How well do you sleep?

Do you sleep well? I ask this as a person who has intermittent insomnia. It’s only really taken a hold in the last 10 years for me, and in my case is triggered by stress. I have learnt some coping mechanisms and ways to help myself, and I thought I’d share with you a little information about sleep, plus my and my friends at Tempurs sleeping tips, to get (hopefully) the best nights sleep you possibly can.

Now first up, your bedroom:

A good mattress – I prefer a memory foam one like Tempur, I can’t tell what a difference this has made to my sleep. If we go away and it’s not a good mattress….yikes!
Soft Pillows with pillow protectors – I have allergies so I find this is essential to keep those at bay.
Clean cotton bed linen – Of all the bed linen I have tried, Christy are my favourite brand and for sheets 100% cotton sateen.
The right temperature – Now everyone if different here, but I like a cool room, and I think it makes it easier to sleep if you aren’t too warm.
Darkness – I’m a bit like a child, and I swear by my blackout blinds, they are essential!
No background noise – If I’m sleeping somewhere strange I like to wear earplugs. Some people like white noise or music, and I can definitely recommend the pillows with built-in speakers or bluetooth earphones if that’s you.
Overall a peaceful and comfortable environment. So if you have a cluttered untidy bedroom, spend a day to sort though everything it honestly will be time well spent.
Once a week make sure all of the surfaces are dusted and the floors hoovered, this is so important for allergy sufferers.

The Build-Up:

I think a good bedtime routine, is something you should attempt to have every evening if you can. Some days though, I feel I need it more and I need to spend some extra time to myself, so here are my tips for those occasions :

Limiting time on-line – as tempting as it may be, I try not to bring my devices or phone upstairs to bed with me.
Bone warming bath or shower. I get out one of my nicer bath of shower products, maybe a facemask for afterwards and try to spend some time to myself and relax.
Dimming the light is also a good idea. We have lights that slowly dim by a set time in the living room and stairs. Mentally preparing you that it’s night-time. This is not only cool idea, but does make you sleepy.

Relaxing with a warm drink – now I tend only to do this when I am really struggling, but it definitely helps. I warm up some milk, and add just one teaspoon of hot chocolate powder, I find too much sugar before bed isn’t really conducive to sleep.
Write a list – this isn’t something I do at bedtime, but before the school run actually, as that works best for me, but if you find it hard to switch off a stressful day, then write a list of the things you need to tackle in the evening.
Read a good book – when I was younger reading a book would have the opposite effect on me, but now I definitely find reading a few pages helps me to wind down.
Essential oils to drift you off into slumber. Whether a dab on your temples, or a spray on the pillow.