You’re not still suffering from bad sleep are you? Insomnia is so 2023. In 2024, there’s an app for that. Or an orthopaedic mattress. Or a light-therapy lamp…
“The sleep economy has increased dramatically in recent years,” says Dr Guy Meadows, founder and clinical director of Sleep School, an organisation that supports people struggling with sleep. In fact, it is predicted to grow steadily at 6 per cent a year and be worth a dreamy £120 billion in 2030. Some of these products have been helpful, says Meadows. Others have simply created more confusion. We are now lying awake at night, worrying about sleep solutions, and making New Year’s resolutions to get more shut-eye.
In truth, there is rarely one solution, says Meadows. No single memory foam mattress, mindfulness app or white noise machine is likely to wave a magic wand. But do not despair: “More often than not, it is the application of lots of small, daily, gentle sleep habits over time,” says Meadows. The little things add up. Regular routines, less stress and more self-compassion are, of course, key. Sleep School’s own app aims to help with this, but “your bedroom environment also plays a key role in the quality of your sleep,” he says.
“We Brits are sometimes a bit cheap about our bedding,” agrees Russell Foster, professor of circadian neuroscience at Oxford University, and author of Life Time – considered by many to be the modern sleep bible. “We forget that we’re going to spend over a third of our lives in bed, and we won’t commit to a decent mattress.” Doing so might make a world of difference to your sleep. But, as Meadows suggests, it is only part of the puzzle. Tweaking elements from temperature to ventilation, via light and noise, can also be vital, he says.
“It’s about coming up with the perfect equation for you and your own sleep needs,” says Nicola Waller, head of furniture at John Lewis. The department store will soon launch a concept they’re calling “bed maths” (though this should, surely be, “sleep sums”). It focuses on helping customers piece together the right mattress, bedding, pillow and more. This equation, she explains, will be different for a hot sleeper compared to a snorer, or a back sleeper compared to a side sleeper. So what should your own set-up look like, to ensure the best night’s sleep? You do the maths…