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Category: Sleep

4 Tips To Help You Sleep better With Your Pets

Posted on by lionel

There are many benefits to sleeping with your furry friend and sharing your bedroom with a pet does not mean you are destined to sleep badly.

Whilst a study from 2002 showed that 56 per cent of pet owners’ sleep was disrupted nightly to some extent by their pets thanks to snoring, wandering, whimpering and the need to “go outside” a more recent study from 2017 has shown this does not have to be the case.

“We found that as long as the dogs were not on the bed, their presence in the bedroom did not appear to be a big issue for the sleep of their owner, but on the bed was a different story” reported Psychiatrist and Neurologist, Dr Lois Krahn of the Mayo Clinic.

So if you want to get good night sleep then keeping your dog off your bed seems key.

Unable to sleep without the warmth of your furry friend? Here are some genius strategies you can employ:

  1. Invest in a dog/cat door

Some pets need to be let out more than others during the night. As nocturnal animals, cats may want to be outside rather than in for some of the night. On the other hand, dogs may want to investigate strange noises in the neighbourhood or simply go out for a wee or two. A pet door lets your animals come and go without disrupting your sleep.

  1. Groom your pet

If your pet is going to be sharing your bed, you need to keep them clean. Bad smells can actually prevent you from falling asleep, whilst pleasant smells help you to fall asleep faster. Cats are more proactive than dogs when it comes to self-cleaning but even so, you will need to schedule in regular hygiene practices for all your pets. Regular washing, teeth brushing and nail cutting will help your pet become a favoured sleep companion.

  1. Visit the vet

If you are going to be snuggling your pet for 7-9 hours a night then you should ensure that all flees, ticks and bugs are banished. Visit your vet regularly and keep your pet and your sleep in top condition.

  1. Clean your bed

If at all possible, keep your pets above the covers. This will make it far easier to keep your bed clean and hygienic. If your pets have full access to you and your sheeting then you will need to clean your mattress, bedding and blankets regularly.

What kind of pet owner are you? Where do you draw the line when it comes to sleeping with your pets?

Sleep Better on a new Sealy. Discover your perfect fit here.

How much sleep could you lose to the FIFA World Cup?

Posted on by lionel

Soccer fans have no choice but to watch each and every world cup match – after all the FIFA World Cup only comes around every four years.

In the space of one month there has been a massive 48 matches in the first round, four quarter finals, two semi-finals and of course the final coming up. That a total of 53 soccer matches to watch in one month- around 1,76 matches per day to be accurate.

Whilst that may not seem too bad… we need to take into consideration the length of each of these soccer matches. As Sam Borden wrote for the NY Times after the US lost to Portugal ‘Soccer’s elastic definition of time means that no player on the field, no fan in the stands and no announcer on television has any earthly idea as to when the last kick of the ball will come’.

So whilst technically each soccer match will consist of two 45-minute halves with 10 minutes of half time (a total of 100 minutes or 1 hour 40 minutes) there will be matches that require added time, extra time and even penalty shoot outs (a whopping total of up to 160 minutes or 2 hours 40 minutes).

So let’s be fair and round off each match to two hours.

With 53 matches we could be watching a whopping 106 hours of soccer this world cup… that’s 4,5 days of soccer!

In South Africa where the most tantalizing matches are scheduled in the late evenings we are looking at losing 90 minutes of sleep per evening. That’s a lot less sleep than we need when compared to the 7-8 hours we need each night to live well!

If you are feeling tired, take heart. We are four weeks in to celebrating this beautiful game and the glorious final is in sight. You can rekindle your love of sleep while waiting for the FIFA World Cup to kick off in Qatar in 2022.

Discover our range of Pillows for a good night’s sleep

Sleep deprivation can make your skin age faster

Posted on by lionel

Most of us look a lot less beautiful after a bad night – puffy eyes, dark rings, break -outs and irritable skin. But does regular poor sleep quality equal permanent and premature ageing?

In a new study commissioned by Estee Lauder and conducted by physician-scientists at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center it was found that those who sleep poorly also have increased signs of skin ageing.

Dr. Elma Baron, presented their data this spring at theInternational Investigative Dermatology Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland: “Our study is the first to conclusively demonstrate that inadequate sleep is correlated with reduced skin health and accelerates skin aging. Sleep deprived women show signs of premature skin aging and a decrease in their skin’s ability to recover after sun exposure.”

For South Africans this link may be even stronger and more detrimental to our looks due to the extent of our UV exposure.

Sleep assists the skin to restore and heal by

  • boosting collagen production which
  • improves skin elasticity
  • decreases fine lines
  • improves pigmentation
  • absorbing cortisol to reduce redness and irritability
  • prevent and heal acne

Indeed, you do need to get yourself some beauty sleep.

For more information regarding how to get plenty of beauty sleep visit the Sealy blog to find out how Sleep Makes You More Beautiful.

Should you “sleep on” a problem?

Posted on by lionel

Thomas Edison, the man who invented the light bulb, was a habitual napper. He used sleep ruthlessly to solve problems. In fact, he had a napping ritual that allowed him to sleep just long enough to solve any problem he had encountered.

Edison would go to sleep grasping a metal object in his hand after placing a plate on the floor under it. As he entered deep sleep and his muscles relaxed, his hand would open and he would drop the metal object he had been holding. As it hit the plate under it, a loud sound would wake him.

On waking, he would write down the solution that his subconscious had worked out while he was napping. He credits many of his breakthroughs to the power of napping.

The idea of ‘sleeping on a problem’ transcends the boundaries of many cultures.

This phrase is found in most languages and seems to be easily translated into French (dormir sur un problem); Mandarin (Shuì zài yīgè wèntí shàng) and Swahili (kulala tatizo). For hundreds of years, across all cultures, sleeping on a problem has been encouraged. Until now.

Ironically, the man who used sleep to harness his genius, is credited for electrifying the world and ushering humans into a new era- where humans choose their bedtime rather than relying on natural light.

Sleep deprivation is now common and negatively impacting our ability to harness our genius – it is difficult to be creative and solve problems when you are chronically tired.

If you are feeling dark-deprived thanks to the light pollution found both inside and outside your home, then you may want to assist your body to fall asleep more easily by investing in block out curtains and avoiding all light sources that suppress melatonin at least one hour before bedtime.

You could also take a note out of Edison’s book and try your hand at napping on a problem.

Get a better sleep tonight and every night thereafter. Invest in a new Sealy today.

Get fitter, sleep more

Posted on by lionel

Could those who sleep longer, actually become fitter?

This is an interesting question as it challenges what we know about most gym buffs – that they train for long hours both before and after dark. Is it truly necessary to rise-and-shine at 4am to get fitter? Or could lying-in actually be a step towards, rather than away, from fitness?

Good sleep and fitness really are great friends.

  • Exercise promotes good, deep sleep. In turn, sleep promotes healing and repair which helps the body perform better during exercise.
  • Exercise produces endorphins that help improve mental health. In turn, a good mood supports regular exercise.
  • Exercise boosts the immune system. A good immune system helps good sleep, but good sleep also promotes a good immune system.

So rather than choosing one over the other, it appears that you may need to make-the-circle-bigger and find a way to embrace both a little more exercise and a little more sleep.

Not sure what you should be aiming for? The professionals recommend:

  1. one hour of activity preferably outside per day (this could be walking your dog, riding a bike to work or chasing your kids around the park)
  2. 6 – 8 hours of quality sleep each day (this could be taken in one stretch or broken up into smaller chunks)

If you can find both a fitness regime and a bed that you love then it should be easier to achieve both of these each and every day.

To find a bed you love visit www.sealy.co.za.

Read more

Five ways that sleep impacts an athlete’s performance

How to have less nightmares

Posted on by lionel

Nightmares are truly terrifying. Our bodies do not distinguish between what we are dreaming and what is real and so waking after a nightmare can leave us with our heart racing and our bed sheets wet with sweat. A few of us may even be prone to a throwing a few punches or kicks (whilst fast asleep) in an attempt to defend ourselves during those particularly vivid zombie nightmares…

Whilst there is not much you can do once the nightmare has started, there are a few things you can do to decrease the frequency of your nightmares-

  1. Avoid upsetting content– What you see or hear just before bed can be critical. If you are sensitive viewer, then you may need to avoid the evening news or heated discussions just before bed. For example, choose some happy reading material such as a romance novel over a crime thriller…
  1. Write down you worries– Do not allow yourself to mull over stressful decisions just before you sleep. Write down any pressing concerns that keep intruding as you try to go to sleep. Keep a notebook next to your bed and deal with these in the morning.
  1. Avoid going to bed very late– Overtiredness can be a trigger for some individuals who are prone to nightmares. Try your best to get into bed each evening at a reasonable hour to help prepare your body for sleep.

Want to know more about nightmares? Check out these helpful blog posts.

Sweet dreams on your new Sealy bed. Discover our Mattress range and find your perfect fit

Sleep with better rhythm and less blues

Posted on by lionel

“Join the Sleep World, Preserve Your Rhythms to Enjoy Life”.

World Sleep Day, which happens this year on the 16th March 2018 is a day that encourages us all to achieve a reinvigorating night’s sleep by monitoring our bodies’ response to its natural rhythms – and one of the fundamental ingredients is a comfortable and supportive bed, according Ras Erasmus, Sales and Marketing Executive at Bravo Brands Sleep Products.

World Sleep Day emphasises how achieving healthy sleep requires us to respect the circadian rhythms that prompt humans’ age-old cycle of sleep and waking. This is so important, that three US researchers shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, for their recent research projects on how human circadian rhythms contribute to our health, productivity and creativity.

One of their key findings was that a wide range of human health issues result either from genetic defects in the human circadian clock or from humans trying to override it. This does not mean that everybody must become early birds or night owls against their will. In fact, these tendencies are embedded into each of us as part of our individual natural rhythm. It does underline, though, how light affects the synchronising of our body clocks and how serious the impact can be of disrupting these rhythms with shift work, jet lag or habitual late-night use of tablets and cell phones that emit circadian-disrupting blue light.

Misaligning the human circadian timing system means eating or sleeping at the wrong time of day, says Professor Debra J. Skene of the UK’s University of Surrey. Having researched this for more than a quarter of a century, she is sure that this disruption has short-term and long-term consequences. The short-term consequences include daytime sleepiness, reduced performance and a greater risk of accidents. The long-term consequence include an increased risk of metabolic diseases, including diabetes, and of cancer.

“The findings also remind us why we feel so grumpy and worn out when our sleep is disturbed,” says Erasmus. “We all know that discomfort or pain can make it more difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep, leaving our internal rhythms disrupted and impairing our enjoyment of life.”

It is vital for anyone who suffers from regular musculo-skeletal problems, to invest in the best bed possible to enhance their sleep quality and improve their pain management, says Erasmus. Even people fortunate enough not to suffer from these problems, finds that an uncomfortable bed or the wrong bedding can mean that we are tossing and turning instead of allowing ourselves to be re-energised by the sleep-wake cycle that our body clocks dictate. This is why Bravo Brands Sleep Products has a range of international bedding brands, such as Sealy, Slumberland and King Koil.

“All these brands take a strong scientific approach to testing and improving their products,” says Erasmus. “Sealy Posturepedic is an international brand leader because it spends more on research and development than any other mattress brand in the world. Fortunately, we are able to benefit from these advanced designs devised by Sealy.”

To reduce your risk of depression and other mental health disorders, as well as chronic health issues, respect your body’s need for sleep and its internal sleep-waking clock, he advises. Remember also to improve your chances of a sound and revitalising night’s sleep, by replacing your mattress at least every 7 to 10 years and take time to choose the one that is best suited to your budget and your body’s comfort. Giving yourself the best bed you can, is a head start to a better night’s sleep, better health and a more productive life – think of it as better rhythm and less blues, says Erasmus.

How to fight Social Jetlag

Posted on by lionel

In our blog ‘Could you die from Social Jetlag’ we unpacked how social jetlag causes negative health outcomes such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. If you know that your sleep is out of sync then here are some strategies that you should consider:

  1. Catch up sleep over weekends – >> >> Sleeping-in on weekends is one way that you can assist your body to repair itself. Sleep-in and take afternoon naps so long as it does not ruin your night time sleep.
  2. Re-think work hours – Is it possible for you to work later in the day after a good night’s sleep rather than rushing to work at 7am to get there half-asleep? If you can negotiate your work hours with your supervisor then do it. It will be a win-win scenario for both employer and employee.
  3. Increase light exposure during daylight hours – Those who work indoors in low-light settings, with no access to natural light (from a window or skylight) take 45 minutes longer to fall asleep at night. Educate your workplace and up the light to help sync your sleep.
  4. Decrease light exposure after dark (especially blue wave light) – If it is dark outside then you need to avoid blue light that tricks your brain into thinking it is still daytime. You need one hour of low light prior to bedtime to give your brain a chance to help you feel sleepy.
  5. Re-sync biology and light – night owls are encouraged to set an alarm every morning around sunrise and an alarm to go to bed around one hour after sunset to help re-programme their internal clock. 

It sounds like some camping trips may be required to get night owls and other city creatures back in sync with nature and the world’s work hours.

Take a peek at the sleep forecast for 2018

Posted on by lionel

Last year, we all did our best to buy into the Clean Sleep trend. This was a good trend- it highlighted the importance of good, uninterrupted sleep that lasted 8 hours every night.

Research papers examined the health benefits (there are many!); consumers downloaded apps to track their sleep data (this made us anxious) and social media platforms were used to compare sleep performance.

Frustratingly, life got in the way of all our good intentions and many found that they had family, work, social and exercise commitments that made getting 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep impossible.

And so it is no surprise that the 2018 sleep trends are a reaction to this sleep ideal.

  1. Listening to your body is in and sleep trackers are out. Feel tired? You need to sleep more. Wake up before your alarm clock? Sleep less. Your own intuition is seen as more reliable than a sleep tracking app.
  1. Sleep binging on weekends is in and setting an alarm to achieve a consistent morning wake time is out. If you wake up on the weekend and you feel exhausted, then go back to sleep. Sleep as much as you need to recover so long as it doesn’t hurt your ability to fall asleep that night.
  1. Power naps (the 30 minute kind) are in and 10-minute micro naps are out. Power naps are viewed as a way of boosting productivity, rather than as a way of catching up on missed sleep. Either way, don’t fight the gift of an extra 20 minutes on your nap.
  1. Accepting your unique sleep needs is in and sleep comparisons are out. The idea of striving for a certain number (such as 8 hours of sleep) is seen as futile, as is forcing yourself to get to bed at the same time as your partner/work colleagues/Gwenyth Paltrow. The focus is on getting to know your unique sleep/wake profile.

One trend that never goes out of fashion? Sleeping on a Sealy. Get yours today!

Reporting back on a digital detox – What happened when I went offline for one week?

Posted on by lionel

Digital detoxes were the most popular health trend this festive season. What happened when this Sleep Expert went offline for a week? The results may surprise you.

There is nothing harder than taking your own advice. And so with leave booked I decided to give a digital detox a try. The aim was to be mostly offline from 16 December 2017 until 05 January 2018.

Perhaps this time period was a little extensive as it encompassed both my husband’s and daughter’s birthdays as well as Christmas and New Year celebrations which required, I will admit, going online for weather reports, hotel and restaurant bookings as well as some online shopping for price comparisons.

However, despite my frequent relapses there were some solid offline days that did give me much pleasure and contentment.

  • There was less worrying over the safety of my smart phone as I left it at home rather than taking it with me to the beach.
  • Admittedly, there were also less photos taken – a pity as there were some great memories made – however, I am not sure those memories would have been made if I was in my usual state of continual distraction.
  • On the one occasion that I did give in and check work emails, I was both shocked at the amount (145 new emails) as well as the lack of truly urgent responses. Many were important and required a response but not right now. It felt good to say: “no emails, I choose my holiday. You can actually wait”.
  • It was also great to save up the good news – when I did go onto social media platforms I had loads of good news to digest in a short space of time. There were babies born, engagement posts, dogs in Christmas hats and some amazing holiday adventures happening. And it took 30 minutes to read it all. It did not matter that I found out 2 weeks or 2 days later…

So if you feel you could do with a little more presence and a little less distraction then give a digital detox a go. I suggest deactivating all notifications, accepting one method of communication (such as SMS or Whatsapp only) and leaving your phone at home as much as possible to avoid the inevitable temptation to google just a little.

It will feel strange at first not holding your phone in your hand and looking not at a screen but at the people and spaces all around you. What I found is that rather than worrying about what I was missing out on online, I started to notice what I was missing out on by not being offline. The other outcome? Better sleep thanks to less bright light which meant a happier and healthier holiday maker.

For all your sleep solutions, visit www.sealy.co.za to see just how far the science of sleep has come.

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