Sleep is the foundation from which we function. Without it, we simply could not!
But in order to get a goodnights sleep, its important to ensure we have the right foundations. This applies for babies, kids and adults.
As parents, we live such demanding lives, so its important we get a goodnights sleep in order to keep up with these demands. We cannot pour from an empty cup. This is where a bit of self care comes into play, and a goodnights sleep is the perfect place to start.
All of us, babies, kids and adults will go through light and deep phases of sleep overnight. When we transition between light and deep phases of sleep we will have a partial wake up before we transfer into another sleep cycle. (Sleep cycles for babies are around 50 minutes and for kids and adults 90-120minutes.) If we are not comfortable for one reason or another, too hot or cold, uncomfortable etc we will often wake during this transition phase.
This is why it is really important we have ours and our little ones sleep environment optimal for sleep.
As a sleep consultant I am often asked what would I consider an optimal sleep environment.
My top 4 environmental factors for a goodnight sleep are below.
- A comfortable Mattress
- Pillow to suit your liking
- A dark room
- Whether appropriate bedding or (sleeping bag for a child)
- White noise for our little ones and adults if you struggle to get into a relaxed deep phase of sleep
When you think about it, we often spend upto half our day in our bed, so we want to make sure we are comfortable.
White noise, dark room and appropriate bedding are all fairly easy to achieve. But choosing a mattress and pillow for yourself and your little one is a HUGE decision believe it or not.
Shopping for a mattress may seem like a simple task and we often fall into a trap of just buying something because its cheap. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for the sale items (just ask my husband). However, when it comes to buying a mattress, going for the cheap item is not going to be your answer to a goodnights sleep.
Not only do we spend upto half our day in our bed, but if we buy a decent mattress we will have this for a good amount of time. If you don’t get 10 years out of a mattress, you bough the wrong one.
My advice when choosing a mattress:
- Choose a mattress with at least a 10 year warranty
- Choose one that is hypo-allergenic (my kids are asthmatic so this is always a big one for me)
- Buy a comfortable one, I love memory foam.
- If you and your partner like different structure in a mattress, don’t just settle for what one another want, choose a dual support. This allows you to both get the structure you desire, and then everyone is getting the sleep they deserve.
DO NOT choose a mattress, just because it is cheap. You will end up having to buy more mattresses (and spend more money) over a period of time then you would have if you has just had spent slightly more to begin with. It really is a long term investment on your health and wellbeing.
These were all factors I took into consideration when purchasing new mattresses for our new house. I researched and tested them out. (Hello crazy sleep consultant) in the end I went with the balance medium mattress from SleepX. This suited my family and was exactly what I was after.
This is not a paid promotion. I honestly found this mattress, service and ridiculously fast delivery to be sensational. My girls have been sleeping so well in their new beds and I know its because they are comfortable and reaching a deep phase of sleep.
Don’t believe me? Try one yourself, they offer a 120 day trial, if you don’t like it (which I’m sure you will) you can return for a FULL refund.
