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Sweet Dreams

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No cognitive state has been as extensively studied yet as misunderstood as dreaming.  The average person dreams three to six times per night for up to 20 minutes per dream.  That’s up to two hours a night forming a big part of our human experience.

 

Researchers believe dreams play an important role in problem solving, incorporating memories and processing emotions. Many people come up with their best ideas whilst dreaming, suggesting it’s also a conduit for creativity.

 

Dreaming mainly happens during the light stage of sleep or what’s known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.  That’s why light sleepers and people that wake several times during the night are more likely to remember their dreams.  If you’d like to remember your dreams more, follow these top tips to help you:

 

Ditch the alarm clock

You’re more likely to remember your dreams if you allow your body to wake up naturally. Focusing on the sound of an alarm pushes dreams out of your field of consciousness.

 

Avoid alcohol

Try not to drink alcohol or take medication right before bed time as this can disrupt REM sleep and decrease dreaming.

 

Sweet dreams are made of cheese

Eating cheese or spicy food before bedtime can cause indigestion and alter your body’s metabolism. This in turn affects the brain’s overnight activity leading to dreams or nightmares.

 

Programme your brain to remember

Right before you go to sleep, make a conscious decision to remember. It’s amazing how receptive your mind can be when you ‘programme’ it to do something.

 

Drink Sleep Well

Certain herbs such as valerian root and chamomile, which are used to induce sleep, can bring on more vivid and fluid dreaming.  With its gorgeous tasting combination of milk, honey and valerian, drinking Sleep Well half an hour before you head to bed may well mean you’ve bagged yourself a one-way ticket on the dreamland express!

Avoid Clock Shock

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The clock change: it happens twice a year, every year and yet it still seems to unsettle and confuse us. Come rain or shine, each March and October, we’re scratching our heads trying to work out whether we’ll receive the mystical gift of an extra hour in duvet-land or if we’re about to be robbed of our prized beauty sleep. At least our all-knowing iPhones never get confused, meaning we have no excuse for being late to work!

 

TIME TO CHANGE THE CLOCKS

The UK reverts to Greenwich Mean Time at 2am on Sunday 29th October, when all the clocks are turned back to 1am. Remember this idiom to help you: Spring forward, Fall back. The clocks always go forward an hour on the last weekend in March in spring and go back on the final weekend of October in autumn.

 

WHY DO THE CLOCKS CHANGE ANYWAY?

American President Benjamin Franklin first came up with the idea to change clock times whilst in Paris in 1784. He suggested that if people got up earlier when it was lighter, then it would save on candles. The idea first arrived in the UK after Coldplay singer Chris Martin’s great-great-grandfather, the builder William Willett, thought Britons were wasting valuable morning hours during the winter. In 1907, he published a leaflet called The Waste of Daylight, encouraging people to get out of bed earlier.  His successful campaign resulted in the Summer Time Act 1916 and we’ve been springing forward and falling back ever since.

 

GET OUT AND SOAK UP THE DAYLIGHT

So it’s time to say bye-bye to summertime for another six months, but it’s not all bad. Relish those extra 60 minutes in bed and remember the mornings will also be lighter, so make an effort to make the most of this time.  Getting out and enjoying the daylight really can help to combat sleepiness and winter sadness.

Most importantly, don’t forget to pay homage to the darkest and finest day of the year for sleeping, Thursday 21st December, when there will be just seven hours and 49 minutes of daylight. The sun rises at 8:03am and sets at 3:53pm, so be grateful for a valid excuse to get to bed – you can regain the lost wakeful hours during the longest day of the year next June, when you’ll get 16 hours and 50 minutes of daylight.

 

TIPS FOR ADJUSTING TO THE HOUR CHANGE

 

  • When the clocks first go back, mornings are lighter so ensure bedrooms are kept dark with blinds or curtains.

 

  • Alter bedtime gradually over the few days beforehand to adjust to the new time. This will minimise the impact on your body’s circadian rhythm.

 

  • Maintain bedtime routines. Get ready for bed in the same order e.g pyjamas on, teeth brushed, bedtime story.

 

  • You know the drill on this one: try and turn off all screens at least an hour before bedtime.

 

  • Enjoy a warm, milky drink like Sleep Well to encourage sleepiness and avoid stimulating food and drink just before sleep.

 

  • Make sure all the clocks are correct.

 

GO WITH IT

For many, the October clock change marks the beginning of winter and this often symbolises a significant change in our routine and daily activities. Long gone are the heady days of summer, when strolls at dusk and post-work picnics frequent the agenda. It’s the season of board games, roast dinners and pyjama Sundays. So, eat heartily, dress warmly and get friendly with Netflix. It’s an important time to rest and recuperate, flow with nature’s cycles and slip into a gentle hibernation mode, making the most of those cosy, early nights and the simple joy of sleeping well.

 

To nap or not to nap

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Naps: for some they are part of a daily ritual, for others an ad hoc luxury.  But are they good for you?  We asked our guru of sleep Dr Neil Stanley for his thoughts on the pros and cons of napping.

 

In support of the power nap

Whilst naps will never make up for a poor night’s sleep, a short nap of just 20-30 minutes can help pep you up, both improving your performance and reducing the number of mistakes you’re likely to make during the day if you’re overtired. Psychologically, a nap also feels like a ‘treat’, providing much needed respite from a stressful day and improving your overall sense of wellbeing.

 

The downside of dozing

Napping, however, doesn’t always work. If you sleep for too long you’re likely to wake feeling groggy and disorientated; otherwise known as ‘sleep inertia’. This feeling can last anything from a few minutes to half an hour.  If you nap for too long or too late in the day, sleeping later is likely to become harder.  If you’re already having trouble sleeping at night, a nap in the day is likely to make it worse, not better.

 

When to catch forty winks

So, how do you know if you should nap?

If you had a poor night’s sleep and you know why – perhaps you were working late, out partying, were travelling or up half the night with a new-born – then having a nap to catch up on your sleep quota can work wonders.  But, if there’s no clear reason for your poor night’s sleep, it’s best to avoid napping in the day. Napping isn’t recommended for those suffering from insomnia as the priority is to re-establish a consistent night time sleep pattern, not one that is dependent on ‘topping up’ in the day.

 

How to turn your nap from tepid to triumphant

For the ultimate power nap, drink a can of a functional energy drink (not coffee; the caffeine levels are too inconsistent) just before you nap. Yes, you read that right! As the caffeine takes roughly 30 minutes to kick-in, you’ll get half an hour of relaxing snooze time before you wake and enjoy the boost from both the nap and the caffeine.

It’s also important to nap in a place where you can disengage mentally from your surroundings. To help, try and pick a time and a place where there are likely to be few distractions, make the room or surroundings as dark as possible and avoid using electronic devices beforehand.

Best time to exercise

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Exercise has a profound impact on the quality of sleep. The recommended amount of weekly exercise is two and half hours but there’s loads of deliberation about when is the best time to exercise to have the greatest effect on the quality of your sleep.

 

Rise and shine

Exercising first thing is a sure-fire way to stay consistent.  Getting your workout done in the morning prevents you putting it off when the day gets too busy or you lose motivation. And if you exercise outdoors in the morning, you’re going to get your daily dose of sunshine, which can help regulate your sleep cycles.

 

Happy Hour

But if you’re not an early bird and the afternoon suits you better, then this has its own plus points, both for performance and sleep. Your body is two degrees warmer in the afternoon meaning your muscles work more efficiently and lowers the risk of injury. Aerobic work outs (like cardio) can help ease insomnia because following exercise you’ll be tired, fall asleep quicker and wake up less frequently during the night.

 

When not to exercise

For a great night’s sleep, it’s best to avoid strenuous exercise in the evening right before bed. Cardio increases your body temperature and also suppresses melatonin.  It’s melatonin that sends a signal to the brain that it’s time to start winding down and getting ready for sleep, so exercising right before bed will leave you feeling more stimulated and awake.  Not ideal! If you prefer to get in some pre-bedtime movement, try yoga or simple stretching.  Both of these can help you unwind and relax for a restful night.

Sleeping on flights

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Travelling can be tiring and it’s important to prepare yourself so you can acclimatise into new time zones as quickly as possible when you land.  You don’t want to miss a minute in your chosen destination. For daytime flights, the best thing you can do is keep yourself awake. However, if you are flying overnight or very early in the morning, there are a few things you can do in preparation to hit the beach as soon as you touchdown:

 

Fight over the window seat

The window seat is the perfect spot to grab a few zzz’s whilst mid-flight, avoiding all chances of dozing off on a stranger’s shoulder.

Bring comfort with you

Not all of us are able to fly in the luxury of first class but it’s still possible to create your own comfort in economy. Bring your favourite comfy clothes, a neck pillow and an eye mask and you’ll improve your chance of snuggling down to sleep.

Uncross your legs and lean back

Although you may be tempted to curl up due to space restrictions, it’s far better to lean back and straighten your legs. This will avoid ‘pins and needles’ and cramp and improve your chance to sleep well.

Stay away from the light

Avoid mobile devices, screens and TVs half an hour before you want to sleep.  The blue light from screens suppresses melatonin and it’s melatonin that sends a signal to your brain that it’s time to sleep.

Allow enough to time to wake up

To complete the perfect inflight sleep, make sure you leave yourself enough time to wake up before landing. Set an alarm 45 minutes before touch down so you have enough time to come around and freshen up before arrival.  Programming your body clock to wake up will help you acclimatise to the local timezone.

The ideal sleep environment

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A big influence on what can make (or break) a good night’s sleep is the environment you are sleeping in.  In an ideal world, you’d build your bedroom from scratch to create the perfect sleep environment but for most of us, that’s not an option!  We’ve pulled together some simple ways to help you turn your current bedroom at home into a snoozing sanctuary.

 

Not too hot, not too cold…

The only thing about your bedroom that should be stuffy is your cuddly toy.  Quite simply, fresh air is good for sleep. Many experts say the ideal temperature for the bedroom is 16-18°C (60-65°F).

 

It’s not just the room temperature that’s important to sleep well. The temperature in your direct sleeping environment (under the duvet) is equally important and should be as close to body temperature as possible. You are just one big fleshy hot water bottle so you will heat up your sleeping space as you slumber.  During the night, the body needs to lose heat and this is done mainly through the head and face which are the only bits that usually stick out from under the duvet. So a cool bedroom helps this heat loss.

 

If the room is too hot, it’s more difficult for your body to lose heat and this can cause disturbed sleep. Likewise, if the room is too cold the body has to work hard to maintain its optimal temperature and this too can disturb your sleep. It’s about getting the right combination of air temperature, duvet and bedclothes to achieve the best results. If it means you have to wear bed socks but keep the window open, so be it!

 

Hello darkness my old friend

Light is a signal to our body that it’s time to get up so it’s important to sleep in as dark a room as possible.  Heavy curtains or blackout blinds are a great investment if you want to sleep well. For little ones, this might prove a bit scary so nightlights are a good solution to help them feel safe and secure. If you and your partner prefer different light levels in the bedroom, invest in a sleep eye mask as a compromise.

 

Silence is a virtue

To sleep well, noise should be kept to a minimum. Try and remove anything from the bedroom that produces a constant noise at such a level that it disrupts your sleeping.  This might even include your bed buddy! Managing outside noise, however, is not quite as controllable.  If you can invest in double or triple glazing, great.  But for a less drastic solution, pick up some ear plugs that are suitable for sleeping in next time you’re at the chemist.

 

Finally…

Your bed should be extraordinarily comfortable – consider replacing the mattress every 8-10 years.  For more info on beds, have a look at our sleep zone blog ‘signs you need a new bed’.