Is it just because we are not aware while doing it that most people are not caring so much about the quality of their sleep? Those suffering from insomnia and going through long and challenging days of terrible fatigue would be grateful to get some hours of undisturbed sleep at night. And those who have it, do not really appreciate it but just take it as a given. What is it though that makes us sleep well or badly? The Sleep Pyramid is giving you a comprehensive view on the 3 x 3 reasons for good or poor sleep. Check where you find yourself, point after point.
There are three major areas affecting your sleep:
-
Your bedroom environment
-
Your physical and mental condition
-
Your Bed System
Each of the above areas has again 3 elements that drive the quality of sleep. Let’s start with the
Bedroom Environment
-
External influences such as light, temperature and noise. It seems pretty logic that darkness, accurate temperature and silence are important enablers of good sleep. Make sure that your bedroom is free of negative influences that might disturb your sleep.
- Your partner and other members of the family are important actors when it comes to creating an atmosphere of silence and relaxation. A common and well accepted cultural view that considers the bedroom mainly as the place to sleep in, may help a lot. Watching TV, reading newspapers or starting a debate in bed while your partner tries to find her or his sleep, is not very considerate.
The ambiance in your bedroom is affecting your feelings and this may be for better or for worse. Treat your bedroom as a temple of tranquility and privacy where only certain people (no animals) are allowed to stay.
YOU
-
Inherited properties have a fundamental influence on your inner clock. Whether you are an owl or an early bird, is a matter of your DNA. So try to structure your days according to your biological clock.
-
Your physical conditions, however, may change several times a day, depending on your activities and your nutrition. IIt is no secret that alcohol and caffeine are strong sleep disturbers. A relaxing walk at the end of the day will help you calm down, while jogging just before going to sleep will keep you awake longer than you would like.
-
Your mental conditions - psychologic stress is probably the most difficult challenge to handle when your body wants to recover, but your brain keeps actively working. Mental training is a good way to tackle this problem.
Bed System
-
Ergonomic properties that are in line with your personal needs considering your body weight, height and shape, as well as with your individual sleep preferences (i.e.sleep position, hardness of the mattress, etc.) are the most important factors for feeling well and comfortable in your bed.
-
Bed climate is affected by room temperature, by your personal energy scale and to a large extent by the quilt or duvet you are using – most offered quilts have a far too high insulation level and are not able to transfer moisture out of your bed. A warm and humid micro climate that triggers sweating is the result. Bico is offering special duvets which release humidity through openings and this patented concept reduces humidity in your bed from 90% to 65%.
-
Hygiene is the one topic that probably gets the fewest attention, since most beds do not offer washable mattress covers – so, better not to talk about it. Dust mites’ excrements affect the respiratory system of lots of people who do not recognize the true cause of their problem, when waking up morning by morning with symptoms of a cold.
Should you require tips how to create a better bedroom environment or information how to optimize your personal conditions for better sleep, go to our website and visit the chapter
About Good Sleep