Tips for Sleeping Comfortably on an Air Mattress Hosting Help: Tips for Sleeping Comfortably on an Air Mattress I live in a one bedroom apartment with no pull-out couch, so whenever guests come to stay, either they or I usually end up sleeping on my inflatable air mattress. Due to these adventures, I have collected a list of tips and tricks to make the night more bearable (and perhaps even comfortable) if you're sleeping on an inflatable. See below for my list, and of course add your own. 1. If you haven't yet purchased an inflatable mattress and are planning to, splurge and get the double. I'm a small person with a five pound chihuahua, and somehow one of us is always falling off the edge of the twin. 2. Skip the bells and whistles. Air mattresses don't last forever, and a basic inflatable can be just as comfortable as a more expensive, air-chambered version. I have the Guest Choice from Aero Bed, which is as basic as they come, and have had it for nearly ten years with no problems.
Make sure to find one that has a pump which can adjust air. This one has a release button for perfect inflation. Also, find a mattress that is at least 20 gauge vinyl or higher to prevent tiny holes from developing. 3. Utilize your sleeping bags: the original air mattresses. Create a pillow top over an inflated air bed with open sleeping bags, blankets or memory foam. The air inside of the mattress will gradually cool overnight, and likely make you colder than a regular bed. Pad it for comfort and warmth. 4. Make it like a real bed. After creating the pillow top, make up the air mattress like you would any other bed: with a sheet set, blanket and comforter. It's tempting when you're tired to just drop down and use a blanket to cover you, but making it up like your regular bed will provide a better night's sleep. 5. Make sure to place the bed on a soft surface. Most air mattresses have vinyl or plastic underneath to prevent movement and sliding. That will squeak all night on a hardwood floor.
Opt to place it on carpet, a rug, or drop a blanket under it. 6. Create a headboard. If your air mattress doesn't already have one built in, create a faux-headboard by placing the mattress in front of a wall. Beds have headboards for lots of reasons, but one of them is to keep your pillows from falling backwards off the bed. 7. Keep pets away from the unmade mattress! Air mattresses are fun and exciting to curious pets, and claws can damage them with one quick pop. Plus, if you have future guests that happen to be allergic, it will be hard to remove all traces of their dander. 8. When in doubt, have a glass of wine. That always puts me right to sleep! Goodnight and good luck!Research shows that sleep is among the most critical factors for peak performance, memory, productivity, immune function and mood regulation – but the speed and information overload of today’s pace of life can challenge sleep quality, resulting in a decline in health and cognitive function.
Our best intentions to catch up on a sleep debt can lead to inconsistent patterns of sleep. This is a slippery slope. Unfortunately, an hour less tonight does not equal an extra hour tomorrow. According to cognitive psychologist and best-selling author Daniel J. Levitin, you cannot make up for lost sleep. Levitin’s work explores recent advances in brain science and how leaders in the information age excel. In his book The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload, he explains the importance of sleep and the cost of sleep deprivation.The belief that people can adapt to chronic sleep loss without a negative influence on brain function is no longer supported. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared sleep deprivation a public health epidemic in 2013.Not all sleep is equal. Recovery or catch-up sleep is characterized by abnormal brain waves as the brain attempts to resynchronize with the body’s circadian rhythm. Even a mild sleep reduction or change in sleep routine can produce detrimental effects on cognitive performance for many days afterward.
Following these tips will help improve sleep quality and support brain function.There is great individual variance in sleep cycles. Some are able to fall asleep as their head hits the pillow; others may take an hour. Both are considered within the normal range. What is most important is to understand your specific sleep requirements and lock in this pattern. General guidelines suggest that children require 10 to 12 hours, teenagers 8.5 to 9 hours and adults six to 10 hours.Deeper restorative sleep typically occurs during the first two hours and the last 90 minutes of sleep. If the important 90-minute window of deeper REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is either interrupted or never occurs, sleep deprivation leads to memory loss.Sleep habits that lead to normal, quality nighttime sleep and full daytime alertness, referred to as sleep hygiene, are supported by a consistent routine. Maintain a regular wake-and-sleep pattern seven days a week.Yes, your posture is important even when you sleep.
Lying on your back or side allows your head, neck and spine to relax into their natural alignment. Stomach sleeping places stress on your spine and is discouraged for back- and neck-pain suffers. Try placing a pillow under your knees when lying on your back. This will take pressure off your lower back. Back sleeping may lead to snoring and poor sleep quality for your partner. If so, roll onto your side and position your head, neck and shoulders in line with your spine.Pillow selection can be challenging. The wrong pillow may worsen headaches, neck pain, shoulder and arm numbness and/or discomfort.Back sleepers need thinner pillows, so their head is not thrown too far forward. And there’s some benefit from the use of cervical pillows with extra loft in the bottom third of the pillow to cradle the neck. Side sleepers need a firmer pillow to fill in the distance between the ear and outside shoulder. Final selection will be influenced by your body size, shape and sleep habits. Most pillows wear out in a couple of years and should be regularly replaced.