Sleep . . . . . do you get enough?

Did you know that we spend ⅓ of our life sleeping and that humans are the only mammals that delay sleep, think about that one . . . . how nice would it be to just curl up and go to sleep wherever and whenever you like.  Have you ever seen a cat forcing itself to stay awake??  Not surprising then that cat’s spend two thirds of their lives sleeping.  A giraffe on the other hand sleeps for less than 2 hours a day

Getting enough quality sleep at the right time is as important to our survival as food and water.  Without sleep the pathways in our brain don’t function properly, preventing us from learning and creating new memories and making it harder to concentrate and react to things quickly.

We all need sleep, it affects every type of tissue and system in our bodies.  The brain, heart, lungs and metabolism, immune function, mood and resistance to disease.

If sleep is just as important as exercise and a healthy diet, what can we do to ensure we are getting a good nights sleep.

• Try to go to sleep and wake up at regular times, our body has a natural rhythm, the circadian rhythm, which is set on a loop that aligns with sunrise and sunset times.  Having a regular sleep and waking rhythm aids your long term sleep quality.
• Optimise your bedroom for sleep, it is a proven fact that we sleep better when the bedroom environment set up for it.  Try to minimise external noise, light and artificial light . . . leave that phone downstairs, don’t have a TV in the bedroom.  Create a sanctuary for sleep and relaxation with colours and bedding that will increase comfort and aid restful sleep.
• As well as the light, noise and furniture set up in your bedroom the temperature also pays an important part in getting a good nights sleep.  We will all have experienced sleepless nights on hot summers days, did you know that the ideal temperature for a good nights sleep is 20°c for most people
• Relax and clear your mind in the evenings, listen to some relaxing music, read a book, do some deep breathing, meditating or vizualising.
• Take a relaxing warm bath or shower or simply soak your feet in a warm foot bath.T
• Take regular exercise.  It is proven that regular exercise helps improve sleep quality, but be careful not to exercise too late in the day as this can act as a stimulus and have the opposite effect.

Scents can also have a great impact on improving your sleep and have been used since ancient times, in ancient Egypt Frankincense, Myrrh, cinnamon and Cypress were used to induce sleep and enhance dreams.  The Romans used Chamomile to drift off to sleep and aid restfulness.  Lavender is of course one of the most well known scents to aid sleep, but did you know that Sandalwood, Bergamot, Vanilla, Lemon, Chamomile, Geranium and Rose can also aid sleep and relaxation why not add these beautiful scents by placing a diffuser on your bedside table, creating a beautiful background scent or use our dual purpose scent sprays to spray the air and your bedding creating an ambience that see’s you drifting easily into sleep.