How to cope with winter's arrival

Winter has set in so get ready for those longer nights, shorter days and lower temperatures. All of these can make it difficult to get the best night’s sleep and start your morning in the right way. Here, Hypnos offers its top tips to help you adjust to winter and transform your bedroom into the perfect, peaceful sleeping haven.

1. Comfort is king

Topping our list of tips is comfort, because only a comfortable night’s sleep will give you sufficient rest, allowing you to wake up feeling rejuvenated the following day. And it’s not only your mattress you need to consider. Choosing good, cushioned pillows made from natural wool will ensure your head and neck are fully supported as well as warm during those cold winter nights.

Likewise, using a comfy wool mattress protector underneath your bed sheet will not only add a slight extra layer of cushioning, but the natural wool fibres also allow your skin to breathe, helping to regulate your body temperature.

2. Remember, the higher the tog the higher the temperature

A tog is the way we measure the flow of heat between two surfaces of material, particularly for duvets, and the higher the tog the warmer you will be. During the colder season, choose a 13.5 tog duvet and add lots of layers of beautiful bedding to increase the flow of heat. To create the ultimate cosy bed, wrap yourself up in a 16.5 tog duvet for the ultimate winter warmer.

3. Time the heating

The cold can have a big impact on getting out of bed in the morning and mean the difference between getting up into a warm toasty house or feeling as though you want to stay under that duvet for longer! Leaving the central heating on overnight can be costly and create an uncomfortably warm temperature for you to sleep in, so instead, turn on the timer. Set your heating system to switch on 15-20 minutes before you’re due to wake up - you’ll be surprised at the difference it could make to your mood in the morning.

4. Let in the light

Once you’ve made it out of bed, open the curtains and blinds to let in as much natural light as possible. If you have the option, go outside and breathe in some fresh air while soaking up the sunlight. The light will help to stimulate your brain, releasing neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin which elevate your mood. If you have to be up before the sun try waking up with a light omitting alarm clock. These clocks mimic a sunrise to gently wake you up ‘naturally’ with light.

Happy Hibernation!