National Bed Month

I love my bed.
I make no secret about it. It is my best friend. It welcomes me with open arms at the
end of a long hard day at work, never asking difficult questions if I’m home late, or
where I’ve been, it just seems pleased to see me. In fact, I have no intention of being
buried in a coffin, I intend to be buried in my bed. My eternal rest may well as well be
comfortable!

So why is Sleep so important?

It is vital for physical health, brain function and emotional well-being. It allows the
body to repair tissues, consolidate memories, remove toxins and regulate hormones.
Without adequate sleep (apparently 7-9 hours for adults) the body couldn’t
strengthen its immune system or boost its energy reserves. It couldn’t improve
cognitive performance and reduce the risks for chronic diseases like obesity,
diabetes or heart disease.
If you have had a good night’s sleep, your body is alert, is able to concentrate, make
(reasonable……) decisions, have good reaction times which all help with safety and
peak performance.
Stress, emotions, anxiety, depression can be better managed with a good night’s
sleep, or at least you may be able to recognize the symptoms easily.
The world generally seems like a brighter place when you don’t wake up tired,
miserable and aching.
So, apart from turning mattresses, making sure your bed linen is bed bug free and
encouraging recalcitrant teenagers out of bed before 3pm, what else can we do to
make the most of National Bed Month (apparently, I’m not allowed to encourage
working from bed here)
Sleep hygiene – have a coNsistent schedule; go to bed and wake up at the same
time every day, even weekends! Keep your bedroom dark, quiet and cool (16-20
degrees C). Get at least 30 minutes of daily exercise in natural daylight. Limit
caffeine and alcohol. If you don’t fall asleep within 20-30 do something boring (like
writing or reading a blog)