Pets:
Provide a separate space outside your bedroom for pets
to sleep. You’ll sleep better with fewer disruptions.
Temperature:
Control the temperature in your sleep environment to
help you stay asleep. The optimum sleep environment
is 65 degrees with 65 percent humidity. At 65 degrees,
our bodies remain “thermally neutral,” meaning they
don’t have to do anything to create or shed heat. Body
heat is released through your feet, head and hands,
so keep them uncovered (or use less bedding) to stay
cooler. Choose mattresses, mattress pads, pillows,
sheets and other devices, such as fans, to help keep
body temperature low so you can stay asleep and get
better quality sleep. If the room is too hot or bedding isn’t
breathable, heat is trapped next to you, making it difficult
to get quality sleep. Avoid use of electric blankets —
they may help you fall asleep, but the extra heat will have
a negative effect on your sleep during the night. Taking a
warm shower or bath before bed can help you fall asleep
more easily; the warmth signals to your body that it’s time
to go to sleep.
Mattress:
If you wake up sore, not rested or in pain, your bed could
be to blame. Your bed should be big enough to allow
you to move and turn over, which will help you relax
while getting to sleep. Your body is not flat, so a bed that
contours to your body will provide better support and
weight distribution. The shoulders, hips and lower back
typically are the heaviest parts of body the body and
require the most support. A mattress that’s too firm can
create uncomfortable pressure points, making you toss
and turn during the night.
Pillow:
Many sleep problems are caused by pillows that don’t
provide adequate support. During the day, a person’s
head and neck align vertically over the spine. During
sleep, muscles relax, which can place stress on the neck
and back. Elevating your head and neck with a pillow
until they are aligned with the spine will help you breathe
more easily and improve circulation for better sleep. If
a pillow doesn’t contour to your head, neck and back,
sleep patterns can be drastically altered. It’s important to
get the right pillow or combination of pillows to improve
sleep. Using too many pillows can tilt your head forward,
while the wrong pillow can tilt your head backward. Both
scenarios can put strain on the neck and upper spine.
Side sleepers should use medium/high thickness pillows,
such as synthetic options, to fill the distance between the
ear and outside shoulder. Side sleepers also may benefit
from a body pillow that supports the head, neck, knees
and legs. Back sleepers should try low/medium thickness
with extra loft in the bottom of the pillow to cradle the
neck. Stomach sleepers should use a thin/flat pillow, such
as down-filled options. If you have lower back pain, try
using a knee pillow to alleviate strain. Matching the right
pillow with the right mattress to deliver proper support
and comfort will significantly improve the quantity and
quality of sleep.
Innovation:
Technology can help determine how you sleep by
monitoring heart rate and restlessness. Using data from
nighttime activity trackers can help you learn how making
changes to your daytime habits and bedtime routines
affects sleep. A variety of wearable devices include
accelerometers that register motion. These devices
use that motion data and algorithms to predict sleep
duration. If you’re wearing the device on your wrist and
are restless from the waist down, however, that motion
could be missed. Sleep Number® beds with SleepIQ™
technology capture full-body measurements to gather
hundreds of readings per second, including motion,
heart and breathing rates, and restfulness. This holistic
view of an individual’s sleep provides valuable insights
that help you customize your sleeping environment
and evaluate changes in your activity to improve your
sleep experience.
