Lack Of Sleep Even Makes Our Genes Less Active

At The Snoozery we like to keep up-to-date with the latest sleep research…

According to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, lack of sleep over prolonged periods of time can lead to serious health problems like diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

Genes produce a constant supply of proteins which our body uses to repair and replace damaged tissue, but a recent experiment has revealed that after just a week of sleep deprivation some of these stop working. If your body can’t replenish damaged cells and tissues then it’s likely to lead to lasting ill health.

A week of normal sleep is said to be enough to restore the affected genes to their normal pattern, but this study was only a week of sleep restriction and participants were only restricted to five and a half or six hours a night and as Professor Colin Smith explains "Many people have that amount of sleep for weeks, months and maybe even years so we have no idea how much worse it might be.”

The National Sleep Foundation 2012 Bedroom Poll revealed that 41 percent of people surveyed had restless nights at least a few nights every week. So we'd rather try to tackle this sleeplessness now than wait around to see how much worse the effects of prolonged sleep deprivation might really be! Keep an eye on our blog for useful tips and advice to help you on your way!

That bedtime tipple’s been toppled

It is received wisdom that a drink or two in the evening helps us to relax and sets us up for a great night’s sleep. But unfortunately that’s not the case. Too much alcohol or alcohol too close to bedtime has a detrimental effect on the quality of our sleep: it can make you wake up more often throughout the night and it reduces our time in the deepest and most restorative phases of sleep. Researchers at Brown University have also recently discovered that the effects of drinking in the evening (compared to other times of day) are significantly more stimulating. This provides another compelling piece of evidence that alcohol’s role as an “aid” to sleep is misguided. So rather than having a nightcap to send you to slumber town why not try snuggling up in one of our beautiful Bronte Merino Lambswool Throws, lighting a Calming, Therapeutic Candle and sipping on a soothing mug of chamomile tea instead!

Sleep Tight!

Boardrooms to Bedrooms?

Nowadays everyone knows the importance of exercise on our health and productivity levels; including companies who have harnessed that knowledge and provided gyms or at least gym subsidies for their employees. 

But could sleeping become the new working out? In the US ‘Nap Rooms’ are becoming the latest phenomenon in businesses as big as Google, Nike and The Huffington Post. 

Companies are right to look at their workers’ sleep patterns according to Dr Irshaad Ebrahim, from the London Sleep Centre. Sleep is ‘as crucial as our diet, our mental well-being and our physical health’. Lack of sleep affects levels of concentration, our learning and problem solving capabilities and can make us prone to swings in temper and depression.

But is it up to an employer to make sure its employees are well rested or should individuals be taking the responsibility for their own sleep?

Either way - until your company jumps on the power nap bandwagon - check out some of our products here at The Snoozery and see if we can't help you on your way to some more restful nights and some consequentially more productive days! 

Which door would you choose?

In an recent feature in Best Magazine women were asked to choose between three doors: behind the first stood their dream man, behind the second the promise of a passionate night with a film star and behind the third and final door- their perfect bed; with fluffy pillows and a guaranteed 10 hours of undisturbed sleep.

You won’t guess which door all but one woman chose… The third!

It seems that due to stress and worry, kids or discomfort in bed we are all in desperate need of a good nights sleep. But that may be easier to come by than you think - changing your sleep environment to a darker, cooler, quieter and more comfortable space can have an enormous impact on your quality of sleep. So take a peek at our carefully selected range of Sleep Masks, Earplugs and Pyjamas and help yourself to get that great nights sleep you deserve - so in the future - you won’t have to turn down Brad Pitt just for a few hours of peaceful shuteye! 

      ....OR....     

Sleep Tight! ;)

Christmas turkey makes you sleepy: True or false?

Post the traditional Christmas roast turkey, many a knowledgeable uncle up and down the land can be heard asserting that it's due to the Tryptophan-rich turkey that Grandad has nodded off...

According to Uncle Bob, it's the Tryptophan in turkey that makes us all feel sleepy.

Here at The Snoozery, we've dug a little deeper into this "fascinating" piece of avuncular trivia and can reveal that Uncle Bob hasn't got it quite right. 

Yes, there is Tryptophan - an essential amino acid - in turkey, but no more so than in most other protein-rich foods such as eggs, cheese, yoghurt, meat, poultry as well as many plant proteins. 

It's the combination of the Tryptophan-rich protein and carbohydrates that make us feel sleepy after Christmas Dinner. 

So - in basic terms - it works like this:

• The Tryptophan (stored and just consumed) combines with carbohydrates to produce Serotonin
• When Serotonin levels are high, you're in a better mood, have a higher pain tolerance, and sleep better
• The Serotonin is then further metabolised into Melatonin
• Melatonin is the hormone that helps to control your sleep and wake cycles
• The increase in Melatonin then affects your sleep-wake cycle (or circadian rhythm) by chemically causing drowsiness and lowering the body temperature
• You feel sleepy. 

The red wine can also make us feel drowsy. 

Sleep tight and Happy Christmas! 

The Snoozery Is Spreading That Christmas Spirit!

Thank you to everyone who came to see us at Late Night Shopping in Marlow last Thursday!

What a great turn out despite the miserable weather! We had lots of fun spreading some Christmas Cheer and the word about our fabulous products! 

Chatting to you all is such an important part of our mission to help people sleep better – and if we’ve helped just a few of you to get that peaceful night’s sleep you deserve over Christmas – then it’s been a success! 

And the prizes for the Best Christmassy Sellers of the night go to...(drumroll please)...Our Luxurious Snoozery's Own Lullaby Cream! And Our Deep Sleep Pillow Spray by This Works!

For those of you who missed out or need to buy in those last few Christmas presents Click Here to check out our products for yourself! 

Goodnight Britain

Fascinating program on BBC One last night - Goodnight Britain - exploring the sleep problems of 5 volunteers, each of whom suffer from a different sleep condition.

Comic at times (Sheila's Victoria Sponge making at 3am) to tragic at others (Gwen hasn't had a good night's sleep for 30 years), it's a real eye-opener (sorry) into the problematic world of sleep.

Having made the diagnoses last night, in Episode 2 - on at 9pm tonight - the sleep experts Dr Kirstie Anderson and Dr Jason Ellis will create a set of treatment plans to help the volunteers sleep better.

Will make for highly interesting viewing...if you missed it, you can catch up on the BBC iPlayer.

Sleep tight.

How to Beat Insomnia & Sleep Easier

The Guardian recently published a good article on how to sleep easier it quotes tips from Professor Colin Espie of the University of Glasgow Sleep Centre as follows :

1. Recognise that "sleep is not a lifestyle choice, it is a biological inevitability. It is very, very powerful, and we need to get it working for us: a person not sleeping well has first and foremost to allow sleep to do its work. Sleep is a process of letting go."

2. Sleep's achilles heel, however, "is our world. Most sleep problems are psychological obstacles that we put in sleep's way. Like all things we should do automatically, when we deliberately try to do them we screw up. Adopt a relaxed, confident approach to sleep, not a neurotic, panic-stricken one. Recognise there's a right and a wrong kind of effort. Your role model is the 'careless sleeper'."

3. Go to sleep only when you feel sleepy and, if anything, shorten the time you try to sleep: "A lot of people put good sleep beyond the achievable simply because they are so worried about not sleeping. Their sleep becomes frayed, even more broken. If I try to read a book in bed, it's never very successful because I go to bed when I'm ready to sleep. It's counter-intuitive, but a shorter sleep often means a better quality of sleep."

4. Put the day to bed long before putting yourself to bed. "A racing mind – what happened today, what's on tomorrow, what will the future hold? – is a huge obstacle to sleep. So take time before bed: go through the day, think about tomorrow, put things in their boxes, make a list. Set your mind at rest."

5. Learn to value relaxation, and if necessary learn specific relaxation techniques. Above all, "Don't try too hard." But, of course, for some that is easier said than done.

Great article and some nice tips. For the full article click here

St Mungo's - helping people to sleep better

I recently came across this London- based homeless charity that I thought is doing a highly worthwhile job and wanted to let more people know about it.

At St Mungo's they say "Our mission is to house, support and care for vulnerable and excluded people who either have been, or are at risk of, sleeping rough and homelessness"

From their 2011/12 review they helped provide housing support to 4500 people and their street outreach team helped 430 people off the streets and into accommodation.

Given our core belief here at The Snoozery that everyone deserves a great night's sleep we think they are doing a great job.

If you want to find out more you can click here.

Hurray we're famous!

When the clocks go back on Sunday the London Evening Standard suggests using The Snoozery's Dreamweaver Sleep Masks to ensure you make the most of that extra hour!

We certainly will be!

A great night's sleep guaranteed

I recently had need to spend a night at a Premier Inn in Salisbury. A pleasant enough stay.

Hats off to them for their good night guarantee. Another initiative recognising the real thing people want from a hotel - a great night's sleep. Also had the option to choose a pillow and the "Ssshh quiet zone" in operation.

So it's a "good work trooper" from the Snoozery team!

Six things to look for in a sleep mask

1. Good fit
You need to ensure that the sleep mask fits your face well so that it is comfortable and also so that it does not let any light in around the sides.
2. Comfort
If you are going to drift carefree into the land of nod you need to be sure that nothing is going to disturb you and that includes your sleep mask. So look for soft materials and good design.
3. Wide strap
You need a good wide strap so that it does not dig into your head and cause you to wake. We've all tried those airline masks with the floss like straps. Avoid those and go for one where the strap is wide enough to spread the load on your head and keep you comfy.
4. Adjustable
Everyone has a different shape of head. That's what makes us an interesting species. So you need to find a sleep mask that can be adjusted to fit your shape. Velcro adjusters work effectively.
5. Eye cavities
These are the holes that allow your eyes to move around freely inside the mask. So you can roll your eyes to your heart's content and no one will be any the wiser.
6.Light blocking
Might sound obvious but they also need to cut out the light. So they need to be made from opaque materials, and fit well around the edges. The area where light leakage is most likely to occur is around the nose. Many designs include a flap of material around the nose that serves to block this out.

And finally...there's also a curious perception that sleep masks need to be black in colour to work effectively. That's not actually true as it all comes down to how well the material they're made from blocks light and the fit. So pink can work just as well as black!

All the sleep masks we stock at The Snoozery meet these criteria. If you are interested check them out here.Click here.

Top tip if you're struggling to get to sleep...

Lie as close as you can to the edge of the bed and you'll soon drop off...

(Sorry).