Sleep is one of those things we all know we need more of, but somehow it’s also the first thing we sacrifice when life gets busy...Whether it's kids keeping you awake, menopause, you're up working until the early hours, or you simply can't switch off - it can be hard to make sure you get the rest you need.
That’s why World Sleep Day exists. It's a day each year to raise awareness of sleep health, this year’s theme is Sleep Well, Live Better, a simple reminder that good sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s essential!
Most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night to function properly, yet sleep problems are incredibly common. In fact, in the UK, around one in three people will experience insomnia at some point in their lives. The problem is, when we regularly miss out on good quality sleep it affects far more than just how tired we feel the next day.
Sleep plays a huge role in how our brains and bodies function. It helps regulate our mood, improves concentration and memory, and allows the body time to repair and recover. Long-term sleep deprivation has also been linked to an increased risk of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
Aside from the more hard hitting facts, being tired is also just pretty miserable. Anyone who has had a bad night knows how much harder the following day can feel. Small things become overwhelming, patience runs thin and everything feels just that little bit more difficult.
That’s why your sleep hygiene and creating a calm sleep environment can make such a difference. A slower evening routine signals to the body that the day is winding down. Dimming the lights, stepping away from screens, having a bath, reading a few pages of a book and lighting a candle can all help shift your body into rest mode a few hours before you're hoping to drift off.
At Soul, helping people create those small moments of calm is something we take very seriously, in fact our Relax range was created specifically with this in mind. The scent blends lavender, ylang ylang, geranium and orange to create a gentle, soothing fragrance that helps quiet the mind at the end of the day. We've all heard that lavender is good for sleep, and it's true!
Lavender has been shown in studies to help people fall asleep faster and improve overall sleep quality, which is why it’s often used in bedtime routines and sleep products and why it features in our Relax range.
With the rise of fitness trackers, we're all so much more aware of our sleep patterns and seeing a huge shift in people recognising the importance of a solid night's sleep - which we love. So we're fully behind a day that raises awareness around the importance of a good night's rest.
And that’s really what this day is about. Not a 100% sleep score or a eight perfect hours every night. Just recognising that sleep matters and giving ourselves permission to prioritise it!
Because when we sleep well, we really do live better.