BEDROOM IS KEY FOR KIP

DR Neil’s first question to patients is always: “Is your bedroom conducive to sleep?”

Your quality of sleep relies on light, noise, temperature and even the bed itself.

Dr Neil said: “Firstly you need it to be dark, really dark.

“Even small levels of light, like from your alarm clock or the light on an extension lead, are too bright.

“It needs to be quiet – with a maximum of around 30 to 35 decibels, which is similar to the noise made by an office air vent. By comparison, a truck reversing past an open window is 75 decibels.”

A common mistake is having the heating blasting out during the night as most people sleep better in a cooler room.

Dr Neil said: “It needs to be cool, around 16 to 18 degrees as at night you need to lose heat from your body to sleep well.

“Most people really don’t need to be running the heating overnight. Twenty-two degrees is far too warm.

“When it’s 22 degrees in the summer people complain they can’t sleep. And it’s the same thing if your heating is ramped up in the winter.

“If you are freezing initially, use a hot water bottle as opposed to an electric blanket.

“I also leave my window open because fresh air is important.”

Invest in a good bed and mattress too. Dr Neil said: “The average person will spend 220,000 hours of their life asleep, and work for just 80,000 hours. So a good bed and mattress is a worthy investment.

“What do people expect from a bed which cost less than £100 off the back of a van? You also need a big bed if sharing with your partner.

“A standard double isn’t enough for a good night’s sleep. Your child sleeps in plenty of space, yet you’re sleeping with someone who kicks, punches and does God knows what else.”

He also thinks the bedroom should be just for sleeping.

“If you’ve not fallen asleep within 30 minutes, get out of bed, leave the room and do something else. You don’t want to associate the bedroom with being awake.”