April is Stress Awareness Month and it is now widely recognised that not getting enough uninterrupted sleep each night can have an impact on our stress levels. If we’re not sleeping properly, then we are tired during the day, we find it hard to concentrate and can struggle with our daily jobs and chores. This can then add to the usual stresses of everyday life.

It’s hard to relax sometimes, with emails pinging back and forth, constant communication available through our mobiles and social media - and distressing news on the radio and TV. Night sweats, experienced by those going through Peri Menopause and Menopause, are also well-known culprits for causing disrupted sleep patterns. However, getting a good night’s sleep is critical and so it’s important to find ways to switch off around bedtime and get the best possible night’s sleep.

Here’s some tips on how to get ready for cosy slumber and creating a peaceful environment in your bedroom.

COOL IT

In order for our brain to trigger us into sleep, our body temperature has to drop by 1 – 2 degrees and this also helps us to stay asleep for longer. Hot, stuffy bedrooms that are heated will end up keeping you awake. The ideal bedroom temperature is said to be around 17 degrees centigrade, so turn that radiator down or off (this will help with heating bills too!) and if you can, open a window. Having a warm shower or bath about 30 minutes before bedtime will cause your body temperature to rise slightly and then drop as you cool down and this can also help trigger sleep.

COLOUR ME BEAUTIFUL

Choose calming colour schemes for your bedroom. These include all the natural tones, such as beige, pale greys, off-white, as well as pale blues, soft greens and very light pinks. Try to avoid purple, red and orange as these evoke energy and creativity. Very dark browns and black, although fash

Last Friday, 18^th March, was World Sleep Day. The focus for this annual event is the importance of sleep for our health and wellbeing. The founders and owners of THREE Duvets, Dick and Pauline Beijen, were approached by a number of UK radio stations, from Scotland to Cornwall, and as far as the Channel Islands, to talk about sleep and how to create the best environment to help achieve a great sleep when you tuck yourself up each night. They were also featured on Sky News Radio.

One of the topics discussed was ‘Sleep Divorce. Recent research has revealed that there has been an increase in couples choosing to sleep in separate beds due to their partner’s annoying sleep habits. The study discovered that 51% of Brits prefer to sleep apart from their partners so that they can sleep better. Nearly half of UK adults admit that they don’t get the right amount of sleep, with women (54%) being more likely to agree than men (41%) – with differences in body temperature being one of the main reasons.

Dick explains “Not everyone has the same body temperature and often one person in a couple may have to compromise on the duvet that they share. One person may want to change to a lighter duvet earlier in the year than their partner or if you are going through the menopause, you might want a a really lightweight duvet all year, but this could mean leaving your partner shivering throughout the night! Up until now there has been limited options – compromise, separate duvets or even separate beds!”

THREE Duvets is the sister company to the award-winning soft bedding company, Devon Duvets and it offers an innovative, patent pending shared duvet solution. The duvets are made in h