Posted on October 07 2021
Beddable believes making the perfect bed should be simple. Yet, getting a satisfactory night’s sleep is not always so easy. In fact, the NHS reports that 1 in 3 suffer from sleep deprivation, with many saying it has an impact on their following day. Since getting a great night's sleep is fundamental to unlocking the mind and body of stress and mental difficulty, we’ve sourced a helpful guide to highlight the importance of sleep on health and wellbeing.
We asked Alex Dimitriu M.D., a psychiatrist who has a dual board certification in psychiatry and sleep medicine, why sleep matters. As a medical reviewer for Business Insider, the Sleep Foundation and a contributing writer to the Encyclopedia of Sleep Medicine, Alex is an expert in his field. His work that helps patients to optimise sleep performance by day and peak restorative sleep by night, has been internationally recognised by Men's Health, Cosmopolitan and The New York Times. In acknowledging this expertise in psychiatry, sleep, and transformational therapy we asked:
A great night’s sleep: what is it and how do I know if I’m getting it?
Alex defines good sleep as “when you almost wake up naturally, and feel refreshed, sharp, and calm the next day, without needing too much coffee. Usually this is about 7 to 9 hours for most adults”. If this doesn't sound familiar or you are waking up with difficulty, feeling weary, restless and rough, then perhaps you need to rethink your schedule. Are you sleeping for the recommended amount of hours?
How can poor sleep impact health and wellness?
Aside from overall feeling of mood and an instantaneous coffee-drinking habit, lack of sleep can negatively affect health and wellness in more ways than one. Alex suggests “Poor sleep can throw off a lot of things. People can become irritable, tired, depressed, forgetful, and more obsessive and ruminative. It can get harder to distance oneself from intense emotions. Memory also suffers. The body feels poor sleep with increased appetite, elevated cortisol, as well as blood sugar”.
We also asked Alex for his top three tips to a healthy night’s sleep:
- Maintain regular bed and wake times: Adopting regular sleep patterns and keeping a sleep schedule even on the weekends, maintains your internal body clock, helping you fall asleep and wake up easier.
- Be asleep before midnight: Not sleeping before midnight can disrupt this internal biological clock. You may have heard of the phrase ‘an hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after’. This refers to our circadian rhythm that signals when it’s time to sleep. Going outside of this flow can therefore impact both physical and mental health; make a habit of heading to bed pre-midnight.
- Get exercise and "vertical outdoor time" during the day: Vertical exercise is anything that is an actual or simulated ascension, like running or walking. Participating in physical activity throughout the day can improve sleep quality and duration. The two have a dialectical relationship, with sleep and exercise labelled as the pillars of mental health.
How can bedding and sleeping environments ensure a restful night’s sleep?
Each aspect of your bedroom setting can influence how well you sleep. Studies have shown that many are able to simply sleep better when their bedroom is optimised for comfort and relaxation. Our washed cotton comfort bedding available in a range of clean colour blocks and geometric shapes provides the ultimate sleep-ready setting. After all, a bed that promotes sleep can improve on how you feel when you’re awake. Shop beddable’s bedding sets to assist on getting that all-important night’s sleep.
What are the benefits of getting a healthy night’s sleep on wellbeing?
By following these tips to ensure a great night’s sleep you’re sure to see an improvement on overall health and wellbeing. As Alex states “sleep is essential to both the mind and body. For the mind, sleep helps memory and emotional systems, and it also cleans up all the waste products for the day. Good sleep can help with mood, anxiety, impulsivity, memory, and attention and focus (yes, ADHD or ADHD like symptoms). For the body, sleep helps our metabolism, glucose and fat control, appetite, immunity, and even skin quality and appearance”. There is more to just getting the essential shut eye, sleep matters.
*These tips were based on suggestions by Alex Dimitriu MD, of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine.
