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{This post has been commissioned by TEMPUR®}
The average British adult gets 6 hours and 42 minutes sleep
per night (1), making me very much average. I had to chuckle when I looked at
my FitBit and saw that lasts weeks average was 6 hours and 46 minutes, and yet
I still feel tired many days. I’m not alone though, as we Brits are trying all
sorts to help us improve our sleep quality – meditation, exercise or seeking
professional help for our mental health or sleep issues. In fact, there is no shortage of products to help aid a restful nights sleep with people trying everything from CBD oil to specially designed skincare products.
Mental health is an area of keen interest now, and I am so
pleased to find that some of the stigma and secrecy is being shed. It is of
course OK to admit you have depression, anxiety or any other number of mental
health disorders, and to seek help for them. As someone who had late-onset postnatal
depression after having my twins and occasionally suffers from bouts of
anxiety, I know that I feel much better and more in control I feel when I am
sleeping well. The benefits of good quality sleep really can’t be under-estimated,
and it’s easy to recognise when I am deficient in sleep as I am irritable, lack
concentration and the simplest things can phase me.
This week is the UK’s Mental Health Awareness week (13 – 19th
May 2019) and this year they have chosen to focus on mental health and body
image. Another hot topic, and in this image-driven society, one that can be
challenging. I was interested to read the findings of the mental health survey commissioned by TEMPUR®, which found that only 38% of Brits say the quality of
their sleep is good or excellent (1) and 30% recognise that poor quality sleep
impacts their mental health.