finding the right bed is the easiest way to sleep better and help improve your quality of life. To anyone who has tried to shop for a new bed recently–I feel your pain! There are so many choices, sizes, colors, feels, materials, foundations and prices out there that the whole process has gotten very confusing! But, no need to worry, I’m here to help bring you great information and sound advice so you feel confident making the right choice.

The single most important thing that you need to keep in mind when looking for a new mattress, is that it must be comfortable and supportive. Comfort and support will mean different things to different people (and we will certainly get into all of the details in the weeks to come), because everyone has slightly different needs and priorities when it comes to their sleep health. Ultimately though, a good mattress should give slightly under the heaviest parts of your body and feel like its rising up to support your lighter parts, keeping your body well aligned. A great mattress will be designed to accomplish this night after night for years to come.

One very important consideration when deciding on a new mattress is it’s material, as this affects not only the comfort and support it gives, but also it’s durability. As technology has improved, there are far more options available to consumers today than ever before. Traditional Innerspring mattresses are made with many different feels, and new players like Memory Foam and Latex are very contouring and supportive. It’s definitely worth it to try different types of mattresses in your price range for a good comparison, as each have different features and benefits.

Memory Foam has exploded in popularity over the last few years, not only for it’s ability to contour to and support the body, but also because it is available at most every price point. That being said, it is important to remember that the quality of a product does vary by price, and a memory foam bed at $500 will have a very different comfort life than one for $2,500. This should be reflected in the warranty. Memory Foam is also popular because many of them will feature biodegradable, or eco-friendly materials, which many consumers are paying more attention to than in years past.

While it’s important to stick to a budget, remember that mattress prices–like everything else–have risen over the years, and you might need to readjust what you’d expected to spend when you get out and shopping, especially if it’s been a while since you last bought a new bed. Many mattress stores will over no interest financing, layaway, or other programs to help you stretch your dollar to get the best mattress that you can comfortably afford.

Not getting an adequate amount of sleep can lead to cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. If you average less than 6 hours of sleep per night, your resistance to viral infection is lowered by about 50% over those getting 8 or more hours. Expect more colds and flu and respiratory tract infections. Luckily, the process is quickly reversible. Even if you didn’t get enough sleep on a given night, the immune system will be back in action as soon as you repay that sleep. Your body goes through cycles of sleep every night. During each cycle, the time you spend in each of the 4 stages of sleep changes. This cycle repeats itself every 90 minutes until you wake up. Depending on the length of time you sleep, you will travel through four to five cycles during the night. Sleep becomes lighter as we approach morning and dreams become longer. During the last quartile of an 8-hour night, Stages 2 sleep and REM or Rapid Eye Movement Sleep, wherein most dreams occur predominate. These stages play a major role in organizing and reorganizing the mind, concentration, mood, productivity, creativity and critical problem solving, and athletic ability. When it comes to sleep, quantity and quality are important. Remember that you should spend 1/3 of your life asleep. It’s vital you make the most of it.

Sleep experts agree: Most people need 8 hours of sleep, but even 6 hours of continuous sleep is more restorative than 8 hours of interrupted sleep. So stop depriving yourself and get some rest. Sleep is necessary for our bodies to build up energy reserves and regenerate body cells and tissues. During sleep, your heartbeat and breathing slow, growth hormones peak, muscles relax, and your body temperature lowers. Sleep is a sophisticated process carefully regulated by our brain with valuable restorative properties for our physical and mental health. Short-term sleep deprivation usually causes little physical harm, since the body compensates for the lack of sleep by increasing its adrenaline levels during the day. A person may experience temporary feelings of pessimism or negativity. However, even short-term sleep deprivation can be dangerous if driving a car or operating machinery. Sleep deprivation is thought to cause half of all traffic fatalities on U.S. highways. In fact, studies have shown that being forced to stay awake 17 to 19 hours can cause the same impaired abilities as having a 0.05 percent blood alcohol content.

Irregular sleep patterns and lack of sleep can bring on short attention span, memory and vocabulary loss, and other symptoms. Complication can include obesity, premature aging, fatigue and increased risk for diabetes, infection, cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal disease. Chronic sleep deprivation can even lead to paranoia or hallucinations. A reduction in body temperature (1-2 degrees) takes place during the sleep cycle.  65º F is the ideal temperature for sleeping. A warm room or too many blankets can interrupt your sleep. Many of today’s plush sleep sets will cradle you in comfort and reduce or remove pressure points. Due to the increased circulation/blood flow as a result you may find that you feel warmer than in your old sleep set. Simply reducing the amount of blankets you are using can address this until your body becomes accustomed to the improved circulation.

Next, you’ll want to think about what kind of support you need. The support of the mattress comes from the inner material. It can be innerspring, memory foam, latex or other materials. This is the part of the bed that gives your body the most support hour after hour as you sleep.

Durability is the third part to consider. Not all foundations are created equal and think twice before you set that brand new mattress on a very old foundation or box spring. A proper foundation will support your mattress and improve the overall durability and longevity of your sleep set.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, you’re ready to learn more.

• An adult produces 1 billion skin flakes a day.
• An adult secretes 1 quart of sweat/day. 99%, 990 ml is water, therefore 1%, 10g is salt.
• An adult produces 38g grease/day (sebum).
• Bacteria and dust mites feed on our secretions, and upwards of 10 million bacteria per square inch of skin.
• The weight of our mattress doubles every ten years due to the weight of dead dust mites inside.
• The material in most mattresses will have deteriorated by up to 75% after ten years of use.

Dust mites, tiny relatives of ticks and spiders, are so small that six of them will fit on the end of a pin. They thrive in warm humid conditions and their favorite spot is your mattress, your pillow, and your bedding. They feed on the dead skin cells and body fluids you excrete when you sleep. Dust mites are recognized to be the main cause for Asthma, chronic Rhinitis (“Hay Fever”) and other allergies. Their shedded skin and feces are small enough to be easily breathed in by humans, and are what cause the allergic reactions.

A washable mattress pad will help prevent these problems from occurring as they block bacteria, dust mites and body secretions from penetrating your mattress. You should wash your mattress pad frequently in water that is at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Lower temperatures will not kill dust mites. Keeping your mattress clean and sanitary is a good step toward healthy, restorative sleep!