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Are you getting enough quality sleep?

A recent survey showed we British are a nation of insomniacs – with nearly 70% complaining of a lack of zzz’s.

Contrary to usual sleep advice it’s not always practical to simply sleep more. Most people can’t fit in any more hours of sleep, so here is some advice on how to help improve the quality of your sleep, so what sleep you do get leaves you feeling much more refreshed during the day:

1. Find a new sleeping position
We aren’t suggesting anything especially radical, for example, if you prefer sleeping on your tummy, you should try sleeping on your back. But there may be a few minor changes you may be able to make. Bad posture at night leads to discomfort, which keeps you in lighter sleep and may even cause you to wake you in the night. Even if you aren’t in pain, you may find a subtle adjustment gives you better quality of sleep. So, here are a few pointers:

If you sleep on your side, your pillow should fill the gap between your neck and the bed, so your neck isn’t being pushed up or down. We recommend using a fairly firm pillow such as the goose feather and down pillow. Alternatively, memory foam pillows are particularly supportive and can even help those who suffer with neck and spinal problems. Choose from the wide range available from The Fine Bedding Company: the traditional memory foam pillow, contour memory foam pillow, dual support pillow or the memory foam and goose down pillow.

If you’re curvy, you may be more comfortable with a pillow between your knees and one under your waist, too.

If you are a tummy sleeper, you may want to reduce or remove your pillow, so you’re not twisting your neck to the side so much, or put a pillow under your tummy, to keep your spine supported. The Hungarian goose down pillow is perfect for those who sleep on their tummies as its remarkable softness means that it is able to provide a very gentle incline so it won’t damage your neck muscles.

And if you lie on your back, your pillow shouldn’t be so high that it pushes your chin towards your chest. If you prefer natural pillows, we recommend using a goose down pillow. The Perfectbalance pillow, Spundown pillow, Cotton Touch pillow or So Soft pillows all offer high quality synthetic alternatives.

2. Start a sleep diary
To find out what’s upsetting your sleep, why not keep a sleep diary? Over two weeks, or so, make a list what you eat, drink, your exercise, your bedtime routine, how long it takes you to fall asleep, what time you wake up, what wakes you up and whether you slept well. Then take a look at it for any connections between good and bad sleep days. Something seemingly unimportant, for example the evening gym session or the guarana in your herbal pick-me-up, may hold the key to your problem.

3. The Good Sleep Diet
It’s best to eat a larger lunch followed by a lighter supper and don’t eat after 9pm. Your supper should be made up of: protein (lean meat, fish, eggs, tofu), with vegetables, some carbohydrates (wholewheat bread, potatoes, past and rice) plus a little healthy fat (olive oil, nuts, seeds). Goods suppers include scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast, chicken with stir-fried vegetables, pasta with Parmesan cheese or a baked potato with a tuna filling and a green salad.

4. Avoid stimulants such as coffee and tea
Avoid drinks that contain caffeine, which acts as a stimulant and keeps people awake. Sources of caffeine include coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, non-herbal teas, diet drugs, and some pain relievers. Smokers tend to sleep very lightly and often wake up in the early morning due to nicotine withdrawal. Alcohol robs people of deep sleep and REM sleep and keeps them in the lighter stages of sleep.

5. Is it time for some new bedding?
Pillows should be changed every 2 to 4 years. To test yours, fold them in half; they should spring back easily.
If you have a mattress that’s more than eight years old, you may want to replace that too. But don’t assume firmer is better. On a firmness scale of one to 10, your bed should probably be a seven or eight, depending upon what you prefer. If your mattress is a little too hard, a mattress topper will soften the feel and mould to the shape of your body, providing extra ‘give’ to ensure the most comfortable night’s sleep.

6. Allergies can be a headache in the bedroom
Choose synthetic bedding if you have any concerns about allergies and like to be able to wash your duvets and pillows regularly. The fabrics and fillings are specially chosen for their performance. Most of the pillows from The Fine Bedding Company contain ball fibre fillings, made of small down-like clusters of polyester fibre; these pillows re-plump time after time and wash superbly. The Spundown duvets and pillows have the added benefit of being washable at 60°C, the temperature that destroys house dust mites and their allergens.

The Fine Bedding Company have also recently launched the Amicor anti allergy pillow in which house dust mites are simply unable to survive and these pillows have been clinically proven to offer a healthy sleeping environment for allergy sufferers. There is also an Amicor anti allergy duvet, only available from www.PureLivingCollection.com with a 10.5 tog rating.

For those not wishing to go to the expense of replacing their existing pillows we recommend the use of an anti allergy pillow protector. You may also protect your mattress with their anti allergy mattress protector.

7. Sleep until sunlight
If possible, wake up with the sun. Sunlight helps the body's internal biological clock reset itself each day. Sleep experts recommend exposure to an hour of morning sunlight for those who have problems falling asleep.

8. Keep to regular hours
Go to bed at a set time each night and get up at the same time each morning. Disrupting this schedule may lead to insomnia. "Sleeping in" on weekends also makes it harder to wake up early on Monday morning because it re-sets your sleep cycles for a later awakening.

9. Exercise
Try to exercise 20 to 30 minutes a day. Daily exercise often helps people sleep, although a workout soon before bedtime may interfere with sleep. For maximum benefit, try to get your exercise about 5 to 6 hours before going to bed.

10. Temperature control
Temperature fluctuations are one of the main causes of sleep deprivation. The Fine Bedding Company offer a variety of duvets including the 13.5 tog Four seasons duvets where you get a lightweight 4.5 tog and a warmer 9 tog to use separately or together depending on the time of year. It is also possible to button the 200g Mulberry silk duvet onto a 9 tog Hungarian goose down duvet to create a wonderfully warm and extremely luxurious, light and warm winter duvet.

Either way, it is sensible to vary your duvet with the change of seasons, i.e.


11. Don't lie awake in bed
If you can't get to sleep, don't just lie in bed. Do something else, like reading or listening to music, until you feel tired. The anxiety of being unable to fall asleep can actually contribute to insomnia.


12. If all else fails, nap
Just two to five minutes – a Micro Nap – can stop you feeling sleepy, while a Mini Nap – five to 15 minutes – increases alertness and performance. Best of all is a Power Nap – 20 minutes, the length of a single sleep cycle. It clears your brain of information you don’t need and improves your memory too. The best time to nap is between 1pm and 3pm.