Category: Sleep Stats

5 Widely Held Sleep Myths – And Why They’re Wrong

Post author By multiplyagency
Post date 13.08.20

Sleep is one of the most essential needs for our minds and bodies and we do it pretty much every day. But there are still plenty of myths and misunderstandings around it.

If you want to get more sleep, then it’s time to separate the fact from the fiction and bust some of the more common sleep myths.

Lowering the car windows or turning up the air-conditioning will help you stay awake when driving

This aid doesn’t work and can be dangerous to anyone who is driving while feeling drowsy or sleepy, as well as their passengers and others on the road.

If you’re feeling tired while driving, pull off the road in a safe rest area and take a nap for 15-45 minutes. Drinking coffee can also help reduce drowsiness, but even it needs around 30 minutes before taking effect – and again, it only works for a short time.

During sleep, your brain finally rests.

The body rests during sleep, however, the brain remains active, gets ‘recharged,’ and still controls many body functions including breathing. The brain is even more active during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, when we dream.

If you’re struggling to sleep, it’s best to stay in bed.

If you get into bed and cannot fall asleep after 20 minutes, get up and return to another space in the house to do a relaxing activity, such as reading or listening to music. Lying in bed awake can create an unhealthy link between your sleeping environment and not being able to sleep.

You swallow up to 7 spiders every year while you sleep.

Whatever the source of this myth, the good news is that it’s not true (thank goodness). A snoozing person is more likely to scare a spider than attract one.

Eating cheese before bed increases the risk of nightmares.

With the possible exception of those with lactose intolerance, there is no proof that eating cheese even affects sleep, let alone causes nightmares.

If anything, eating cheese may actually aid sleep, due to the fact that it contains tryptophan, an amino acid that helps your body produce serotonin, a chemical messenger conducive to sleep.

So what sleep myths have you fallen for? Did you sleep better after you learned the facts?

Tags sleep facts, sleep myths, sleep tips

Sleep Stats Sleep Tips

What Is Lucid Dreaming?

Post author By content
Post date 09.06.20

Lucid dreaming is a rare form of dream in which the dreamer is conscious of the fact that they are dreaming, and in some cases, able to take control. In most normal dreams we are passive participants, watching the dream play out as if we were watching a film. Lucid dreaming is much more like a video game, in which we take an active role that alters the narrative.

What’s more, not everyone will regularly experience this unusual type of dream. While it’s thought that most of the population will experience them at some point in their lives, it only comes naturally to approximately 20 – 30% of the population.

Very little research has been done on the topic and it’s still seen as quite a mystery by scientists and psychologists.

What we do know is that it occurs during REM, which is our deepest sleep phase, meaning that a lucid dream isn’t just a halfway phase between sleep and wakefulness. We are fully asleep, but our brains are conscious of the fact.

Can I teach myself to have lucid dreams?

A study has shown that it is possible to teach yourself to have lucid dreams, however the same study also concluded that many of the techniques that are widely recommended do not produce the dreams ‘reliably or consistently’.

One technique is to tell yourself to remember that you are dreaming before you go to sleep. We often dream about things that have happened to us during the day and by rehearsing or imagining that you are becoming aware of your dream, there is a chance that this can have an effect.

Once we are in a dream, lucid dreaming can also be trigged by identifying things or anomalies that make it clear to our minds that we are dreaming. To help do this it’s often suggested that you write down your dreams so that you can start to spot things that regularly occur or appear whilst you are asleep.

Is lucid dreaming good for me?

Lucid dreaming is thought to be perfectly safe and there is some research which suggests that those who frequently lucid dream are better at problem solving.

The findings suggest that the lucid dreamer’s ability to “step back from perceived reality” is a skill that helps them to solve particular problems.

There is still a lot more research do be done to fully understand exactly how lucid dreaming works, but it just goes to show how fascinating sleep can be.

For more sleep information or tips on how to get the best night’s sleep, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Sleep Stats

How Much Sleep Is The Nation Really Getting?

Post author By sophie
Post date 24.01.20

Sleep may have become the official buzzword for 2019 and it seems we couldn’t open a newspaper last year without seeing the words ‘sleep crisis!’

It’s becoming more apparent that us Brits struggle to have a sound sleep right through the night. So, how much sleep are we really getting as a nation?

On average, UK adults are getting a mere 6 hours and 19 minutes of uninterrupted sleep each night. Despite the fact that the NHS advises we should be aiming for a solid 6-9 hours.

So, why aren’t we sleeping? It might not surprise you to learn that noisy neighbours, loud music, barking dogs and road traffic are just some of the reasons you’re being kept up at night. But it’s not only your sleep environment that’s to blame.

Busy lives, hectic work schedules and stress are the primary reasons for not getting a full eight hours rest.

Not only that but technology, a lack of exercise and eating late are also among the reasons our nation is struggling to get the night of much needed rest we’ve always dreamed of.

A study by the Independent stated that one in ten of us will check or reply to work emails, with one fifth completing admin and more than one in 20 will finish other job-related duties when in bed.

Adults will spend 38 minutes a day thinking about or finishing jobs when they should be resting – this is the equivalent of nearly 20 hours a month!

Here at Sleepeezee we understand how important sleep is to the nation’s wellbeing and that not a lot (if anything at all) is being done to help.

So this year we are focusing more on health and wellbeing and helping you to have a great night’s sleep night after night!

To kick-start, this, have a look at some of our favourite blogs from last year which all detail how to improve your sleep health.

Our Top Tips For Getting To Sleep When It Gets Cold

Understanding How a Gel Foam Mattress Can Help You Sleep

Do You Want To Know How To Achieve The Perfect Sleep Environment?

Do I Need a New Mattress? And How Do I Find The Perfect One For Me?

Three Ways Sugar Plays Havoc With Your Sleep!

Reading these only takes a couple of minutes but could help us Brits get years (and years) of better quality sleep.

For more sleep tips and to keep up to date with all things Sleepeezee, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Sleep Stats

NASA Develops Sleep Deprivation Test!

Post author By sophie
Post date 04.10.19

Night after night, we all deserve to sink into the irresistible comfort of a supportive mattress and get a good sleep. However, some of us will experience the effects of sleep deprivation much more than others.

Whether its down to work, school, or demanding social lives, our day-to-day schedules often get in the way of sleep. With this in mind, it’s not surprising to hear that a number of people are getting less sleep than is needed for the body and mind to function at its best.

The benefits of a great night’s sleep cannot be underestimated, not only is it critical for recovery but it is essential for maintaining cognitive skills such as communication, creativity and adaptability in thought.

Sleep Deprivation Test

With this in mind, large organisations are now taking into consideration that a decent night’s sleep is imperative to their workforce performance. NASA has even developed a range of eye movement tests that can identify acute sleep loss.

“By looking at a wide variety of components of human eye movements, we could not only detect sleepiness but also distinguish it from other factors, such as alcohol use or brain injury, that we have previously shown cause subtly different deficits in eye movements,” said study senior author Lee Stone from NASA Ames Research Centre in Mountain View, California.

This simple test in time could be used to warn you that you are too tired to drive or work, even if you feel fine. Luckily most of us don’t suffer from a high level of sleep loss. All the same, the effects of sleep deprivation can be avoided with the recommended level of sleep each night – six to eight hours.

Do you often feel tired? You’ll be surprised by how simple it is to make subtle changes to your daily routine to overcome symptoms of fatigue. Everyone is different, but we would recommend that you stick to regular bed times and make an effort to relax and unwind in the evenings. Go one step further by avoiding heavy meals, caffeine and alcohol too late at night.

For more sleep tips and to keep up to date with all things Sleepeezee, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Sleep Stats

10 Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know About Sleep

Post author By sophie
Post date 12.08.19

We spend more than a one third of our lives asleep, but most of what we know about sleep has only been discovered in the last 24 years.

Scientists and researchers all over the globe are learning more and more about sleep every day (and night), teaching us things we never even dreamed about.

As such we’re constantly stumbling across facts that we didn’t even know about.

So we’ve put together a list of the 10 most interesting and surprising facts we’ve seen about sleep that you may not have known!

10 Fascinating Facts About Sleep

1. Did you know that 12% of people dream entirely in black and white, but before colour television was introduced, only 15% of people dreamt in colour!

2. The record for the longest period someone has gone without sleep is 11 days, this was set by a Californian student, Randy Gardner, in 1964. This is something we would definitely not recommend trying!

3. We’ve all no doubt found it tricky getting out of bed every now and again, but those suffering from Dysania find it particularly difficult. Dysania is the state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning.

4. The sensation of falling when half asleep and then jerking yourself awake is known as a ‘hypnic jerk’.

5. Sleep deprivation will kill you more quickly than food deprivation.

6. Sea otters hold hands when they sleep so that they don’t drift away from each other – how cute!

7. Humans are the only mammals that willingly delay sleep.

8. 1 in 4 married couples sleep in separate beds.

9. On average, dogs spend 12 to 14 hours a day sleeping; however, puppies can spend up to 20 hours asleep! Help them achieve the perfect night’s sleep with our new Sleepeezee pet bed.

10. Tiredness peaks twice a day, at 2am and 2pm. This is why you’re less alert after lunch.

Did you learn something new? For more sleep tips and to keep up to date with all things Sleepeezee, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.