Health

How Your Surroundings Affect Sleep

A good night’s sleep is a great way to end any day, and as such, it is sought after mercilessly by the vast majority of people. Sleep takes up large portions of our time and is a vital part of being a healthy, functioning human being. Our modern era of technology is slowly lighting up the nights and making them as interesting, if not more so than our days, and this doesn’t even stop at our front door!

12145190_550139248468946_1738166744_nWith the surge of social media websites and apps in the last decade, our time at home and even in bed is being spent more and more in the “presence” of others, and less in the comforting embrace of sleep. This is just one of the factors that can influence the sleep that you can (or cannot) get, and there are many factors that people don’t even think of when trying to work out why they can’t sleep at night. Factors like “Is my mattress old?”, “Is the temperature in my house good for sleeping?” or “How might my surrounding be affecting me? The answer might be as simple as buying a Koala Mattress, or as complex as rearranging your entire bedroom. Here we explore the answers to these questions, and hopefully get you back on track for a better night’s sleep.

Mattress Wear and Tear

A factor many of us don’t consider about our sleeping habits, is the age and wear of our mattress. Maybe, if it gets to the stage where we are waking up with aches and pains, we may consider a new mattress, but usually not before that. This can be the cause of all of your slumber troubles, as a worn mattress can sag in any number of places, which can lead your muscles to need to support themselves more and more, making your arms, legs, and back uncomfortable at an almost imperceptible level.

As you toss and turn at night, unable to get to sleep, it’s worth asking why moving around helps you get comfortable for a little while, before needing to move again. Maybe your mattress needs a change to get that night’s rest you so desperately crave.

Temperature Trap

If your mattress is fine, however, it’s worth looking at your thermostat.

The temperature of your house as you sleep at night can fluctuate depending on how you warm your house. With central heating, it’s easier to maintain the perfect sleeping temperature, and therefore ensure a smooth ride to dreamland, but with other methods it can be considerably more difficult. The ideal temperature for sleep is between 15 and 19 degrees celsius (60-67 fahrenheit), and that’s because the body cools down as you sleep, and warms up as you begin to wake up, so waking up throughout the night in a warm bed in a slightly cool room is the ideal conditions to go quickly back to sleep for undisturbed rest all night.

Clutter-upper

Finally, if your temperature is ideal, and your mattress is still good, then you must look to the state of your bedroom. What kind of furniture do you have around? Do you have a desk in your room, or do you use it as a home office? Is it chaotic and messy, or meticulously clean? These can all have an affect on your state of mind before getting into bed, and when you wake up throughout the night.

If you use your room as an office, consider moving the office elsewhere in the house, as this will gradually train your brain into understanding that when in the bedroom, there’s no need to be mentally alert and information-driven. If it’s dirty, with dust everywhere, it can place a strain on your lungs as you sleep, making your nights more disturbed. This is especially prominent in people with asthma or other breathing difficulties, and can pose a serious risk to those people.

With a bit of rearranging, an investment in a good mattress, and some climate control, your sleep can come rushing back to you. It’s always worth mentioning to a doctor if you are still having trouble after all of that, as the problem can also be medical or mental in nature, and a professional can help in those scenarios.

If you have any questions, please ask below!