Sleep Deprivation: Girls, This Is Not To Be Taken Lying Down!

by Jo-Ro Haffenden

Posted on Saturday 1st of November 2008

Last night was the worst night sleep I have suffered for months. Tossing and turning in the hope that I could find a comfortable position only lead to that inevitable point when you find yourself so worried about how little sleep you have had, that you still can’t sleep! Of course, this has had a tremendous effect on my face and this morning; I look like an extra in Shaun of the dead. What can I do?

Many of us suffer from sleep loss, but few recognise the true effect it has on us both physically as well as mentally. Did you know, for example, that after just 17 hours of being awake (that’s 6am – 11pm) we have the same decreased working potential as after drinking a small glass of white wine! So sleeping well is important.

The most common reasons that women are not getting there full eight hours quota, according to research carried out by the Travelodge is stress, followed closely by snoring, partners and then partying. More than three quarters of women in the UK suffer from insufficient sleep and the research estimated that it cost women £580 million a year on cosmetics that they would not normally buy!

Randy Gardener, the man with the record for no sleep (he lasted 264 hours- which is a staggering 11 days before hitting the hay), reported a whole catalogue of symptoms including: hallucinations, paranoia, blurred vision, slurred speech and memory lapse.

48% of women acknowledge the effect loosing sleep has on their looks. Alice, at only 24, already uses bed masques and anti-aging moisturiser to combat this. She says: “The thing is, I commute from London to Brighton everyday, so I get up early and come home late. I can never get comfortable in bed and it does have an effect on my face. I use a variety of creams to try and fight swelling and redness.”

And the face is not the only thing that suffers. Productivity levels begin to decrease dramatically after 17 hours awake and studies show that losing sleep undoes the rejuvenating effects of new learning on the brain!

But, research shows that there is a solution. The National Sleep Foundation agree that an uncomfortable bed is the obvious cause of sleeping troubles and a recipe for restless nights, so a new bed could help fight the dreaded insomnia.

I resisted the idea of buying a new bed to start with, particularly when an enthusiastic shop assistant asked: “do you like a soft mattress, or a hard mattress, or inbetween or…?” Well, I don’t know – I can never decide? But, then I found a bed of all beds. A bed that most certainly will be making my Christmas list this year and a bed that will most defiantly cure my fatigue!

I love it when a plan comes together. Finally technology produces something that is actually beneficial to people, and me, practically – the new Feather and Black Comfort Control mattress does just that. This mattress has layers of pocket springs which you control. Not only that, if my boyfriend disagrees and wants a harder or softer bed, it no longer matters. The mattress comes with a remote that compresses the springs and allows two partners to choose how they like it! The control also means that you can change each side individually to have different hardness or softness. There is a video on the website that explains it all – but you can take my word for it, you will want it!