We all know how a good night’s sleep can be a natural remedy for many of life’s ailments, physical and emotional. With this in mind, here is how you can make the most out of sleep with these tips from Leesa’s sleep experts, Professor of Sleep Medicine, Paul Gringras (Scientific Advisor for Leesa Sleep) and Richard Tucker (European Managing Director Leesa Sleep):
 
Eat well to sleep well:
 
“Eat well to sleep well. Melatonin, the ‘hormone of darkness,’ helps open the gates for sleep. Tropical fruit such as pineapples, bananas, oranges and cherries are good Melatonin-boosting foods.’ RT
 
Once your mattress feels uncomfortable, change it:
 
“Sleep quality is closely linked to mattress quality. A good mattress supports your posture and goes a long way toward creating a restful environment. Once your mattress feels uncomfortable, swap it. The lifecycles of mattresses vary widely, so listen to your body for a guide.” RT
 
“Memory foam mattresses distribute body weight evenly, providing body contouring and pressure relief – which is not always the case with traditional pocket sprung mattresses, while many people find that traditional pocket sprung mattresses can build up pressure points. Memory foam also eases tossing and turning by reducing motion transfer, which is the number one cause of poor quality sleep. Leesa mattresses have three unique layers of high quality foam, moulding to your body to provide the perfect support for a better night’s sleep.” RT
 

 
A dark room tells your brain it’s time to sleep:
 
Blackout blinds or good curtains are also worth the investment. A decent lining will prevent you from being woken up too early in summer months and allow you to enjoy a comfortable mattress longer each morning. Make sure curtains are well fitted, with no cracks at the sides.” RT
 
What to do when it just isn’t happening:
 
“Lots of things can disrupt our sleep, from a poor mattress to worrying about tomorrow’s big presentation to a restless partner. The more you think about not sleeping, the harder it is to actually fall asleep.” PG
 
When you really struggle to fall asleep, don’t waste time tossing and turning. Get out of bed. Prepare in advance if this is a regular occurrence and have another room ready with a nice chair and a good book or pleasant music. Things like reading, meditating and listening to music are what we call ‘sleep aware’ activities. After half an hour of this sort of activity, when you feel nicely sleepy try going back to bed. The time it took to reset is more efficiently used than waiting for sleep to come while tossing and turning. Just be careful not to spend the time with devices like smartphones, iPads or the TV that will switch off the body’s natural sleep mechanisms.” PG
 
Quality over quantity:
 
“It’s not about the quantity, but the quality of sleep. Quality is impacted by a number of factors, from our mattress quality to lighting in the room. Too many people believe the myth that it’s all about hours and think the more the better. Everyone is unique and needs a different amount of sleep to be at their best. In fact, focussing on how many hours of sleep you are getting becomes part of the problem, not the solution. People wake up, see they have had two hours less sleep than their ‘ideal’ and then spend the day looking for signs of tiredness. Seven hours of deep, restorative sleep will beat ten hours lying in bed tossing and turning.” PG