World stress month - taking care of your bedding

April is Stress Awareness Month and it is now widely recognised that not getting enough uninterrupted sleep each night can have an impact on our stress levels. If we’re not sleeping properly, then we are tired during the day, we find it hard to concentrate and can struggle with our daily jobs and chores. This can then add to the usual stresses of everyday life.

It’s hard to relax sometimes, with emails pinging back and forth, constant communication available through our mobiles and social media - and distressing news on the radio and TV. Night sweats, experienced by those going through Peri Menopause and Menopause, are also well-known culprits for causing disrupted sleep patterns. However, getting a good night’s sleep is critical and so it’s important to find ways to switch off around bedtime and get the best possible night’s sleep.

Here’s some tips on how to get ready for cosy slumber and creating a peaceful environment in your bedroom.

Cool it

In order for our brain to trigger us into sleep, our body temperature has to drop by 1 – 2 degrees and this also helps us to stay asleep for longer. Hot, stuffy bedrooms that are heated will end up keeping you awake. The ideal bedroom temperature is said to be around 17 degrees centigrade, so turn that radiator down or off (this will help with heating bills too!) and if you can, open a window. Having a warm shower or bath about 30 minutes before bedtime will cause your body temperature to rise slightly and then drop as you cool down and this can also help trigger sleep.

Colour me beautiful

Choose calming colour schemes for your bedroom. These include all the natural tones, such as beige, pale greys, off-white, as well as pale blues, soft greens and very light pinks. Try to avoid purple, red and orange as these evoke energy and creativity. Very dark browns and black, although fashionable in minimalist design, are considered ‘negative’ colours for bedrooms and can be depressing!

Switch it off

Having a TV in the bedroom keeps us up later at night and there are studies that indicate watching television just before bed disrupts sleep cycles. So, switch it off or, best of all, avoid having a TV in your bedroom completely. According to Ofcom at least eight out of ten of us keep our mobiles and other electronic devices in our bedroom overnight. Feeling the need to keep checking our phones for messages and social media posts will keep us awake as experts have said this keeps us ‘hypervigilant’ so our sleep is more likely to be disturbed. Eventually this could trigger insomnia and other sleeping problems. There is also the issue of the bright light produced by high quality screens on modern devices, which disrupts sleep patterns an interferes with the body’s natural rhythm – so it really is a good idea to keep your devices out of the bedroom. Try reading a book instead (a real book, not on a device!) as this can ease tension and help you to relax.

Sleep natural

Breathable, natural-fibre bedding and bedlinen will help with temperature regulation whilst you sleep, whereas synthetic fibres can trap heat. Choose sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers that are made with 100% cotton and avoid polycotton blends if you can. For duvets, wool is especially efficient at temperature regulation and it’s also resistant to dust mites so can help those who suffer from allergies triggered by these little critters. Our individually handcrafted wool duvets are made here in Devon, using 100% British wool that’s traceable from farm gate to duvet – and we don’t use any chemicals when we process our wool, so it’s just as nature intended. In fact, we offer a range of natural duvets – all made using sustainable, natural fibres, so if you’d like to find out which of our natural duvets might be the best for your sleep, then do get in touch with team and we’ll be happy to chat through options.

Cut the lights

Try using softer lighting in your bedroom, particularly in the evenings. You could choose a lower watt bulb for an overhead light or just use bedside table lights just before tucking up. If you struggle to sleep during the summer months, when the sun is rising earlier, then invest in some blackout blinds.

Breathe deep

Controlled deep breathing calms the central nervous system, which moves us into a state of rest and away from our natural ‘fight or flight’ state. Try inhaling to the count of five and exhaling to the count of five. This helps to increase our slow delta brain waves and move our body into sleep mode.

 

Ref: www.stress.org.uk; Good Housekeeping (April 2022)