A Few Fascinating Sleep Facts
It’s said we spend around a third of our lives asleep. Babies sleep around 15 hours a day. Unfortunately that’s not all in one go, and new parents lose out on up to a month’s sleep in baby’s first year. Altogether, women sleep for 27 years in their lifetime and men 25½. That’s a lot of shut-eye.
It’s not clear why we need sleep, but all animals do it. (Although ducks are able to send half their brain to sleep, keeping the other half awake and alert to predators!) Everyone knows that if we don’t sleep, we get grumpy. After five nights without sleep, we’re likely to start hallucinating. And 10 sleepless days could kill you – that’s quicker than if you went without food.
10% of people say their prayers before getting into bed, with more than twice as may putting their gadgets on to charge. Of course, one of the best things once you’ve dozed off is dreaming. You’ll have 5 years worth in your lifetime, with each one lasting 10 – 15 minutes. And 12% of people only dream in black and white.
Sharing beds is a fairly new phenomenon, becoming popular in Britain in the late nineteenth century. (Possibly because cities grew and living spaces became smaller.) 92% of couples who share, sleep on the same side each night. Because couples tend to be different sizes and weights, experts recommend pocket sprung or memory foam mattresses for couples as they give individual support.
One in five of us have trouble sleeping. But there are a few tips to help people nod off. A bedtime routine, laying off caffeine in the afternoon and no late night exercise can help. And of course, a comfy bed is key. Somewhere you can slip into one of the six recognised sleeping positions (fetus, log, yearner, soldier, freefall and starfish) and drift off into the land of nod.
Reading has long been associated with bedtime routines, but watching TV and movies is popular too. And with our Paris TV bed, the remote does more than switch channels – it’ll make the telly pop out of the end of your bed! So it’s easy to combine bedtime with the 219 minutes the average Briton spends watching TV.
Whether you want to treat yourself to a bed with a built-in TV, or need a bunk bed for the kids’ room, you’ll find a great selection at PerfectHome. With quality mattresses to top it off too. Which all adds up to a great night’s sleep.
