Make the most of any extra time you can spend in bed – it’s only natural to want to stay tucked up when you've had a busy week and are tucked up in comfort! Having an occasional lie-in is a luxury but if you struggle to stay in bed take a look at your bedroom – do you have the perfect environment for sleep?
Here’s The Sleep Council’s very own tips for making the most of having a lie-in:
- Remember to switch the alarm off before you go to sleep at night.
- Unplug any phones in the room and ensure that radios or televisions are not set to come on at any time in the morning. Also, exposure to even the weakest glow at night – for example, your TV’s standby button – can unconsciously play havoc with your body’s circadian rhythms so turn off at the wall.
- Make sure you close the curtains - preferably good heavy ones that will block out the daylight that can disturb your mid-morning slumber.
- Make sure you are sleeping on a good bed – one that’s not too soft, too hard, too small or too old is not conducive to a good night’s sleep, let alone a lie-in.
- Remember, the bigger your bed, the less the chance your sleep will be disturbed by your partner.
- Monitor the temperature in the room. A room that’s too hot or too cold, too stuffy or too draughty can disturb sleep. A room temperature of around 16-18°C (60-65°F) is usually sufficient for getting a good night’s sleep. Anything over 24°C (71°F) is more likely to cause restlessness and temperatures around 12-13°C (53-55°F) are usually too cool to be able to drop off.
- Make sure you have adequate bed clothes and pillows. Use the right tog duvet for the time of year, layer with sheets or blankets which can be easily removed and wear bed socks if you’ve got cold feet.
- If you have young children, make sure you and your partner take a lie-in in turns with the ‘on duty’ partner responsible for keeping noise levels down.
- Double glazing will cut down on a lot of external noise but a cheaper option would be a pair of ear muffs or foam ear plugs.
- Avoid alcohol the night before. It’s not a sleep aid and will play havoc with sleep patterns. It may help you fall asleep initially, but will interrupt your sleep later in the night and early morning - you will wake dehydrated and needing the loo!
Source the Sleep Council