Many people think that a good night’s sleep depends on the number of hours you get to rest. However, experts believe otherwise. They maintain that sleep quantity does not necessarily translate into sleep quality. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found that more and more Americans are receiving insufficient sleep each night, leading to various health conditions.
Not Getting Enough Shut-Eye
Just how many people are having trouble sleeping? In 2014, the National Sleep Foundation conducted a survey and discovered that at least 35 percent of Americans get a poor quality of sleep. On average, most people get about 7-1/2 hours of shut-eye per night, but the group of adults between the ages of 30 to 64 get much less than that. The survey also found that because of poor sleep, people tend to wake up more tired than before.
Factors that Can Affect Sleep
What could be possibly be causing these restless nights? According to experts, excessive consumption of alcohol or caffeine a few hours before bedtime can lead to lack of sleep. Alternatively, it could be aches that are further aggravated when one sleeps on the wrong type of mattress.
Furthermore, people with muscle pains in their neck, legs, and lower back also have difficulty sleeping. Lying down and attaining an optimal sleeping position may be quite challenging for such people.
How Important Your Mattress Can Be
When shopping for a mattress in Los Angeles, the multitude of choices can be dumbfounding. To help you narrow down your search, first consider your personal level of comfort. Test out the mattress while in the store, and be sure to consult with your partner or spouse as both of you will be sharing the bed. Try to come to a consensus on the level of firmness that suits you best.
Orthopedic doctors recommend that medium-firm mattresses work best for patients with back pain. Some mattresses are equipped with specialized gels that can offer cooling and ample ventilation, depending on the weather. For extra chilly nights, you can find a mattress with built-in heaters to warm and massage your feet.
If you feel you haven’t been sleeping well, then it might be because of your allergies. Mattresses of yesteryear were found to contain chemicals that exacerbated allergies. Some older bed types provided a habitat for dust mites and encouraged them to proliferate. To remedy this, find a mattress made from organic materials. Additionally, you can also purchase dust-proof covers to keep allergens at bay.
Sources:
Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Problem, CDC.gov
Lack of Sleep Is Affecting Americans, Finds the National Sleep Foundation, SleepFoundation.org
