Tag Archives: Sleeptember

sleeptember

What Are Your Sleep Goals This Sleeptember?

Sleeptember is a month-long campaign dedicated to the serious business of sleep. And we say serious because sleep is essential to our health and wellbeing.

Too many of us report problems with our sleep from not being to get to sleep or stay asleep to more serious conditions such as sleep apnea and insomnia.

But why is sleep so important to our health? We’ll look at how by setting some simple sleep goals you can turn around any bad sleeping patterns for good. Read on to find out how.

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How to establish children’s bedtime routines

Back to School Sleep Tips
Sleep is vital for our physical, mental and emotional well-being: being sleep deprived can affect concentration and memory.

When children don’t get enough sleep their behaviour and mood can be affected; it can also impact on their ability to learn.

Children need different amounts of sleep – the younger the child, the more sleep they need.

With many kids back to school this week and next, now is a good time to get bedtime routines back on track.

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Sleeptember Stress Busters

Sleeptember Stress Busters

With the launch of Sleeptember the Sleep Council’s latest research found that 90% of people admit to suffering from some form of stress in their lives, with almost two out of five saying they are regularly, frequently or constantly stressed.

In Northern Ireland 88% of people say they suffer sleep problems when stressed (UK Highest) and 76% have suffered from a sleep disorder. A further 46% say they regularly, frequently or always are stressed.

With millions of people caught in a vicious cycle of stress and sleepless nights the month of September has been identified by health professionals as being one of the most stressful months for many.

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Sleeptember Slumbers

As Sleeptember draws to a close we reflect on some of the key sleep facts The Sleep Council has shared with us during this month long campaign dedicated to helping people get a healthy night’s sleep.

Key Sleep Facts

  1. Sleep is essential for health and wellbeing. Without it we’re moody, irritable, prone to infections and we don’t look or feel good!
  2. For the average person who needs 8hrs sleep, losing even 1hr can lower IQ by 1 point the next day.
  3. Performance in sport or creativity can be improved by as much as 20% after a good night’s sleep.
  4. The average Briton goes to bed at 11.15pm & gets just 6 hours 35 minutes sleep per night.
  5. Lack of sleep can make you fat! It fuels junk food habit by changing our brain function to stop us making smart choices about food!

Is your bed fit to sleep on? 

We spend one third of our lives sleeping yet we don’t pay enough attention to what we do it on!  Many people don’t realise that it could be their bed that is preventing them from getting a good night’s sleep.

Changes in our lifestyle and the quality, care and amount of use our beds get impact on whether we need to think about buying a new bed.   Factors such as getting married, moving to a new home, losing or gaining weight and our age can affect the level of comfort and support our bed provides. How we use our beds and the length of time we spend in them e.g. reading, watching television or the occasional use of a spare bed can be the deciding factors in choosing a new bed.

Sleeping in a bed that no longer provides the proper support or comfort can affect the quality of our sleep. Four out of five adults (80%) will experience back pain at some stage in their life and a recent American study found that 63% of back sufferers felt an improvement after sleeping on a new bed.

A new bed is important for a good night’s sleep! With the Sleep Council recommending that we change our beds every seven years, it’s worth making time to take the Bed MOT (Mattress Obsolescence Test) to see if your bed fits the bill.

 

What to do next

With over 500 beds in stock including leading brands KaymedDorluxRespaMyersStaplesKing Koil and Slumber Night our staff are also on hand to provide expert advice on choosing a new bed. You can buy with complete confidence at Dalzell’s and what’s more, we provide a Free Delivery service and Free Collection and Recycling of Your Old Bed throughout Northern Ireland and Counties Louth, Monaghan and Dublin, with highly competitive rates across the rest of Ireland. Located in Markethill, just off the A28 between Armagh and Newry, we are just a short drive from Belfast and easily accessible to Dublin from the M1.  No time to visit, no problem! You can place your order and gain expert advice from our experienced team over the phone on 028 3755 1260 or even by Email.

 

Health Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep

The start of September signifies many new beginnings. From children starting school, to the first signs of autumn. Did you know that it could also mark the start of a whole new sleep routine?  Sleeptember, a new and exciting initiative from The Sleep Council, has been launched to remind everyone of the health benefits of a good night’s sleep.  Getting the right amount of sleep not only keeps us mentally alert and ready to face the challenges of the day, it also brings many other benefits.

Sleep Facts 

Majority of Britons (70%) now sleep for seven hours or less per night with more than a quarter (27%) experiencing poor quality sleep on a regular basis. And the number of Britons getting just five-to-six hours per night has risen dramatically in the past three
years: more than a third of us get by on that amount of sleep compared to 27% in 2010. (The Sleep Council’s Great British Bedtime Report, March 2013)

Getting a good night’s sleep is just as important as diet and exercise when trying to lose weight. People who shifted their sleeping pattern from less than six hours to between seven and eight hours a night put on 2.4kg less weight over a six year  period. (Eastern Ontario Research Institute and Laval University in Quebec, September 2012)

A bed may have deteriorated by as much as 70% from its ‘as new’ state after 10 years. It also showed that beds as little as six years old could offer significantly less support and comfort than a new one, thanks to wear and tear not just from body weight and movement but also sweat and debris such as skin, scales, hair etc. (Research by the Furniture Industry Research Association, 2011)

One in six women acknowledged that their tiredness was caused by an uncomfortable bed. And seven out of 10 women would be prepared to pay £500 and considerably more to buy a new one. (Sleep Council ‘Sleeping Beauty’ survey, October 2011)

Ensuring a good night’s sleep 

Current research indicates that we don’t necessarily need eight hours sleep: experts believe that most adults require somewhere between six and nine hours in order to feel refreshed and to function well both mentally and physically. To ensure a good night’s sleep it’s essential to follow good lifestyle habits and to eliminate the factors that are causing disturbed sleep.

  1. Establish a bedtime routine by going to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning.
  2. Try and wind down at night by doing a relaxing activity i.e. something that is not going to stimulate your brain, such as listening to calming music or reading a book.
  3. Incorporate some exercise into your routine earlier in the day as this will help relax the body and prepare you for the evening wind down.
  4. Avoid alcohol, caffeine or high-sugar content drinks as they can lead to over stimulation and prevent you from getting those all-important snoozes!
  5. Create a relaxing sleep environment in your bedroom. Turn off game consoles, TVs, mobile phones or any other distracting technology devices.
  6. Ensure you are getting the right support from your bed and mattress. If you’re a couple, make sure your bed is big enough for two to sleep comfortably beside one another. Ergonomic studies have shown that couples sleep better in a bigger bed. Before trials only 15% said they would buy a larger than standard bed while afterwards, 50% said they would. (Ergonomic Pilot Study of Bed Size and Sleep Quality by ICE Ergonomics, February 1995)

What to do next

At Dalzell’s of Markethill we want you to enjoy a great night’s sleep every night. As a Sleep Council Accredited Retailer and a supporter of Sleeptember, we  have compiled a comprehensive buyers guide where you’ll find lots of helpful information on choosing the right bed and mattress for you.  You can place your order and gain expert advice from our experienced team over the phone on 028 3755 1260 or even by Email. Or why not Visit in-store at Dalzells, located in Markethill, just off the A28 between Armagh and Newry and less than 45 minutes drive from Lisburn.  No time to visit, no problem!   With over 500 beds and mattresses in stock, including leading brands RespaKing KoilKaymedStaples BedsMyers Beds you’ll be spoilt for choice.  What’s more, we also provide Free Delivery and Free Collection and Recycling of Your Old Bed throughout Northern Ireland and Counties Louth, Monaghan and Dublin.  We’ll also unpack and set up your New Divan Bed in a room of your choosing and dispose of all the packaging.

*Delivery throughout the rest of Ireland available at Highly Competitive Rates.