It is thought that up to 55% of Adults have experienced lucid dreams. So, what exactly are they? Essentially this is where you can achieve a state of consciousness whilst being in a dream state. To put it simply you are awake in your dream.
What Happens in Lucid Dreams?
In a lucid dream the sleeper may be able to control certain events and direct characters and movements to a certain extent. However, this is not to be confused with dream control.
Dream Control – dream control is the practice of acting out dreams when you are awake. The reason for this, is so that the sleeper can attempt to manipulate what their dreams will be. This can have many benefits. For instance, practicing a skill in your dream can be proven to improve that skill in day to day life.
Who is likely to have this Type of Dream?
Whilst anyone can have a lucid dream, some research has suggested that those who are experiencing high stress and anxiety may be more prone. It has been also theorised that those of us who tend to be more creative may be more susceptible to having lucid dreams also.
You may want to read some other blogs revolving sleep and our environment. Check them out here.
Podcasts are becoming more popular. There are lots of genres choose from. From comedy to true crime, although we do not recommend the latter just before bed! We have been exploring some highly rated podcasts and we have narrowed down our top 3 below.
Planet Sleep
Planet Sleep’s podcast host Josh Thomas has put his soothing voice to great use. He creates a truly relaxing and immersive expierience. Combining soothing music and the tranquil sounds of nature. Whilst the content is not currently being renewed, the topics that are available to choose from range from space to spiritual journeys. As a result, we think this is a great podcast to listen to before bed.
4.8 stars on Apple Podcasts
Check it out here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/planet-sleep-relaxing-nature-stories-sounds/id1573462096
Boring Books for Bedtime
Usually this wouldn’t be the most tempting title for a podcast. But if you are looking for something to put you to sleep then what could be better! Released weekly, the hosts use slow pace and monotonous tones to bore you to sleep. Mind numbing topics include art needlework and household management.
Slow Radio is a celebration of soothing sounds. Listen to the calming tones of nature and the sounds of the earth. Episode topics do vary, but focus manly on nature. For instance, the ‘whale song’ is known to help you drift off into a peaceful sleep. Described as an escapist podcast, offering more than just ASMR.
Meditation is considered by many as a form of mind therapy. A way to centre and focus and achieve a feeling of calm and peace. Meditation is has also been known to help alleviate certain sleep disorders and overall promotes a better nights sleep.
So below we have compiled some meditation practices that are sure to send you to sleep quicker, and improve the quality of your sleep.
Environment – Choose a calm and quiet place, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Conservatories, garden rooms can often be great spaces.
Focus – In order to achieve a mediative like state, it can help to focus on a particular object. If you find your thoughts racing, try to gently guide your mind back to that object. It can also be helpful to keep repeating a particular phrase.
Breathing – Of course breathing is a very important part of meditation. Take long controlled breaths. You should try to focus on using your diaphragm muscles that are located beneath the ribs rather than your chest.
The reason meditation is a particularly helpful tool when it comes to our sleep is because of what it does to our parasympathetic nervous system. It helps to lower the heart rate which ignites this system, which in turn is responsible for encouraging slower more relaxed breathing.
We are perhaps the most susceptible to intrusive racing thoughts when we lie down to sleep. Partaking in meditation before bedtime is a great way of drowning this out and helping us fall into a deeper sleep, quicker.
For information regarding sleep disorders read our blog on Insomnia.
What Affect does Our Bedroom Colour Have on Sleep?
Lets explore the 5 best colours for the bedroom. Different colours can have different effects on our mood and temperament. For instance, using more pastel and muted tones can evoke a sense of calm and promote tranquillity in the space. These sorts of tones are therefore ideal to use in the bedroom.
What Colours are Best to Use in the Bedroom
Pink – Stick to pastel and warmer tones rather than bright pink. Pink is often depicted by our brains as a sweet and non-threatening. If you feel it would be too much on the walls, try adding accent pieces. If you crave a calmer environment after a stressful day at work, consider pink for the bedroom.
Blue – For lots of us a gentle blue wave can invoke images of the ocean which can bring a sense of calm. Consider blue if you want to create a sanctuary of serenity in the bedroom.
Green – Choosing the right shade if green can be a great way of bringing the indoors outdoors. Choosing more muted tones such a sage or a richer olive can again promote mindfulness and peace.
Beige – Beige is back! And its anything but boring! Choosing a neutral bedroom is a timeless way of achieving a bedroom that invites a warm and inviting environment. It can also make it much easier to pair another décor piece in the room.
Grey – In the same way that beige can offer the perfect backdrop to any piece of furniture, so too can grey. Adding slightly more warmth than bare white walls. Grey can create a welcoming space in the bedroom. Try to opt for warmer tones rather than cooler to stop the space from feeling too stark.
Sleepless nights are affecting 16 million people in. the UK. But its reported that one in three of them is actually suffering with the sleep disorder known as insomnia. This means that you regularly struggle to get some sleep. Insomnia is usually split into two categories short-term and long-term. Short term is when the sleeper suffers for shorter periods, whereas anything over three months is considered as long term.
How do you know if you suffer?
Sufferers of insomnia will experience just some of the following symptoms:
Lying awake
Waking up early and unable to get back to sleep
Inability to Nap during the day, despite feeling tired
General tiredness throughout the day
What are the Causes of Insomnia?
There can be lots of reasons people suffer. Some causes of the sleep disorder can be related to stress, noise, room temperature and even uncomfortable beds.
Thankfully there are some recommended steps you can take to tackle insomnia, which we have listed below:
Implement structure – Stick to going to be and waking at the same time each day.
Wind Down – Another thing you can do is devote an hour before bed to winding down, try a hot bath or a relaxing book.
Environment – Ensure that your bedroom is quiet and dark. Noise cancelling headphones can be a great way to achieve this
Exercise – Try to partake in light exercise throughout the day
Mattress – Ensure you are sleeping on a comfortable and supportive mattress. Aside from limiting aches and pains you will find it easier to fall asleep quicker on a comfortable mattress. Ensure your bed is a place you forward to being at the end of each day
For more information on Insomnia visit the NHS website.
Feng shui is derived from China and is the practice of placing objects carefully within a space to achieve harmony and a positive flow of chi. In this blog we will explore how you can practice feng shui in your bedroom.
Positioning the Bed to Achieve Feng Shui
Symmetry is a core principle of feng shui. So, when it comes to positioning the bed, try and leave equal space on each side of your bed. if your room does not allow this, try to allow as much room between the bed and the wall as possible even if this is just a few inches! In order to make the room functional try adding a bedside to both sides of your bed, even if you sleep alone, and a lamp on top of each. This will help with balance and symmetry is aesthetically pleasing.
Your bed is the most important feature in the room, and therefore should command the best position. As a rule, your bed should have a good view of the door but not directly in line with it. Placing the door directly facing the door is often referred to by people who practice feng shui as the ‘coffin position’ and therefore does not promote good energy. The best placement is diagonally across from the door If the bedroom allows.
Choosing the Type of Bed to Complete a Feng Shui Bedroom
Choosing a bigger bed is great way of incorporating Feng Shui in your bedroom. Feng shui focuses on how we as humans interact with our space and furniture. A bedroom is about sleeping, so choosing the biggest possible bed is a great way of incorporating feng shui in the room
The type of bed can influence feng shui. Choosing a bed frame as opposed to a divan or storage bed is preferable. This is because it allows the flow of chi in the space under the bed. Check out some of our favourite options below.
Simplicity is key
Try to keep clutter and things to a minimum in the bedroom. Also try to limit imposing furniture that is not your bed. electronic are generally frowned upon in the bedroom also.
Do not overuse mirrors in the bedroom. Feng shui often warns that placing too many mirrors in a room can create an imbalance in the energy.
Choosing the right colour palette in a room.
Feng shui incorporates elements of wood, fire, metal, water and earth. A great way of incorporating these elements into the room is through colour palette. Earthy tones such as yellows, oranges and browns are best for creating a great sense of harmony and balance within the bedroom.
It is no secret that creating a calm and relaxing environment can be instrumental in achieving a great night’s sleep. Plants can be a great way to aid relaxation and cleanse the environment in which we sleep. So here at Sleep Matters we look at some plants that can be a great addition to your bedroom and the benefits they will provide.
Are Plants Good for Sleep?
Having a plant in the bedroom can help to reduce carbon dioxide in the air and increase humidity. The right amount of humidity is desirable especially when we sleep. If the humidity of the air is too low this can lead to dry chapped skin and lips, sinuses, and contribute to dust mite allergies. Furthermore, when humidity drops too low this can exasperate pre-existing conditions such as bronchitis or asthma.
Snake Plants
Snake Plants is one of the best plants for keeping the air in your bedroom optimal. This exotic looking succulent releases oxygen, helping you to breathe better as you snooze.
Similarly, the Spider Plant is also great at peacefully combating toxins in the air including carbon monoxide.
Devils Ivy
The Devils Ivy also makes the list when considering a plant that will improve the air purity in your bedroom. Therefore, this plant is great for novice house plant owners, as its very hardy.
Lastly, but certainly not least, the Rubber plant has been recommended by NASA as oner of the best plants for cleansing the air while you sleep.
Best Plants to aid sleep and relaxation
Whilst the practice of tending to plants can be relaxing and improve mindfulness. Some plants have properties that have been known to reduce anxiety and depression. The importance of a peaceful environment when it comes to falling asleep should not be ignored. So let’s take a look at the plants that can aide relaxation and sleep.
Generally, Chamomile can be grown in the garden for the greener thumbed around us, but it is also commonly available from supermarkets in tea. It has been commonly drunk for its anti-anxiety and stress relieving properties.
With Aloe Vera you will get the best of both worlds. This plant is said to reduce anxiety and is also another great plant for its air cleansing properties.
So why not try and see if nature can bring a positive effect to your bedroom.
At Sleep Matters we are dedicated to providing our clients with the best beds and mattresses available in the UK. Luckily that means stocking beds and mattresses from premium skilled Yorkshire based manufacturers.
Our Yorkshire Beds and Mattress Manufacturers
There are so many great things about buying from Yorkshire manufactures. Gods own country, as its correctly often referred to, is home to some of the best bedmakers in the UK, and buying from local suppliers gives us the retailer more control over deliveries (especially when it comes to working with tight schedules.) We are able to visit the factory and send customers to the factories to, for example try different tensions of a mattress we may not have in store. To find out more about the brands we choose to work with and why visit our brands page.
What Buying Local Means…
Aside from the things we have already mentioned, buying locally also helps the world we all live in. Having a sustainable business is something we work towards passionately. We are constantly seeking products that are sustainable and do more good than harm to the environment. Buying locally reduces transmissions and helps us be a more ECO friendly business.
So why not visit us to view our range of Yorkshire made beds and mattresses!
We all know that alcohol can have a dramatic effect on the way we behave when we are awake. However, we don’t usually pay much attention to how it can effect the way we sleep. So how is drinking too much affecting our sleep? And is there any positives to indulging in the occasional beverage before sleep? Drinking can cause our brain activity to slow down, creating an almost like sedative effect. So in essence this may help with the first stage of the sleep cycle – falling asleep. However, this is where the positives end, as alcohol interferes with our brains ability to reach the final stages of our sleep cycle (you should check out the sleep foundations website to find out more regarding the sleep cycle.)
HOW MUCH ALCOHOL IS TOO MUCH WHEN IT COMES TO SLEEP?
So, now we have established booze does negatively impact our quality of sleep. The next logical question should be how much is too much? Unfortunately, studies have shown any amount effects sleep. Even just 1-2 drinks is shown to decrease sleep quality by 9.5%. Moderate consumption, just 2-3 drinks, decreased sleep quality by 24%. Heavy consumption, 3+ drinks, meant that sleep quality decreased to 39.2%. So to sum up, any amount of alcohol will have a negative impact on our sleep quality.
HOW TO AVOID THE IMPACT ALCOHOL HAS ON OUR SLEEP…
Don’t worry, its not all doom and gloom. Most of us use alcohol as a tool to unwind and relax. We are by no means advising that your abstain from drinking all together. However, in order to minimise how it effects your sleep we recommend trying to implement the following advice.
Allow a minimum of 3 hours between your last drink and bedtime
Try to drink plenty of water alongside alcoholic drinks
Never mix alcohol with sleeping pills – they are both depressants and can have a dangerous effect on your breathing
March is Bed Month. You might be wondering what Bed Month is, and why we would dedicate a whole month to it. Let us answer that for you. Bed Month goes on throughout the Month of March. We are working in partnership with the National Bed Federation to provide you with all the knowledge you need to get a good nights sleep. So if you can’t sleep, then you will want to keep a close eye on our social media platforms, like facebook and Insta, and right here on our blog over the next month. We will also be offering spring promotions that can say you £100 on selected sets.
So let us take a look at some of the topics we will cover to help you wake up on the #rightsideofthebed.
What to Look for When Buying a Bed
So many clients that come into our store feel overwhelmed before even lying down on a mattress. Sometimes customers feel that there is so much choice they simply don’t know where to start. At Sleep Matters we have the resources to put your mind at ease in store. However, we know it would be beneficial for you to have a base knowledge before you start the bed buying process.
How to Properly Care for Your Bed
Getting a good night’s sleep doesn’t just stop at a fresh new mattress – although this is an essential part of the process. Once your new mattress has been carefully delivered by our Sleep Matters team, it is down to you to take care of it. So over the course of Bed Month, we will be sharing our top tips and advice for how to best care for your new mattress or bed.
What To Do, To Get a Better Night’s Sleep
Sleep is essential to our well-being and mindfulness. So, over the next few weeks we will be sharing our advice on what you should do to get a good night’s sleep. Routine is key and the sooner you start to make changes the better.
What NOT To Do, To Get a Better Night’s Sleep
We will also be sharing what not to do if you are struggling with sleep.
So you can look forward to a month full of content which will equip you with all the knowledge you need to improve your sleep and ultimately your life! Of course the best way to learn is by coming to see us in store – Visit us in our Huddersfield showroom to take advantage of our Spring Offers this Bed Month.
