Listening 6A 2

I know a lot about sleep.

I’ve been involved in sleep research for over 36 years.

I call myself a sleep expert, and I think that if you are going to give advice about sleep, you should follow your own rules.

So here are some things you should know about my sleep habits.

I sleep in a different bedroom from my partner.

Everyone should sleep alone.

It’s much better, if you can, to have your own room.

You can wake refreshed, rather than be cross because your partner snored all night.

My partner wasn’t offended when I suggested we had separate rooms. 

In fact, she found she slept much better.

Apparently, I make funny noises in my sleep.

I sleep under natural materials.

I wouldn’t dream of getting into a bed made with hot, sweaty, man-made fibres.

If you’re really hot, it’s hard to fall asleep or stay asleep.

This is why we turn over at night – not just to relieve pressure, but to find a cool spot.

To sleep well, we need to lose one degree of body temperature, and cotton is excellent at keeping us cool.

I’m obsessive about pillows.

Pillows are really necessary for good sleep.

It’s essential that your body is in the right position, and a pillow should fill the gap between your shoulder and neck, to keep the neck and spine aligned when you lie on your side.

I have two pillows because I’m tall and that works for me, but if one pillow holds you in the correct position, that’s fine too.

I wash my pillows every six months and dry them outside.

I sleep with the window open.

Fresh air is good for sleep, and a build-up of carbon dioxide disturbs it.

It’s the warmth under the duvet that’s important, not the warmth of the room.

So keep your bedroom door open and open the window at least a centimetre every night, all year round.

Even if it’s minus 5 degrees, I keep the window open, and curl up with a hot water bottle.

I don’t have dinner late.

I prefer to eat before 7pm.

If you have a large meal too close to bedtime, your body will still be working to digest it, and not resting.

Eating your main meal three or four hours before bed is ideal.

I drink coffee in the evenings.

After dinner in a restaurant I will happily order an espresso.

Many people are insensitive to caffeine.

Unless you know that you are sensitive to caffeine, it’s actually the worrying that you’ve drunk caffeine that keeps you awake, not the caffeine itself.

I need 91⁄2 hours’ sleep.

It’s a myth that you need an average of eight hours’ sleep.

Sleep need is genetic – some people might need four hours, others eleven.

The right amount of sleep for you is something you can work out based on how many hours you need to feel alert during the day.

That figure stays the same for you throughout your life.

I always wake up at the same time early every morning, so to get the amount of sleep I need, I know I need to be in bed by 9.30pm.

I read a book before going to sleep.

Everyone should have a way to relax before going to sleep.

I read a non-thrilling book, often short stories, or a book with short chapters.

You don’t want something where every chapter ends on a cliffhanger, because that makes you want to read on.

LU - 6A