Tag Archives: Sleeping

Jul 20 2015

The Warren Evans Sleep Naturally Campaign

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How much sleep do you get in your house?

For us, with two children, not a lot! In fact, bedtimes are fairly dramatic in our household. Just yesterday we had to call out an ambulance at 1am as Heidi awoke hyperventilating and writhing around her cot. It turned out to be a night terror, but it was utterly terrifying for us at the time. Toss in Dexter (a.k.a. “The Silent Assassin”) who will sneak into our room in the middle of the night, pillow in hand, and Craig and I are averaging just a handful of hours of sleep every night.

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Hearing me complain on social media, the fabulous guys at Warren Evans, sent me two luxurious pillows to help Craig and I achieve a deeper sleep. They’re stuffed full of duck down and feathers and are nothing short of heavenly at the end of a busy day. With our memory foam mattress and super king-size bed, you’d think we’d be all set for our 8 hours every night, but life just isn’t that simple.

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Looking at a recent study by Warren Evans as part of their Sleep Naturally campaign, it seems we’re not alone in our night-time battles and too many of us are going about our day having had an insufficient amount of shut-eye.

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“We have lost connection with our natural bodyclock that help us sleep. With modern technology and the internet we are living in a time where we expect everything to be instant. People expect to fall asleep on demand but you cannot switch the human mind and body on and off like a power switch, so we’re left feeling tired but wired.” Dave Gibson, Warren Evans’, sleep advisor

It seems our lifestyle choices aren’t doing us any favours and we’re all sinking too many expressos throughout the day. More of us than ever are also allowing our worklife to follow us into bed, and mentally running through presentations, meetings and the like when our brains need to switch off. Our bedrooms have also been taken over by technology and most of us are sleeping with our iPhones less than a metre away from our heads.

Moreover, some 66% of us cite our partners as the main reason our sleep is disrupted. A combination of snoring, rolling into one another and fighting over covers is not only making getting to sleep more challenging, but staying asleep too. Bed size plays a key role with couples sharing double beds 49% more likely to be woken by their partner (4 nights a week or more) than those in king-size beds or larger.

In bid to help us all with our nightly commute to the Land of Nod, Warren Evans is working with a team of specialists in order to provide expert advice, helpful tips and useful tools, all to help you sleep naturally. There’s also chances to win sleep-time bundles and more, blogger diaries and great deals on mattresses so you can finally join the king-size club. Visit Warren Evans’ online magazine, Inspire Me https://www.warrenevans.com/inspire-me/ and follow on Twitter and Facebook to discover more about the Warren Evans Sleep Naturally campaign.

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Mar 31 2015

Helping your child to sleep through the night in their own bed

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Many parents will know the frustration that comes with trying to transition a young child to sleeping through the night in their own bed. When your young child has been used to sleeping in your room and in some cases even sharing your bed, it can be difficult to wean them off this habit and get them used to sleeping independently in their own room and their own bed. However, unless you want to be in for many sleepless nights, this is something that you have to focus on doing sooner rather than later.

Fortunately, there are a number of tips that can help to make this process a little easier on both the parents and the child. By taking a few key steps and making sure that you stick to your guns, you can help to get your child used to sleeping in his or her own room and bed far more quickly making the transition less stressful for all parties.

Some of the steps you should take

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In order to avoid having to share your own bed with your child for years to come, putting these simple steps into place is vital. Some of the key steps to take in order to make this transition as painless as possible include:

  • Make sure the room is properly equipped: It is important to ensure that the room you have selected for your child is properly equipped. Spend some time choosing the right decor based on your child’s age and interests, as this will encourage them to want to spend time in the room. You can even get your child involved when it comes to choosing the decor for the room. Also, make sure you invest in a comfortable and practical bed, such as the Bedstar single ottoman bed. This will ensure that your child not only gets to enjoy a comfortable night’s sleep but that they also have a plenty of storage space for toys, books and other items that might otherwise clutter up the room.
  • Develop a routine: It is important to have some sort of routine in place for younger kids, as this will help them to settle more easily. Make sure you establish bed times, how long they can read or watch television for, and when lights need to be out. A routine could help if your child experiences sleep problems when it comes to sleeping alone.
  • Don’t give in: It is all too easy for parents to give in and let the child sleep in their room for ‘just five minutes’ or ‘just one night’. It is important that you also stick to the rules that you put into place, as giving in simply sends mixed signals to the child.
  • Help them to settle: It is well worth investing in some appropriate reading materials so that you can either read to your child each night to help him or her settle or so that they can read for a while themselves.

All of these small steps can help to make it far easier to settle your child into a regular routine whereby they sleep through the night in their own room and bed.

 

Aug 22 2014

FREE “How to Sleep Better” eBook from Feather & Black

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Part of me has forgotten what it feels like to get a good night’s sleep. I might crawl into bed beside Craigy at 11pm, but odds are that I’ll be up again in the night. In fact, most nights you’ll find me frantically stripping Dexter’s Buzz Lightyear bedsheets at 3am as an imaginary friend has persuaded him it’s the done thing to peel off his nappy and sleep commando. If it’s not Dex, I’ll be feeding an impatient Heidi who will then flat-out refuse to drop off until she’s relieved her tummy of every last drop - through a variety of means…

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I also struggle to switch my mind off at night. I’m usually working on the blog throughout the early evening, or scouring Twitter for leads. Even in bed I’ll have the Kindle Fire burning brightly beside me whilst I check out what my friends are gloating / complaining about on Facebook. I know I should ban devices from the bedroom but this is my incredibly lame attempt at keeping some form of social life alive.

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It’s no wonder that the pursuit of the holy grail that is sleep consumes my every waking minute. I’m often shattered and have to grab a nap throughout the day. With two young children though, this is not advised. Yesterday, I dozed on the sofa and awoke to a grinning face full of Sudocrem as Dexter decided to decorate himself. You can’t take your eyes off him for one minute - here’s the evidence… Dexter Messy

Whilst browsing a bit of bedding porn last night (get your mind out of the gutter, I was looking at duvet sets) I noticed that bedroom furniture and linen specialists Feather & Black had commissioned a sleep survey. Over 1000 people had responded to 15 probing questions about sleep habits and what keeps them up each night. The results had been popped into a free eBook called “How to Sleep Better” downloadable from the website.

Let’s just say, I didn’t need any further encouragement.

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It’s rammed full of useful insights about how us Brits are neglecting our sleep and have adopted all manner of naughty habits that affect our ability to switch off.

“Proportionately more people in the North West state stress is affecting their ability to nod off, whereas people in the South West take an average of two hours to fall asleep”

The eBook then aims to unpack these problems and offer practical advice on

  • Managing your children’s bedtime routines
  • The optimal hours of sleep per night.and how to get them
  • Essential oils to soothe body and mind
  • How to create the right bedroom environment
  • How to manage your social habits before bedtime
Take this for example, who’d have thought??

“The blue light emanating from mobile devices has been found to interfere with the brain’s processing of melatonin - the hormone which helps to regulate sleep and wake cycles”

There’s also tons of gorgeous imagery and Feather & Black bedroom decor suggestions for adults and children. I’ve fallen in love with this Alien bedset which is just too cute for words!

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To find out more and get your mitts on a copy of the e-book, head on over to Feather & Black and submit your details. It’s entirely free and might just help you achieve an extra few hours sleep tonight.

If you’re unfamiliar with the brand, check out their website at FeatherandBlack.com, or hop on over to Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

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