World Sleep Day: How to get perfect sleep?

In recent years, there has been an increasing choice in types of beds and mattresses in Britain. People are making informed choices when purchasing everything from bed linen to mattresses.

While many of us used to opt for simple bedding, bed linens are now widely diverse, designed to blend in with different bedroom styles. Beyond aesthetics, consumers are investing in mattresses, bed covers, blankets and pillows that increase sleep quality.

Mark Tremlett, co-founder of Devon-based Natural Mat, which makes organic and sustainable mattresses and beds, said: “We are now obsessed with sleep in Britain. The growing interest in wellness, which was previously linked to exercise is now also linked to sleep, and is generating greater interest in good sleep.

The Covid pandemic has made people more aware of their health, including sleep. During the pandemic, people have become more aware of the importance of healthy mattresses due to the proliferation of e-commerce companies that sell beds and mattresses and deliver them to homes.”

While many have welcomed this way to rest, Tremlett believes it’s important to try out your new mattress in person.

He told the BBC: “We are all different. People need to find the right combination of mattresses that keep the spine aligned and comfortable. This is the key to achieving a good night’s sleep. The only scientific thing about getting a mattress surface correctly aligned is the person’s weight. Heavier people need weight to “enjoy the support of a firmer mattress. “If you’re sleeping so that your body forms a cavity in the mattress and your spine isn’t straight, that’s not good.”

According to Dr Allie Hare, consultant sleep medicine at Royal Brompton Hospital in London, “There is evidence that supportive mattresses and pillows improve sleep quality, especially for individuals with chronic back or neck pain.”

This interest in bedding and beds is a global phenomenon, if we look at recent sales figures.

This sector has witnessed significant growth, according to a report published by Globe Newswire last year.

This sector supports companies that manufacture bedding made from sustainable or organic materials only. Termlet traces the rise of these companies to the early twentieth century, when sustainability became a major societal concern.

The impetus for starting Natural Mat was Tremlett’s observation that mattresses on expensive boats were made of cheap polyurethane foam that didn’t give much support to the body.

The company originally specialized in mattresses for yachts, before focusing on the residential market. He points out that bedding made of synthetic fibers is believed to prevent good sleep, but it sells well because it is cheaper than luxury mattresses made from natural materials.

Synthetic bedding was viewed favorably until the 1980s. Terence Conran Habitat Stores, which first introduced duvets to the British public in the 1960s as a labor-saving alternative to traditional blankets and sheets, hailed duvets with synthetic fillings.

Its 1983-1984 marketing brochure stated: “New synthetic fillings can capture the lightness and warmth of traditional duvets but are inexpensive, non-allergenic and washable.”

“About 95% of people in Britain currently sleep on synthetic mattresses,” Tremlett said. “But now relatively affordable natural fiber bedding is becoming more widely available, and is being made by companies that take into account the importance of good sleep.”

Fortunately for brands that champion sustainability, natural fibers help with good sleep. It is known that the two main obstacles to good sleep are heat and humidity, and the natural fibers in bed covers keep them away from the body.

“Everyone sweats up to a pint a night,” Tremlett says. “Natural fibers keep this moisture away from our bodies while we sleep.”

Most importantly, our bodies need to maintain a constant body temperature throughout the night, which is essential for sleeping well. This is known as thermoregulation.

Bedding made from natural materials helps encourage thermoregulation.

“Studies on the physical and psychological effects of bedding and sleepwear have concluded that sleep patterns in which people are exposed to heat rather than cold are more likely to be disturbed,” says Dr. Hare. “Natural fibres, such as linen and cotton, support thermoregulation better than man-made fibres.” .

“If the mattress is made of materials like memory foam or polyester, it retains moisture,” Tremlett says.

Dr. Hare adds that a good temperature in bedrooms, which encourages sleep, should be between 16°C and 19°C. In summer, an electric fan may be needed to achieve this.

“Natural wool mattresses, mattress covers, duvets, pillows and natural linen bed sheets regulate the temperature,” says Jessica Hanley, who founded British bed linen company Piglet in Bed in 2017. Body temperature while you sleep, regardless of the season.”

The company, which also has a branch in Illinois and a growing customer base in the United States, produces bed linen made mostly from sustainable linen.

Since thermoregulation is essential for good sleep, are thermogenic weighted blankets, electric blankets, and proximity to hot water recommended? The consensus is that they are comfortable but interfere with thermoregulation.

“Studies on weighted blankets have concluded that they may reduce anxiety but do not aid sleep,” says Dr. Hare.

It is recommended to use bed linens made from natural materials for another reason. “Natural fibers in bed linens are also beneficial, as studies show a loss of thermoregulation during REM sleep, the deep sleep state when we get our best rest,” Tremlett says.

Larger beds help you sleep better, which partly explains why beds increase in size over time. “Partly that’s because people are getting bigger,” Tremlett says. “The beds we used to see in old luxury homes are very small.

The standard size of a double bed from our grandparents’ generation in the 1920s and 1930s was 137cm x 190cm, and over time the bed became wider.

Today the size of the large double bed is 150 cm x 200 cm. Now we have beds that measure 200cm x 200cm, giving couples sharing a bed a lot of individual space, allowing them to sleep better.

Tremlett adds that bed sizes also vary between countries: “The tallest people in Europe are in the Netherlands. The average bed length there is 210 cm.”

He says different cultures influence family preferences. “Our mattresses are sold in Barcelona, ​​and firm mattresses are very popular there. In the United States, there is demand for softer mattresses.”

In Japan, foldable beds that can be stored out of sight fit the taste of simpler interiors. In China, Kang beds have a platform with a brick-lined cavity where hot coals are placed to keep the bed warm.

India has charpai beds – a wooden frame topped with a rope roof where people sleep without bed covers to facilitate ventilation. Hammocks are especially popular in Central and South America, which help provide those who sleep in them with protection from insect stings and animal bites.

A Scandinavian custom of single duvets used by couples has become popular in Britain. “We’ve seen an increase in demand for two single duvets, so a couple can have their own bedding like the Scandinavians do,” Hanley says.

“This means you can also get different weights of duvets depending on your personal preferences. We tried this at home when I was pregnant and it was particularly hot at night, and it saved a lot of arguments.”

The growth of the bedding and bedding sector in the West, driven by a desire for more aesthetic options, raises questions about whether colors and patterns affect sleep quality.

“With the advent of social media and people sharing photos of their homes online, our homes have become an extension of our personal style,” Hanley says. “In recent years, we’ve seen customers mixing and matching bed linens to create a completely unique look.”

“I believe that expressing individual preferences that feel right to you is the most impactful way to have a room that you feel happy to come to at night,” Hanley continues.

Others feel that soothing colors encourage good sleep. “In general, it’s a good idea to keep the bedroom environment calm, and this may influence your choice of color and pattern,” says Dr. Hare.

Recently, the demand for beds with luxuriously upholstered headboards, which highlight the design and luxury of the bed and increase the feeling of comfort, has increased.

“I use existing fabrics in the room when designing the headboards to create a harmonious balance,” said Natasha Hulse, who creates embroidered headboards with nature-inspired motifs.