Bed Advice – top tips for buying a bed

• Decide your priorities and concerns in advance. For example, is it: price, storage, access to bedroom, turning the mattress, getting in and out of bed, overall size or shape, a health issue, etc
• If possible, try a selection of beds for comparison before you buy. Set aside enough time to do the job properly so you can appreciate the differences.
• Buy for correct support and comfort for your weight and build – not just firmness.
• Wear comfortable clothing, remove any outdoor gear and lie on the bed for quite a long time – at least 10 minutes. Lie down in your normal sleeping position and make some turns, too.
• Try it together, if the bed’s for two. You both need to feel comfortable.
• Don’t forget a bed is a mattress and a base working together – don’t consider them in isolation.
• Think big – larger beds are more comfortable. Being disturbed by a sleeping partner is one of the most common complaints. With a larger bed you are less likely to disturb one another.
• Check dimensions. Bed sizes are not standardised and even if they have the same name (eg King size) they may not be the same size – especially if the mattress and base are not from the same manufacturer.
• You get what you pay for – both in product and service – so spend as much as you can afford.

Remember, you’re going to spend over 20,000 hours on your bed during its (seven year) lifespan so it’s worth taking a little time and effort in the beginning to make sure you make the right choice.

How To Lie In On National Sleep In Day

By Lisa Artis on October 17, 2013

In just over a week, on Sunday October 27, the clocks go back an hour.

And while it does signal the start of months of long dark nights, it’s also National Sleep In Day – the one day of the year where we all get an extra hour in bed, so make the most of it!

As the majority of people often don’t get enough sleep, (one third of Britons sleep onlyfive to six hours a night!) this day provides you with the ideal opportunity to enjoy some extra time in the warmth and comfort of your bed, without any of the guilt!

Here’s our very own tips for making the most of having a lie-in:

1. Remember to switch the alarm off before you go to sleep.

2. Unplug any phones in the room and ensure that radios or televisions are not set to come on at any time in the morning. Also, exposure to even the weakest glow at night – for example, your TV’s standby button – can unconsciously play havoc with your body’s circadian rhythms, so turn off at the wall.

3. Make sure you close the curtains – preferably good heavy ones that will block out the daylight that can disturb your mid-morning slumber.

4. Make sure you are sleeping on a good bed – one that’s not too soft, too hard, too small or too old is not conducive to a good night’s sleep, let alone a lie-in. Take our Bed MOT to find out if your bed cuts it!

5. Remember, the bigger your bed, the less the chance your sleep will be disturbed by your partner.

6. Monitor the temperature in the room. A room that’s too hot or too cold, too stuffy or too draughty can disturb sleep. A room temperature of around 16-18°C (60-65°F) is usually sufficient for getting a good night’s sleep. Anything over 24°C (71°F) is more likely to cause restlessness and temperatures around 12-13°C (53-55°F) are usually too cool to be able to drop off.

7. Make sure you have adequate bed clothes and pillows. Use the right tog duvet for the time of year, layer with sheets or blankets which can be easily removed and wear bed socks if you’ve got cold feet.

8. If you have young children, make sure you and your partner take a lie-in in turns with the ‘on duty’ partner responsible for keeping noise levels down.

9. Double glazing will cut down on a lot of external noise but a cheaper option would be a pair of ear muffs or foam ear plugs.

10. Avoid alcohol the night before. It’s not a sleep aid and will play havoc with sleep patterns. It may help you fall asleep initially, but will interrupt your sleep later in the night and early morning – you will wake dehydrated and needing the loo!

Your bedroom

If you’re having difficulty sleeping one of the first things to look at is your bedroom. You need the right environment to get a good night’s sleep and that means a bedroom that’s pleasant, inviting and welcoming.

• Keep your room completely dark, if necessary use blackout curtains or an eye mask.

• Make sure your room isn’t too hot or too cold, keep it slightly cool around 16-18°C (60-65°F).

• Keep clutter out of your room – put the laundry basket in the spare room, bathroom or the landing.

• Avoid having a television or computer in the bedroom.

• Turn off your mobile phone and anything with an LED display (including clocks).

• Don’t treat your bedroom as an extension of your living room or a study. Use it for sleeping and sex only.

• Adorn your bedroom with beautiful things such as photographs of loved ones, artwork that you like, plants and flowers. It will help you feel more connected to the room and look forward to going to bed.

• Try to avoid bright colours such as reds which are less restful and quite stimulating, and less conducive to a good nights’ sleep. Use muted and pastel colours, which are a lot more calming.

• Some smells can affect your mood, making you more relaxed and calm. Sprinkle a pot pourri with essential oils of lavender or geranium, though never use during pregnancy or in children’s rooms.

• Take a long hard look at your room and see what it says about you and understand that you have a duty to care for yourself, your sleep area and your general health and wellbeing – you’re worth it!

Your bed

The foundation of good sleep is a comfortable bed. The right mattress can make the difference between a restorative night’s sleep and poor quality sleep resulting in tiredness and fatigue. Lack of support from a mattress reinforces poor sleeping posture and can prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep.

If you sleep better in a hotel or other bed away from home; or are waking up with aches and pains which wear off as the day progresses, it may be time to change your bed.

With the vast variety of beds on the market, choosing the right one can be difficult. It’s a good idea to do your homework so you understand more about all the different components you can find in a mattress.

When you’re shopping for a new mattress or bed, consider these factors:-

• Always put value and quality over price. Of course, there are some perfectly acceptable, lower priced beds available but the better the construction, the better the support and comfort.

• The right support and comfort is critical – a mattress that’s too hard or too soft will be uncomfortable or become so as time goes by. It needs to be firm enough to support your spine in correct alignment – but must also conform to your body’s contours.

• Try before you buy: You should lie on each one you’re seriously considering for at least 10-15 minutes and try different positions (you move 40-60 times a night) to decide if it’s a good fit. If two people will be sleeping on the mattress, both should test it at the same time to make sure they have enough space and are both comfortable on the same style of mattress.

Try not to wait until your bed has ‘worn out’ completely. Research has shown that sleeping on an uncomfortable bed could rob you of up to an hour’s sleep a night. Deterioration is gradual and mostly invisible and your own body’s needs also change over time. As a rough guide, you should be thinking about replacing your bed after about seven years.

Bedrooms Are The Hub Of The Home

By Lisa Artis on October 25, 2013 in Blog

How the Sleep Council thinks the bedroom of the future will look – what do you think?

I love my bed. And I love to sleep. In fact, I think I could permanently move in to my bedroom! And now our latest survey to celebrate National Sleep In Day (October 27, the day the clocks go back and we all get an extra hour in bed) has found that over two thirds of us (68%) agree with me – with the bedroom being the room we spend most of our time in.

As the bedroom – and the bed in particular – increasingly becomes the ‘hub of the home’, our survey findings were very clear about what we want from the Bedroom of the Future.

Here’s the top five features – see if you agree:

1. Self-cleaning / bacteria resistant materials i.e. mattresses with self-sterilisation systems (47%)

2. Heat/humidity adaptive materials i.e. mattresses that heat/cool in response to conditions (42%)

3. Smart Bed monitoring your vital statistics as you sleep i.e a bed that can warn you if you have an infection, an oncoming cold or if you are about to have a heart attack etc (33%)

4. Seasonally adaptive lighting i.e. lights that turn on during the darker winter months to help you wake up in the morning (32%)

5. Energy-harvesting flooring and fixtures i.e. carpet that attracts the light and transfer this to useable energy (24%)

What do you think? It’s interesting that the majority of these responses relate directly to the bed and the bedroom environment which indicates that, while we do many other activities in our bedrooms, sleep remains the most important thing to do in bed!

We did have a little chuckle at some of the quirkier responses we got from respondents as to what features they would like their bedroom (and bed specifically) to have in the future:

- A hologram of Mr Darcy to read to me (yes please!)

- Ambient sounds; fall asleep to rainfall or wake to birdsong

- In the future (when arthritis hits) a bed that raises me to standing position on awakening

- Personally adapted supportive mattress that will ensure the body wakes up without aches and pains!

It’s no secret that technology is affecting our sleep. There’s not a month goes by where there isn’t another report or study into how we’re not switching off properly before bed. So it wasn’t surprising to find that:

• Surfing the net isn’t restricted to the office… 27% of us now use our desktop computers/laptops to surf the net in our bedrooms compared to only 11% 10 years ago

• Only 55% of us are intimate in our bedrooms with our partners, a 10% drop from 10 years ago (65%)

• Talking to our friends has never been easier…. 17% of us now like to chat on the phone in our bedrooms compared to only 10% 10 years ago

• 62% of 16 – 24 year olds like to eat in their bedrooms compared to only 22% of respondents overall…. in fact 16 – 24 year olds like to do most things in their rooms, 28% like to do hobbies/crafts (compared to only 8% overall), 76% like to listen to music (compared to only 36% overall) and 28% like to exercise (compared to only 12% overall)

• Reading is still one of our top bedroom activities coming out second (65%) in the things we do in our bedroom. What’s first? Sleeping of course!

Wishing you all a very Happy National Sleep In Day – hope you get a lovely lie-in with that extra hour in bed!

The science of sleep

The science of sleep We spend a third of our lives doing it. Napoleon, Florence Nightingale and Margaret Thatcher got by on four hours a night. Thomas Edison claimed it was waste of time. Why do we sleep? So why do we sleep? This is a question that has baffled scientists for centuries and the answer is, no one is really sure. Some believe that sleep gives the body a chance to recuperate from the day's activities but in reality, the amount of energy saved by sleeping for even eight hours is miniscule - about 50 kCal, the same amount of energy in a piece of toast. We have to sleep because it is essential to maintaining normal levels of cognitive skills such as speech, memory, innovative and flexible thinking. In other words, sleep plays a significant role in brain development. What would happen if we didn't sleep? A good way to understand the role of sleep is to look at what would happen if we didn't sleep. Lack of sleep has serious effects on our brain's ability to function. If you've ever pulled an all-nighter, you'll be familiar with the following after-effects: grumpiness, grogginess, irritability and forgetfulness. After just one night without sleep, concentration becomes more difficult and attention span shortens considerably. With continued lack of sufficient sleep, the part of the brain that controls language, memory, planning and sense of time is severely affected, practically shutting down. In fact, 17 hours of sustained wakefulness leads to a decrease in performance equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.05% (two glasses of wine). This is the legal drink driving limit in the UK. Research also shows that sleep-deprived individuals often have difficulty in responding to rapidly changing situations and making rational judgements. In real life situations, the consequences are grave and lack of sleep is said to have been be a contributory factor to a number of international disasters such as Exxon Valdez, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and the Challenger shuttle explosion. Sleep deprivation not only has a major impact on cognitive functioning but also on emotional and physical health. Disorders such as sleep apnoea which result in excessive daytime sleepiness have been linked to stress and high blood pressure. Research has also suggested that sleep loss may increase the risk of obesity because chemicals and hormones that play a key role in controlling appetite and weight gain are released during sleep. What happens when we sleep? What happens every time we get a bit of shut eye? Sleep occurs in a recurring cycle of 90 to 110 minutes and is divided into two categories: non-REM (which is further split into four stages) and REM sleep. Non-REM sleep Stage one: Light Sleep During the first stage of sleep, we're half awake and half asleep. Our muscle activity slows down and slight twitching may occur. This is a period of light sleep, meaning we can be awakened easily at this stage. Stage two: True Sleep Within ten minutes of light sleep, we enter stage two, which lasts around 20 minutes. The breathing pattern and heart rate start to slow down. This period accounts for the largest part of human sleep. Stages three and four: Deep Sleep During stage three, the brain begins to produce delta waves, a type of wave that is large (high amplitude) and slow (low frequency). Breathing and heart rate are at their lowest levels. Stage four is characterised by rhythmic breathing and limited muscle activity. If we are awakened during deep sleep we do not adjust immediately and often feel groggy and disoriented for several minutes after waking up. Some children experience bed-wetting, night terrors, or sleepwalking during this stage. REM sleep The first rapid eye movement (REM) period usually begins about 70 to 90 minutes after we fall asleep. We have around three to five REM episodes a night. Although we are not conscious, the brain is very active - often more so than when we are awake. This is the period when most dreams occur. Our eyes dart around (hence the name), our breathing rate and blood pressure rise. However, our bodies are effectively paralysed, said to be nature's way of preventing us from acting out our dreams. After REM sleep, the whole cycle begins again. How much sleep is required? There is no set amount of time that everyone needs to sleep, since it varies from person to person. Results from the sleep profiler indicate that people like to sleep anywhere between 5 and 11 hours, with the average being 7.75 hours. Jim Horne from Loughborough University's Sleep Research Centre has a simple answer though: "The amount of sleep we require is what we need not to be sleepy in the daytime." Even animals require varied amounts of sleep: Species Average total sleep time per day Python 18 hrs Tiger 15.8 hrs Cat 12.1 hrs Chimpanzee 9.7 hrs Sheep 3.8 hrs African elephant 3.3 hrs Giraffe 1.9 hr The current world record for the longest period without sleep is 11 days, set by Randy Gardner in 1965. Four days into the research, he began hallucinating. This was followed by a delusion where he thought he was a famous footballer. Surprisingly, Randy was actually functioning quite well at the end of his research and he could still beat the scientist at pinball.

Snoring, sleep apnoea, insomnia and restless leg syndrome

Snoring

In a survey by the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association, 54% of people have had their holidays adversely affected by snoring and 20% have been banished to the bathroom because of the noise.

It is not only an embarrassment for sufferers but a test of endurance for family and friends.

What is snoring?

Snoring affects around 3.5 million people in the UK. It is an anatomy problem involving the soft tissue at the back of the throat and causes the emission of sound from the airway during sleep.

What causes snoring?

Snoring occurs when the soft palate tissue at the back of the throat relaxes too much, obstructing the entrance to the throat. As air tries to pass through, the soft palate vibrates and produces the snoring sound.

The problem may get worse with age but one of the main causes is size and body shape. People with short wide necks are most prone to snoring because the muscles around their windpipe can't support the fat around it when the person is asleep. As a general rule, anyone with a collar size of 16.5 inches or more is likely to snore.

Other snorers may have:

• poor muscle tone in the tongue and throat. Muscles that are too relaxed contribute to snoring.
• large throat tissue. Children with large tonsils often snore.
• obstructed nasal passageway. People with stuffy or blocked noses often snore.

Can snoring be treated?

In 99% of cases, snoring is treatable. Weight is usually the main cause of snoring so shedding excess fat around the neck will stop extra pressure being put on the airways. Other treatments depend on diagnosis so an examination by a doctor will be useful. Also consider these self-help remedies:

• Avoid sleeping pills and alcohol before bedtime. These relax the very same muscles that cause snoring and also dehydrates the body, leaving nasal passages blocked up.
• Avoid heavy meals at least four hours before bedtime.
• Sleep on your side rather than your back. When you sleep on your back, your tongue falls backwards into your throat which can narrow your airway and partly block airflow. Try sewing a tennis ball into the back of your pyjama top. This will certainly stop you from sleeping on your back!
• Humidify the air in the bedroom and rubbing a few drops of eucalyptus or olbas oil into the pillowcase to help clear the nose.
• Exercise. This will improve muscle strength and promote weight loss.

Sleep apnoea

What is sleep apnoea?

Sleep apnoea owes its meaning to the Greek wordapnea, meaning 'want of breath' and this condition affects the sleep of around 180,000 people in the UK.

What causes sleep apnoea?

Apnoea is caused by the same muscles that cause snoring. It occurs when the muscles of the soft palate at the base of the tongue and the uvula (the small fleshy piece of tissue hanging back of the throat) relax, partially blocking the opening of the airway. However, sleep apnoea is more dangerous than snoring in that it alters normal breathing patterns.

While asleep, suffers may stop breathing for between 10 to 25 seconds at a time, depleting the bloodstream and brain of vital oxygen supplies. The brain then suddenly sends an emergency signal, telling the person to wake up and take in a big gulp of air. In one single night, suffers may experience up to 350 'apneic events' and usually find themselves waking up sweaty, with a dry mouth and headache. The frequent interruptions of deep sleep leads to excessive daytime fatigue and sleepiness.

Can sleep apnoea be treated?

Sleep apnoea is a potentially life-threatening condition associated with strokes, heart attacks and high blood pressure and therefore requires medical attention.

A sleep test called 'polysomnography' is usually carried out to diagnose sleep apnoea. Treatment varies according to severity of symptoms. Mild cases can be effectively treated through behavioural changes - losing weight, cutting down on alcohol or sleeping on your side, for example.

More severe cases may be treated with a CPAP machine, so named because they maintain constant positive air pressure to the wind pipe to help users breathe easy at night. The benefits are better sleep and reduced risk of heart attacks during the night.

Insomnia

What is insomnia?

One third of the UK population suffers from insomnia, a prolonged and usually abnormal inability to obtain adequate, uninterrupted sleep. Symptoms may include having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early in the morning, feeling unrefreshed. The consequences are unpleasant, leaving sufferers feeling exhausted, irritable and unable to concentrate on simple tasks.

What causes insomnia?

There's no one specific trigger for insomnia but certain conditions seem to make individuals more likely to experience it:

• People aged over sixty
• Females
• Those with a history of depression

Stress is a major contributor. Traumatic events such as acute illness, injury or surgery, the loss of a loved one, exams, or trouble at work can all disrupt one's sleep patterns. In such cases, normal sleep almost always returns when the individual recovers from the event or becomes acclimated to the new situation.

Jet lag can also cause insomnia. Travelling east across time zones is more difficult to adjust to than travelling west, to earlier times. Usually one day of adjustment is all that is required to overcome the insomnia.

Environmental or lifestyle factors may also come into play - too much light in the bedroom or too much caffeine or stimulants in the body.

Can insomnia be treated?

Treatment is related to the cause, if the cause can be determined. Patients are evaluated with the help of a medical and sleep history (sleep diary). Chronic suffers may be treated through cognitive behavioural therapy involving relaxation and reconditioning.

One of the best ways to prevent insomnia is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Avoid going to bed feeling stressed and worried. If you're worried about falling asleep, it will be more difficult to fall asleep. Try not to eat too close to bedtime and avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks. 

Just remember, the less you worry about it, the more likely you'll achieve the perfect slumber.

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)

What is RLS?

Around 5.6% of the UK population suffer from restless leg syndrome, which causes a tingling, itching sensation and unexplained aches and pains in the lower limbs.

Sleep is disturbed because people often have a strong urge to move the legs to relieve the discomfort by stretching, rubbing the legs or getting up and pacing around.

What causes RLS?

It may be inherited. It occurs three to five times more frequently in first-degree relatives of RLS sufferers. Hormonal changes during pregnancy may worsen the symptoms. Other cases of RLS are associated with iron deficiency or nerve damage in the legs.

Can RLS be treated?

In mild cases, it might be just a matter of cutting out caffeine and alcohol, both of which aggravate the symptoms. Having a warm bath, massaging the legs or using a heat or cold pack will also help to alleviate the symptoms.

TSA agent killed in Los Angeles airport shooting

The BBC's Emily Thomas: "Shocked travellers dropped to the ground"

Continue reading the main storyRelated Storiesssengers caught in mayhemA federal security agent has been killed and several other people wounded in ashooting at Los Angeles International Airport, officials say.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said three of its staff had been injured, one fatally.

The suspect - named by the FBI as 23-year-old Los Angeles resident Paul Anthony Ciancia - was wounded by police and detained.

Hundreds of flights nationwide were affected by the incident.

LA Airport police chief Patrick Gannon told reporters a "lone shooter" came into Terminal 3 at 9:20 local time (16:20 GMT).

The suspect "pulled an assault rifle out of a bag and began to open fire in the terminal" inside the nation's third largest airport, he said.

He then allegedly went to a security screening area and continued shooting.

"As you can imagine, a large amount of chaos took place in this entire incident," Mr Gannon said.

It was the first time a TSA officer was killed in the line of duty, according to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

'Suicide text'

The TSA named the killed officer as 39-year-old Gerardo Hernandez.

Continue reading the main storyA law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Mr Ciancia was shot in the mouth and leg by two airport police officers.

According to US media, the alleged gunman approached potential victims asking if they worked for the TSA, and spared them if they said no.

He pushed through screening gates and walked more than 100 yards (90m) into the secure area of the terminal, Mr Gannon said, where law enforcement officers caught up with him in a food court.

As he began firing in the terminal, "everybody pancaked down on the ground", passenger Lauren Stephens, who was checking in at the time, told Reuters news agency.

Then, when more shots rang out, "I just left my bag and I just ran like hell. Everybody ran. People were falling. People were just trying to help each other out."

A photo from the scene of the incident showed police officers standing near an unidentified weapon.

Outside, video footage showed a man in a wheelchair been taken to receive medical help.

TSA employees comforted each other outside Terminal 1

There were chaotic scenes as the terminal was hurriedly closed.

Nearly 750 flights were disrupted by the attack

The airport closure left traffic backing up on roads around the airport

Another witness, Leon Saryan, told CNN that the same man he had just seen shoot a TSA officer "calmly" walked toward him and asked, "TSA?"

Continue reading the main storyPresident Barack Obama expressed concern about the shooting, but said he would leave law enforcement to talk about it.

Nathan Sunshine: "There was a sense of panic and people were scared"