Savoir Beds | Creating A Sleep Sanctuary

With studies revealing that a lack of quality sleep can mean we are more susceptible to falling ill after exposure to a virus, the value of a good night’s rest is more important than ever. Major events in our lives can create uncertainty and cause us to become unsettled and stressed, making it ever harder to get the sleep we need. When this happens, it’s a good time to reassess our approach to sleep and make it a priority to protect our wellbeing. With this in mind, luxury bed expert Savoir have compiled some simple techniques and mechanisms to help you achieve restorative sleep.

Temperature Check

If you find yourself waking up during the night, do a temperature check. Being too hot or too cold disturbs sleep patterns and leads to restless nights. Consider your duvet tog. You want to prevent overheating which could make all the difference to how you sleep. It’s also worth considering what your bed is made from. Natural materials are best as they are breathable and therefore allow better air flow than man-made fibres such as foam. In particular, horsetail hair and wool, are effective in wicking moisture away from the body, helping you to regulate your temperature.

Bedtime Rituals

A routine helps the brain prepare for sleep. Our sleep system, along with other neurophysiological systems like predictability and consistency, emphasising the need to incorporate a bedtime ritual. It’s important to utilise the time of transition before you get in to bed to establish a calm pre-sleep routine that you can repeat every night. This will slowly train your body and mind to unwind before you get in to bed. The length of the routine should be determined by you; it has been suggested between 30 minutes to two hours.

About two hours before our actual bedtime the brain is already preparing for sleep. It is during this time that the waking system, which fires billions of neurons all day to keep us alert, slowly starts to come down to allow the sleep system to take over. The most vital part of your bedtime routine is that you do something you truly enjoy and find relaxing. From enjoying a warm bath with aromatherapy oils, a simple set of light exercises or incorporating fragrances in the form of sprays or oils that encourage calm, such as Votary’s Lavender and Chamomile Pillow Spray. The key is to remember that it may take a few weeks or even a couple of months for our body to adjust to a routine, so don’t give up after two nights.

Sleep-Inducing Foods

Consuming sleep-inducing foods before bedtime can help you drift off. Although many foods contain sleep-promoting compounds, only a few have a high enough concentration to affect our sleep cycle. Cherry, almonds and walnuts are naturally high in the hormone melatonin which controls your sleep and wake cycles. Kiwi fruit contains many sleep promoting qualities such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and serotonin. Oily fish is also a good source of vitamin D and Omega-3, which helps regulate serotonin. Lastly, proteins such as turkey, fish and chicken are high in tryptophan, an amino acid that increases serotonin levels.

Wash Off The Day

Finally, having a shower or bath before bed is a calming way to physically, emotionally and energetically wash off the day. Even, if it’s just a 2-minute rinse, this is the perfect way to prepare yourself for a restful night’s sleep and signal the end of the day.

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