Tag: bedtime routines

Getting a good nights sleep

As Autumn edges towards winter I start to think of my bedroom as a cosy little nest to snuggle up in during the long dark winter evenings. My bed becomes my favourite place to be in the house and it quickly becomes covered with squishy cushions and cosy blankets to keep out the winter chills.

I have a very bad back and as much as I’d love to spend my days and nights snuggled up under a thick duvet, my spine won’t let me, but one of the things I do insist on is a good firm mattress, I need to be well supported in bed and comfortable. nothing too saggy or lumpy. I’ve always seen a good quality double mattress as an investment as I spend maybe 8 or so hours a night lying on it.

The dream has always been to have a nice king size bed, so there’s plenty of room for us all, we three like to get in under the covers and read stories before bedtime. Now the small boy is growing up our old double bed seems very small. When we bought our current house I wanted a bedroom big enough to accommodate a new bed with a king size mattress and I think it’s very nearly time to invest in a new bed, one big enough for story time and sleepy cuddles for us all.

Sleep is a serious issue for me, my pain medication means I’m either incredibly alert or very sleepy and I never feel like I get quite enough kip. I’m not alone in that either, according to Mattress Online just 61% of employed people in the UK feel they are getting enough sleep and 22% of people suffer from sleep disorders such as insomnia, snoring and nightmares.

Having a cosy, restful bedroom with a comfy bed is one of the best ways you can help guarantee a good nights sleep, you can take other steps too, like avoiding caffeine, having a warm relaxing bath, not playing with your smartphone before bed and just taking time to wind down properly before drifting off to sleep.

How do you guarantee a good nights sleep?

get a good nights sleep

 ~ In collaboration with Mattress Online ~

How to get a good nights sleep

I was always a sound sleeper, right up to the moment the small boy arrived and then, well you know the rest. I’ve had nearly four years of broken nights and worse, those nights where sleep just will not come. Talking to friend about how to get a good nights sleep, he told me about something called “sleep hygiene” and it all just made perfect sense.

There’s always lots written about children’s bedtime routines, but much less so for adults. I think we all have bad habits, overstimulating ourselves before bed with tv, the internet, caffeine and alcohol, then falling into bed and thinking sleep will just magically come to us. I think, especially about myself, that my body has got out of the habit of just falling asleep and drifting off into dream-land, so to me sleep hygiene seems incredibly sensible.

 

It’s not just about brushing your teeth and washing your face, although those are important too; it’s about getting into a proper bedtime routine, and not doing those simulating things in the hour or so leading up to bedtime. How many of us are checking our emails and social media accounts right up until the lights go out? I’m very guilty of this.

Searching the internet for some advice I found this great little ebook from bedroom specialists, Feather & Black. The book contains lots of really useful information and advice about how to create the right environment for sleep, as well as tips on how to unwind and switch off from your day enough to have a good nights sleep. The free ebook also contains information about helping your children to get into a good bedtime routine as well.

The free ebook was inspired by the results of their annual sleep survey. Feather & Black have created the free ebook to offer practical solutions to the sleeping woes of the nation, and I think it’s a cracking little resource, and an enjoyable easy read.

What do you do to help you drift off to the land of nod?