FIND YOUR SLEEP TYPE
CRACK YOUR CHRONOGRAPH CODE FOR THE BEST SNOOZE EVER!
There’s a belief that those who bounce out of bed at the crack of dawn are superior to those who stay up late and favour a sleepin. But the truth is when it comes to sleep, one size doesn’t fit all.
Associate Professor Alan Young explains we all have an internal body clock responsible for regulating our sleep-wake cycle over a 24-hour period. This is known as our circadian rhythm, and everyone’s is a little bit different.
“There is natural variation in an individual’s circadian rhythm partly due to ‘clock genes’, which can determine the length of our circadian rhythm.
For example, it can be slightly shorter or longer than 24 hours and [affect] how quickly [we] adapt to changes like recovery from jet lag,” he says. “These variations in a person’s circadian rhythm influence their chronotype, or propensity to sleep at a particular time.”
Sleep specialist Dr Michael Breus has identified four chronotypes and likened them to a particular animal: bear, wolf, lion or dolphin. By discovering yours, you can achieve better sleep patterns and reap the health and wellness benefits.
Autumn is here and as we gear up to spend more time indoors, our bedroom is a key place to tackle household dust. In a Global Dust Study recently commissioned by Dyson, it was revealed 71 per cent of Aussies don’t vacuum their mattress, with the brand’s Senior Research Manager in Microbiology, Monika Stuczen, explaining how this can affect your health.
HOW REGULARLY SHOULD WE BE VACUUMING?
Most dust particles are microscopic in size, but just because we cannot see them does not mean that they’re not there. A general rule of thumb is to vacuum our houses at least once or twice a week.
WHAT ABOUT OUR MATTRESSES?
While it may look clean, your mattress may actually be a hot bed of microscopic life, which could be impacting your wellbeing while you sleep. Dust mites, their faeces, bacteria, viruses, pollen and other allergens make up the complex matrix that is household dust, which also exists in your mattress. I’d recommend cleaning them at least every six months. The Dyson V15 Detect cordless vacuum cleaner ($1499, dyson.com.au) is capable of detecting, removing, sizing and counting microscopic dust for scientific proof of a deep clean. It’s been engineered with laser dust detection, which illuminates dust particles invisible to the eye so you don’t miss a thing.
ANY TIPS ON HOW TO DO IT?
1 Remove and wash bedding. Washing sheets and blankets on a 60°C or 90°C wash will help to break down and reduce allergens.
2 Vacuum gently – but with power. Dust mites might be small, but they’re tenacious. Their claws help them cling on to the fibres deep in your mattress, which can make them difficult to remove.
3 Focus on hard-to-reach areas. Once you’ve deep cleaned the surface of your mattress, pay attention to any crevices or folds where dust and allergens can gather.
4 Flip, repeat, remake. Flip your mattress over and vacuum the other side too to keep concentrations of invisible allergens low.