Summer sleeping

Ah Summer - long hot, sunny days and the time we all wished we had aircon!

Here are a few ideas on how to 'sleep cool' as the weather gets hotter if you have no air conditioning.

Cool Your Bedroom

- Close curtains or shutters during the day to keep the heat out of the room. External shutters are preferable as this will prevent the glass from warming up. Also try and keep the windows closed during the hottest part of the day. Open the windows in the evening when the air has cooled, try and get a breeze flowing through the house and use fans to help with this.

- Fill a spray bottle with water and squirt a few times into the air and this will help bring down the temperature.

- Freeze a plastic bottle of water during the day and at night time place it in front of a fan to blow cool air around the room.

- Is it possible to move to another room to sleep? Hot air rises, so if possible sleep on a lower floor or in a north facing room that will not heat up so much during the day

Cool Your Bed

- Use sheets made from natural fibres cotton or cotton mix and with a higher thread count. Sheets with a sateen finish or made of silk will also feel cooler.

- Lightly spray a top sheet with water so that as the water evaporates it will help cool you down. Please note the word 'lightly'!

- Turn your pillow during the night to keep your head cool.

Cool Yourself

- Wear light nightwear rather than noting as the fabric will allow perspiration to wick away.

- Keep a bottle of spray mineral water next to the bed to use on your arms and legs during the night.

- Avoid caffeine and alcohol in the evenings as these will raise your body temperatures by increasing your blood pressure.

- Stay well hydrated during the day to help stop you waking up because of thirst. However try to stop drinking fluids an hour before bed to help prevent night time toilet runs!

- Use an ice pack (the 1st aid ones) wrapped in flannel/washcloth, placed on your neck or forehead to help cool you down. Do not place directly on your skin or use for more than 10 minutes to avoid ice burn.

Hope this helps and the heatwave diminishes soon!

Sweet dreams.

To share or not to share?

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After last week's slightly tongue in cheek post about duvet stealing, this post is about ways to share a bed in comfort.

Historically people have always shared beds as beds, bedding and even extra bedrooms were expensive and prohibitive. It was only the super rich that could afford to have separate bedrooms. In the past if you were a single traveler you may well have shared a hotel bed with a total stranger. Siblings, if not whole families, would sleep together in the same bed.

There is also the simple fact is that as a general rule, humans do sleep better on their own. Everyone seems to have slightly different needs in terms of warmth, bed softness, space etc. Against this is the need to balance the need for intimacy in a relationship and studies have shown that sleeping separately can impact negatively on relationships.

So what to do if you do want to sleep in the same bed but have different needs?


Respect different body clocks
A night owl married to a morning lark is a nightmare combination for bedtimes, the good news is that the majority of the population are hummingbirds and can adapt to either. However some people do prefer early bedtimes while others would like to stay up an hour or so more. If this is your situation then have a discussion with your partner. Maybe they are not being lazy in the mornings but genuinely getting some restorative sleep? Perhaps it's not the lure of another TV show that is stopping them coming to bed with you but a real feeling that they are not tired. If you do opt for different bedtimes then make sure you have some shared bedtimes, perhaps at the weekend, to keep a level of intimacy within the relationship, as this allows for and respects different sleep needs.


Buy as large a bed as possible 
Though falling asleep wrapped in each other's arms seems the romantic thing, we actually need a lot of space when sleeping and a larger bed will help with this.
If you both like different levels of support from a mattress then it is possible to buy two different mattresses that zip together.
Although buying a new bed may seem like a huge investment, it is the place where you will spend a third of your life and can help reduce stress levels in a relationship. Is that not worth paying for?

Have two different duvets
Although I joked about this last week this is a very easy and practical solution if one person prefers warmer bedding and the other throws of heat (and the covers) during the night. It is also possible to buy different duvet weights that again zip together.

Technology
What to do if one person likes watching TV to fall asleep and the other prefers peace and quiet? As a general rule technology in the bedroom disturbs sleep rather than enhances it, so I do recommend taking out TV's and computers. How about listening to a podcast with earphones, or investing in a 'speaker pillow' that you can plug your mp3 player into. A little light than you can clip onto a book is less intrusive than a bedside light. Likewise eye masks and earplugs can help too. Discuss and compromise, one person should not be making all the sacrifices as this will cause resentment.

Pets
An area that needs discussion and agreement however pets have no understanding of respecting bed space and if they are disturbing your sleep, then they should not be allowed to sleep on the bed, hygiene issues aside, they simply take up to much space. If necessary then they can be trained to sleep on their own bed in your room.

These are just a few suggestions, I would love to hear from you any thing that you have found useful, please comment below.

Sweet dreams. 

Lessons in advanced duvet stealing

This is more than a master class in duvet hogging - achieving this level will put you in the top rank of worldwide duvet hoggers with a swift, no-nonsense move that will ensure that you have all the duvet to yourself.

Please note - before taking this class you must have achieved pass marks in all former classes -

The 'One good turn takes most of the duvet' lesson
The 'Inch by inch through the night' lesson
The 'Turning the duvet 45°' lesson

Equipment needed -

One double bed
Two occupants
Two single duvets
Three pillows (minimum)

1 - During the night quietly drop your own duvet on the floor

2 - While lying on your side (facing away from your partner adds insult to their 'injury') reach behind you with your top arm and completely remove the duvet in one swift movement

3 - Quickly wrap it around yourself and refuse to give back when they pull on it and complain about suddenly being cold

4 - If your partner persists in complaining and pointing out that it is 'their' duvet - reach behind you again, take a spare pillow and place it on the top of their back

5 - (this is the genius move) Pat the pillow reassuring while murmuring nonsense in a quiet but loving voice, as if you are letting them know everything is ok

Once you have achieved this ultimate duvet hogging move, you will have life long status as an extreme duvet hogger! Good luck and practice hard!

Additional note - in theory it is possible to achieve this with one double duvet and requires the combination of the 'Inch by inch through the night' followed at the appropriate moment by a swift 'One good turn' manoeuver. Skill is needed in the judgment of how much duvet you have acquired during the 'Inch by inch' manoeuver before commencing the 'One good turn'.

Disclaimer -
The author is providing this lesson for information only and readers undertake practicing this lesson at their own risk. The author is not responsible for any results from following this lesson such as black eyes, bruised shins, being kicked out of bed, being made to sleep on the sofa or the termination of any relationships (this list is not exhaustive)

Sweet dreams!

The 5:2 Sleep Fest

There has been a lot of talk recently about the 5:2 diet and how it is a way to improve your health into old age and, that as an added consequence, participants lose weight (the natural side effect of being on a calorie restricted regime). I do not intend to go into depth about it in this post - but if you want more information then here is the TV programme that started it all.

The basic principle of the 5:2 fast is that you eat normally for 5 days of the week and restrict your calorie intake on two (non-consecutive) days of the week. This has proved to be one of the easiest type of fast to follow on a regular basis and, for the long term health benefits of a calorie restricted diet to be achieved, this needs to be a lifestyle change - not a short diet fad.

Since the awareness of this diet I have come across many articles proposing the 5:2 principle applying to other areas of our lives. For me, one of the most interesting was the use of technology for a young family and going without the internet for 2 days out of 5 to promote more family time. I am aware that I use too much technology and am quite nervous at the thought of being technology free for two days a week!

This got me thinking about applying this idea to sleep but following last week's theme of pampering ourselves to sleep, I thought about the 5:2 sleep fest, not fast!

In this fast paced world we are slowly becoming more sleep deprived and this is having a long term impact on our long term health. Alarmingly studies have shown that these effects start when achieving just 6 hours or less sleep a night.
So if you are someone who is aware that they are slightly sleep deprived and would like to refocus on their sleep levels then how about considering a routine where for two evenings a week you make a conscious effort to relax, unwind and go to bed with enough time to get a full 8 hours sleep?
This should help restore your sleep levels and help write off recently accumulated sleep debt.
The other 5 nights would then mean a 'normal' bedtime. Please note the word normal there - this does not mean staying up later than usual, just as on the 5:2 diet a non-fast day means to eat normally, not over indulge!

Really enjoy those two nights and pamper yourself into unwinding and relaxing. Just as when fasting for only 24 hours you can tell your 'Hungry Self' that you will eat tomorrow, you can tell your 'Busy Self' that you will do the chores, the projects etc tomorrow. You will also have the added bonus of being more rested and so be able to perform any tasks or projects more efficiently and quickly.

Setting a target of 2 early nights a week also seems more achievable and focused than a general sweeping statement of 'I must get more sleep.' and using the 5:2 principle you can chose which nights of the week you do this to fit in round your lifestyle.

So why not give it a go and see if you can have a 5:2 Sleep fest too!

Sweet dreams!

Pamper yourself to sleep

I don't know about you but I hate rules and guidelines, I find them very restrictive even if they are trying to help me. When it comes to getting a good night's sleep there seem to be loads of them and they can seem quite strict and very forbidding! Take these for example

- stop drinking caffeine in the afternoons
- set up a bedtime routine
-switch off technology an hour before bed time


One of the tricks that I learnt about sleeping well was to change these round in my head, so that they seemed as if I was pampering myself. And I was, because a good night's sleep is an affordable luxury in this fast paced world!

Mentally rephrasing the above statements I came to these conclusions

Why not try drinking herbal teas instead of tea or coffee? When my doctor told me to come off caffeine I found it really hard and felt deprived, and still allowed myself a morning cup of tea. I explored the world of 'decaffeinated' but just felt as if I was being let down as it didn't taste quite right. After a while I came to realize that as herbal teas tasted nothing like real tea it was just a different taste and not a substitute, this helped me a lot. I then discovered that herbal teas did actually have a lot of health benefits and help my body in more ways than just caffeine elimination. Check this page for more information.  Now when people start to make sympathetic faces when I say 'I don't do caffeine', I have to stop them as I genuinely do not feel deprived but feel as if I am making healthy choices for my body.

How about having a bath before you go to bed? This is a lovely bit of pampering, I add some bath salts or oils, dim the lights/use candles, play soothing music to really help me relax and unwind. Then using lovely creams and oils to moisturise my skin and body afterwards and slipping into clean, fresh smelling pj's all adds to the luxurious, pampering feeling. It also means that I have an easily enforced no screen time before bed too! I have a bath whenever I have to get up really early the next morning and see it as a treat not part of a strict routine.

If you are a couple or family why not start having 'Family Time' together each evening? Yes, this means turning off computers, ipads etc so that you interact together in the the last couple of hours before bedtime. Play games, read books aloud, watch a film together (the TV screen is less stimulating for your eyes and brain than a computer/phone screen.) Quality time with your family or partner is always a great feel good session and this way has so many added health benefits as well.

I hope these ideas have given you food for thought on how to pamper yourself a little each day to enable yourself to relax and unwind before bedtime!

Sweet dreams. 

Oxygen Masks

In the safety briefing on the aeroplanes (you know that bit at the beginning of a flight that no-one really listens too) we are informed that in the case of having to use an oxygen mask that we should put one on ourselves first and then help those around us to put on theirs.
It makes sense because the drop in oxygen can happen so quickly that if you were to spend those seconds helping a child put on their mask, that you would be unconscious before you would be able to put on your own.
I find that our instinct as women is to put others first, especially if we have children and families. We are able to put so much pressure on ourselves, running a business and a household that we burn ourselves out.
In order to make more time in the day for others we sacrifice the very thing that would help us perform better in the first place. Sleep.

In this modern fast-paced world sleep is the essential that we think we can do without. Sleep seems to take up so much time. It seems easier to go to bed just half an hour later so that we can finish a work assignment, make a cake for the cake sale, check the emails one last time, stay longer at an after hours work function, catch a TV programme etc. It doesn't appear to have any major affect, so we repeat it another night, telling ourselves that we will catch up at the weekend.

Then the weekend is busy too, and so is the following week and before we fully realise, bedtime is creeping slowly but surely to a later and later time and we are failing to get a regular 7-9 hours sleep we need each night and are regularly surviving on 6 hours or less. Although you may feel tired or sleepy and believe there to be no immediate short term affects, the research shows otherwise.

There will be immediate affects on your performance and alertness, so staying up late to finish your work will impact on your ability to be efficient at work the following day. Sleep deprivation also can affect your alertness when driving or operating machinery, your effectiveness at making decisions, as well as causing stress in relationships - both personal and professional.

Long term sleep deprivation starts affecting your health including blood pressure, weight control, mental impairment and contribute towards the development of diabetes and strokes.

So putting this all into perspective - cutting back on your sleep to do more is actually making people less effective.
Here are some ideas that can help us ensure that we put on our own oxygen masks first and make sure we get enough sleep to for our own health and to help others in a more productive and effective way.

- Is it possible to take a power nap during the day? Join the ranks of the famous who nap - Churchill, Edison, Da Vinci and even Bill Clinton. A quick 20 minute power nap can help restore your energy levels and help in increasing productivity. Many companies are working with this idea and providing 'snooze' areas for their employees!

- Working all evening does not give the brain a chance to relax and wind down and sleep quality is improved by setting a time to switch off work related activities and spend time with your family and friends in the evening. This also has the added benefit of making you more productive the next day.

- Prioritising household tasks and delegating at home can also free up time to help you relax and sleep more effectively.

- Have a set bedtime and stick to it. Numerous studies have shown that regular sleep patterns not only  improve the quality of sleep but also helps your body prepare for sleep so that you are able to fall asleep more quickly and once asleep, stay asleep.

During life there will be times when you need to put others needs before your own sleep (when having young babies or caring for someone who is ill) but for the majority of the time the simple fact of putting ourselves first and ensuring that we get a great night's sleep means that we are able to be more productive, efficient and ultimately help those around us.

Sweet dreams!

Sleep Gadgets

I'm not sure what you're like, but I know that in my quest for a perfect night's sleep I tied out a few gadgets and gimmicks in the hope that they worked.
Most of them did not.

It's a minefield out there, trying to distinguish the hype from the truth and the fact that, as more and more people are reporting that they are sleep deprived, it is becoming a big business sector with many brands jumping on the bandwagon.

These are a few things that I have tried over the years, the list is not exhaustive and are only my feelings, but it would be good to start a discussion. I have not included herbal or alternative medication in this post.

Mattress - There is now a plethora of mattress types out there, all proclaiming to help you get a good night's sleep. They are a huge investment so which one do you choose?
The general advice is to replace them every 10 years and I would support this. In my backpacking days I slept on many a poor quality mattress and had a poor night's sleep. Sagging springs do not support the body and therefore will decrease the quality of your sleep.
As for the style of mattress - this is more a personal choice. A good bed showroom will let you lie on the mattresses and try them out. What is comfortable for one is not for another. If you are a couple that prefer different mattresses then look into getting the style where two different types can be zipped together. I personally find the foam mattresses very hot yet others swear by them. Take your time and try different shops and styles till you find one you like, do not be rushed into buying the first you come across.
Be wary of internet bargains - you can not try them out, what may seem like a good price may result in a low quality mattress. Also be wary of second hand, not only do you not know how old they are, they will have been 'shaped' by someone else's sleeping style. Also there are reports of bed bug infestations spreading through the use of second hand beds and furniture.
I have had a good quality orthopedic mattresses for a long while, it cost more than the basic mattress but was not overly expensive.

Pillows - again this is very much an area defined by personal preferences. I have been converted to the contoured pillows that give you neck support. I started using one because of a lot of tension in my upper back, I found it a little odd at first but now find it difficult to sleep with out one and end up bunching a 'normal' pillow under my neck to recreate the feeling of support.
Fortunately pillows are not as expensive as mattresses so a little trial and error will not cost the earth. Good bed shops will also have different pillows that you can try.

Magnets - A few years ago there was some hype around using magnets in pillows and on undersheets to help improve your sleep. I invested in a small sheet to try it out. I could feel a difference in my circulation (it improved that) but it did not really improve the quality of my sleep.
Magnetic therapy is also claimed to help those with arthritic and joint pain, and of course pain can stop you sleeping well and is a well know cause of insomnia. If you were in this category and wanted to try magnetic therapy, perhaps try a wristband to see if there is any improvement before making larger investments. Also look out for money back guarantees.

Massage machines - again there are certain types of massage machines on the market that claim t help improve sleep quality. The benefits they offer can be debateable. If you are stressed then yes, having a massage can help you relax and then sleep better, so they can help in the treatment of sleep problems rather than effectively cure them.

Sleep monitors - there has often been a huge difference in the amount of sleep that people think they get and the amount of sleep they do get. Traditional methods to show this have mainly revolved around keeping a sleep diary or going to a sleep centre and being 'wired up' for the night. Recently, with the improvement in technology there are some sleep monitors that you can buy and use at home. These, however do not always give accurate results with people reporting that the monitor bands slip off during the night, or register periods of inactivity as sleep, when the users report they were awake but just not moving. Also these monitors just record the amount of sleep you get, they do not improve the quality or length of sleep.

White noise/sound machines - these play background noises and music to either block out other noises or to provide a constant noise to help you fall asleep. I have to say that sometimes I have listened to music or meditations before going to sleep as this helps switch of a racing brain, though have not needed a special machine to help me do this. If you are sharing your bed then it is possible to buy headbands with inbuilt speakers and pillows that you can plug your ipod into so that your partner is not disturbed. If listening to music helps you sleep, it maybe worth checking these out.
If you want to see if white noise could help you sleep, then try running a small electric fan in your room to see if that helps before investing in a special machine.

After many years of trying different approaches, and finding some that helped a little or not at all, the only one that worked long term was following a structured behavioural therapy approach to actually retrain my body in the art of falling asleep and staying sleep. It was an effort at first but it was only for a few weeks and the benefits have been longer lasting than anything else I have tried.