How to get a good night's sleep

It should be the easiest thing in the world. Sleep - like food, water and exercise - is a basic requirement for good health. Yet for so many of us it proves elusive. So how do we break this tiresome cycle? Sussex Beds at Newnham Court Shopping Village may have some answers...

According to a recent survey of more than 1,000 Times and Sunday Times readers, 41 per cent of us say that a good night’s sleep is only achieved occasionally, rarely or never!

Nearly a third of those surveyed by The Times described themselves as “bad or very bad” sleepers and of those, 28 per cent said they had been suffering from lack of sleep for over 20 years.

For 64 per cent of the bad sleepers poor sleep is a nightly occurrence. This is not good… stressful lives, lack of downtime and too much screen time have meant that our sleep quality is taking a bit of a dive. We rarely switch off and when we do, we’re often over-tired and the vicious circle continues.

We all know the drill... you lie there for hours unable to sleep, toss and turn when you do eventually get to sleep, then just when you've cracked it, the alarm goes off! And so continues the vicious circle of sleep deprivation, irritability and tiredness.

So what can we do about it? How can we learn to sleep better?

There are a lot of things we can do and trying to revert to the routines of the pre-smartphone, pre-processed food era will help a great deal!

10 top tips to get a good night's sleep

1. Limit the caffeine and sugar after lunch and try to only have a light evening meal
2. Paint your room in calming colours - blues and lavenders, soft greens and greys
3. Turn down the heat! Your bedroom should be cool at night. Make sure the heating is off. Your room should be no more than about 18C during the night
4. Exercise daily - it does really help, even if it’s just a brisk walk
5. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. It helps regulate your body clock. It works with children and adults alike!
6. Avoid naps during the afternoon and try not to fall asleep on the sofa!
7. Bathe with a little lavender oil to calm and soothe you into relaxed and ready to sleep mode
8. Spend the last hour before bed calming down with a book or listening to some relaxing music. Cut out pre-sleep screen time.
9. Sleep on a comfortable mattress. Make sure your mattress is comfortable and supportive. Generally speaking 7 to 8 years is the limit for most good quality mattresses so it could be time to change yours, for most good quality mattresses.
10. Make sure you have chosen comfortable pillows that suit what you like - firm or squishy, it doesn’t matter as long as you’re comfortable.

Sussex Beds at Newnham Court Shopping Village are the local experts in sleep. Take full advantage of our handy out of town location and free parking and pop along and see their friendly consultants to find out which mattress and pillows best suit you and let's make 2020 the year of a good night's sleep, every night!