One of the most common questions our customers ask our staff when buying a new bed is: ‘Will this help me sleep better?’ The simple answer is yes, especially if you’ve been experiencing sleep disturbance because of an old, worn and uncomfortable bed. However, replacing an old bed with a new bed is only one part of the solution in ensuring a good night’s sleep.
Sleep Advice
The Sleep Council reminds us: “To ensure you experience good sleep it’s essential to follow good lifestyle habits and to eliminate the factors that are causing you disturbed sleep. For example making sure that your bedroom is the right environment, looking at the lighting in your home, and avoiding foods and drinks that can hinder sleep.”
A healthy diet, regular exercise, reducing alcohol and caffeine intake during the day all contribute to our sleeping success. Creating the right bedroom environment is also essential to getting those all-important slumbers.
However, if you have checked off everything from this list and you’re still finding it difficult to sleep, there may be other reasons, including medical, that are preventing you from sleeping well. To help you and your doctor understand what factors are contributing to your lack of sleep, it might be useful to keep a sleep diary.
Keeping a Sleep Diary
NHS Choices has produced a guide on this very topic and provided some very useful questions that a typical sleep diary should include.
- What were your sleeping times?
- How long did it take you to get to sleep?
- How many times did you wake up during the night?
- How long did each awakening last?
- How long did you sleep in total?
- Did you take any sleeping tablets?
- How well do you feel today?
- How enjoyable was your sleep last night?
- Did you take any naps during the day or evening?
- Has anything made you anxious or stressed?
Keeping a sleep diary will help you learn more about your sleep patterns and habits but it’s important to consult your doctor to assess if there are any possible underlying health issues affecting your sleep. Common indicators include:
- You’re getting enough sleep but still feel very tired during the day.
- Regularly disturbing your partner because of snoring, sleep talking or walking.
- Thrashing about a lot when you sleep, or
- Starting/changing medication and you find your sleep is affected.
What to do next
At Dalzell’s of Markethill we take your health and sleep needs seriously. As supporters of the UK Sleep Council our staff are both highly knowledgeable and experienced with more than 50 years of bedding expertise. What’s more, our helpful online resources provide excellent advice on improving the quality of your rest and sleep time. All Divan Beds, Mattresses and Headboards retailed at Dalzells are manufactured at home in either the UK or Ireland by members of the National Bed Federation (NBF). For further information Visit Us In-store today, or simply Call or Email Us we’ll be more than happy to help you out. Remember at Dalzells there’s free delivery across Northern Ireland and Counties Dublin, Louth & Monaghan, during which we’ll unpack and assemble your new divan bed. We’ll even collect & recycle your old one for free.
