Driftaway: Tips & Advice For Your Bedroom

The team from Driftaway are helping us solve all of our bedroom dilemmas. From mattress flipping to sleep health… let’s hear from the professionals and make better choices.

Mattress Flipping…

Not all mattresses are “NO-TURN” mattresses and thus need to be flipped to ensure longevity.

To assist in ensuring the regular turning of your mattress we strongly recommend that you draw with a marking pen two arrows on your mattress, one pointing to the foot of the mattress then turn over the mattress and draw the other arrow pointing to the side of the mattress.

You must then turn the mattress in the direction of the arrow monthly.

Bodyweight and sleep…

Poor sleep is linked to higher body weight and good sleepers tend to eat fewer calories. In fact, good sleep can improve concentration and an all-around living experience.

It’s important that your mattress allows for proper alignment of your spine and balanced contact pressure between your body and the mattress. Mattress preferences vary from one person to the next.

How often should you change your pillow?

By regularly replacing your pillows every 2 years, you get to keep on enjoying a restful night’s sleep, and avoid waking up with aches and pains.

How to get a good night’s rest?

• Avoid looking at electronics such as cell phones, watching TV, looking at a tablet, etc. at least 1 hour before bed – Children under the age of 13 should be 2 hours before bed. This allows your brain to relax as electronics cause the brain to be active for an hour or two after using them.
• Ensure you have the right pillow – sleeping with too many pillows or high pillows can cause your neck to be at an angle and cause your spine not to be inline. This can cause neck and back pain, making you wake up stiff and sore. We recommend memory foam pillows as this moulds to your neck and head shape, ensuring your spine is in the correct position.
• Have a good night time routine. This can include avoiding technology 1 hour prior bedtime, bathing/showering before bed, reading a book, etc. Having a routing helps the mind relax to ensure better sleep.
• In inland areas such as Gauteng, where the air is dryer, a good cold air humidifier is great for those suffering from hay fever or simple find themselves with a blocked/dry nose.
• Exercise is not only great for longer healthier living, but it also helps you sleep better as it relaxed the body and makes you tired.
• Weight management – being overweight can cause changes in the body that could cause lack of sleep. Eating healthy and exercising is beneficial for a long life and good sleep.
• Destressing – Being stressed can cause lack of sleep as the mind is kept active the whole night. Exercise, reading, yoga, meditating etc. can assist you in destressing.
• Using the right bed linen – as luxurious as feathered pillows and inners may sound, it may also be causing you to have sinus issues. It is also not the best for your spine to use a feather pillow as it does not mould to the shape of your neck and head. Using hypo-allergenic inners and memory foam pillows, would provide you with a better nights sleep. Bed linen should be breathable and washed at least once a week. Duvet inners should be washed every few months or more often if the person tends to perspire more.

We hope these tips will help you achieve better rest! For more visit Driftaway.