What factors affect good sleep?
Have you ever woken up feeling lethargic, tired and unrested? Well, there are a number of factors that could lead to this.
The average person spends a third of their life sleeping, so consider your good bed posture being as important as your daily posture. Your bed, mattress, sleeping position, and pillows are key to more than one night of good sleep.
THE MATTRESS
Starting off with your bed, mattresses come in all sizes, designs, and firmness. They say the more firm the better. A firmer bed will provide your back with more support and has the ability to keep your spine in better alignment.
A mattress’s life span is about 8-10 years and is available in sizes right from the single bed, to double then queen and finally a king size bed. The bigger the bed, the more space to switch up your sleeping positions. Find a mattress that fits your body and budget, keeping in mind that it has a huge role in how well you sleep!
THE PILLOW
Secondly, the type of pillow you lay your head on at the end of a long day or for a quick power nap can change your bed posture and result in a terrible night of sleep. Depending on your neck depth, you’ll need to find a pillow that fits it. Yes, everyone has a different neck depth.
Your sleeping position also affects the type of pillow you need. If you’re a back sleeper, you’ll need a pillow that fills the space between your neck and bed, but not too high because you donít want to be able to see your feet.
The side sleepers should find a pillow that fills the space between their ear and bed. You may find that this pillow needs to be thicker than the ones for sleeping on your back.
For all you stomach sleepers, your pillow should be quite thin and only thick enough to level your head while sleeping. This pillow should only fill the space between your head and mattress. There are several ways to modify your pillow to fit your sleeping position. You can add towels or foam to fill thickness and trim foam or remove padding to make it thinner.
THE SLEEP POSITION
Lastly and more importantly is your sleeping position. The pressure on your back varies to the position you sleep in. The position with the least amount of back pressure is lying on your back and then your side. The worst and most stressful sleeping position is on your stomach.
If you sleep on your back or stomach, it is recommended you place a pillow under your knees as well and if you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your knees.
