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WELLBEING
YOU’RE TRYINGto get a good night’s
sleep. You pour your last cup of coffee
for the day approximately five minutes
after you get up in the morning, and
your bedtime routine is so calming, it
could put a wired four year old into a
coma. You banish worries by writing
them down in a special notebook you
keep by the bed, right next to your
warm milk and drug-free, homeo-
pathic, fragrance-based sleep aids. So
why do you still find yourself staring
at the ceiling?
It’s time to listen to what some
unexpected experts have to say.
Their jobs don’t necessarily include
long hours in a laboratory studying
sleep problems, but what they know
about a multitude of other irritants- stomach ills and back pain and
windows in need of shades – just
might put you out for the night.
Rethink Your Mattress
“You don’t need a really expensive
mattress or one with a lot of space-age
bells and whistles. There’s really only
one good study on mattresses, and
it confirmed the Goldilocks theory:
most people prefer a mattress that’s
not too hard and not too soft. So look
for something medium firm.”
Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Andrew Hecht“If you can, try the type of mattress
you’re considering in a hotel or at a
friend’s house. Some stores may even
let you sleep on it for a night. Some
mattress companies will also give
you a full refund if you don’t like it
after a month.”
Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, cofounder
of the Apartment Therapy websiteStick to One Pillow
“I’m not a fan of sleeping with two pil-
lows if you’re a back sleeper because
it makes your upper back curve and
strains the neck and back. If you need
to sleep up high for medical reasons,
get a wedge and put your pillow on it.”
Chiropractor Dr Karen EricksonNod Off With the Right Scent
“My research has found that any new
smell, even one associated with relax-
ation, such as lavender, can make youThey may never have
stepped foot in a sleep lab,
but these unusual sleep
experts know the secrets
of snooze and how to get
a good night’s sleep
BYMichelle CrouchFROM RD.COM103