World Sleep Day 2019

Sleep expert reveals sleep tips ahead of World Sleep Day

World Sleep Day, an annual event organised by the World Sleep Society, is on the horizon again; aiming to lessen the burden of sleep problems on society through better prevention and management of sleep disorders.

We all know the importance and benefits of getting a good night’s kip – it can often be the difference between a good day and a bad day – but as a nation are we really doing all we can to ensure we’re getting the very best from our sleep each night?

Ahead of this year’s special sleep-dedicated day on Friday 15th March, Silentnight’s resident sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan has revealed how we can all make sure we are setting ourselves up properly to sleep well each night.

She said: “You might think you are taking every step to ensure you’re getting a good night’s sleep, but so many people neglect the most obvious thing – their sleep environment.

“Recent research has shown that nearly half of us are sleeping on old or second hand mattresses and I believe this is dramatically impacting the quality of people’s sleep. A good environment is an essential part of getting deep, restorative sleep and this means everything from the right light and temperature in your bedroom, to the right comfort of mattress. Turn your bedroom into a calming space that you really want to spend time in, and I guarantee you’ll sleep better.”

Dr Nerina also believes that the urge to constantly check the time is one of the biggest disruptors of sleep, yet for so many of us it’s still a habit that’s very hard to break.

She said: “If you wake up in the night and instantly check the time, you’re likely to start calculating how many hours you have left before morning and worrying about how much sleep you’re missing out on. This is a terrible cycle to get into, as obsessively checking the time will only make you more stressed and less able to drift back off. By all means use your phone as an alarm clock, but fight the urge to check it every time you wake up during the night.

“We need sleep, both quality and quantity, to recover from the endeavours of our day and to give ourselves the resilience to tackle whatever life throws at us.”

What do you do to ensure you’re getting the best possible night’s sleep? Let us know on our social pages.