Do you want it? Do you really, really want it?
Simply make a one off payment to my PayPal account and I will land it in your inbox, yes?
What’s that? You know I am a kind generous soul and I love my blog readers so this sort of secret elixir of life I should just share? Oh go on then my lovely blog readers here you go …
The formula has been developed by boffins at The Fine Bedding Company alongside sleep expert and author Dr Penny Lewis, who runs the sleep lab at The University of Manchester.
In particular it shows what’s needed to help people get to sleep quicker and stay asleep for longer.
Sleep Quality* = [(T x Bt) + C ] / [ Ha + S + L + (H x D)]**
*Where 2 is a great night’s sleep, 1 is average and 0 is tossing and turning all night like the princess with the pea.
**This will vary from person to person. To keep the equation simple, some things that can contribute to sleep quality, such as bedroom psychology, have been left out.
As a general rule I do like to my scores to align with all things Princess, however I am less than enamoured with my score of 0.2 and would prefer something more akin to Sleeping Beauty than the Princess and the Pea – gutted!
I have a luxury duvet, bedding isn’t the problem, my daughter is! She is is very close to being listed on eBay as the root cause of my poor night’s sleep! So how do you fair? Here’s the how to guide to work out your score and take the necessary action:
T= Tiredness: hours since your last overnight sleep – hours napping + hours of physical exercise
Bt=Bed time: actual bed time that night / normal bed time
C=Comfort: calculated as C = pillow + bedding + mattress – 9, where pillow, bedding, and mattress are self rated from 1 (very uncomfortable) to 5 (very comfortable)***
Ha=Average hours awake: this is how long you spend awake on an average day. For most people it will be about 16 hours.
S = Sound: any sounds except white noise or soothing sounds you’ve found to lull you to sleep. Use a scale of 1(very soft sounds) to 5 (very loud irregular disturbing sounds).
L = Light: any light in the room, including illuminated clocks, natural lights and LEDs (where 0.1 is very soft light and 2 is very bright blue spectrum light).
H = Heat: degrees different from 16-17 degrees Celcius / 10
D = Duvet appropriateness for room temperature: a good duvet can help us to maintain a comfortable body temperature while we sleep even if the room is a bit too warm or too cold. If it is highly breathable e.g. with natural or technically innovative synthetic fill, it can also prevent moisture from accumulating. Duvet appropriateness can be determined by a self-rating from 0 (compensates perfectly for room temperature) to 3 (does not compensate well and leaves you far too hot or too cold).
Translated for the average person a great night’s sleep can be achieved by:
Keeping a regular schedule, so your go to bed time and get up time are about the same every day – thus trying to ensure that this means that you are awake on average 16 hours during the day. Avoid napping, and get plenty of exercise, as this will reduce your tiredness levels.
Other key variables are heat, sound and light – make sure your room is cool (about 16-17 degrees Celcius) and that your duvet is breathable to keep your body at the right temperature without allowing moisture to accumulate. Keep the room as dark, and quiet as possible throughout the night. And finally, comfort is very important to sleep quality – make sure all your bedding is comfy, with pillows, duvets and mattress to suit your individual needs.
Emma Heald from The Fine Bedding Company said:
“Over the years our company has tried hundreds of different formulations for the perfect night’s sleep, from the comfort factor and support levels of pillows to the temperature of the room versus the breathability of duvets designed to help to regulate a person’s temperature. “
“The elements in the equation are ones that have the greatest influence on our sleep and that help us not only to get to sleep quicker/stay asleep for longer, but help us achieve quality sleep which is key. Some of the research showed that even white sheets can help aid sleep, perhaps by adding a sense of calm to the environment.”
Heald added: ”It’s important to ensure that everyone has the right tools in place to aid sleep, especially if you’ve experienced broken sleep for a long period of time. Changing a few small things can have a big impact – it can be something as simple as the room temperature, the correct duvet to suit your body temperature, or replacing natural fill pillows for non-allergenic ones. Whatever the issue it’s a good idea to look at the equation and make sure the simple steps are considered, and where necessary changed, for a great night’s sleep to follow.”
