Everyone complains about having no time. There’s no time to play. No time to study. No time for family and friends. And no time for quality sleep!

Yes, when it comes to sleep, quality mattress…I mean matters.

Heard of Junk Sleep?
According to Dr Chris Idzikowski from Edinburgh Sleep Centre (source: NHS), junk sleeping is “sleep that is neither the length nor quality that it should be in order to feed the brain with the rest it needs to perform properly at school.”

Junk sleep is a common observation in schooling children. To me, adults are just as capable of it. Have you ever fallen asleep watching TV /surfing the internet/ whatever late into the wee hours? See, guilty faces aplenty.

A Right Time to Sleep
Typically, adults need about 7 to 8 hours of sleep. This might be common knowledge. But do you also know that when to sleep is just as important? I have heard about different versions of ‘optimum sleeping time’. Some says it is 10pm to 3 am; some 11pm to 2pm etc. It depends on what works for you. For me, sleeping before 12 midnight for 7 hours will make me feel refreshed the next day.

Time to Pay For It
By having an inadequate amount of sleep, we can accumulate a sleep debt (source:  Helpguide). Remember I mentioned that I almost missed the deadline for my first post? (If you don’t, it’s a sign of lack of sleep.) Well, I had been sleeping 1 to 2 hours past my usual bedtime continuously each night on the week I was supposed to submit my post. I haven’t been working on it and just the day before the deadline, I actually snoozed straight after dinner till dawn! Because of the sleep debt I incurred, I was left with very little time to complete it and almost broke my promise!

Missing the deadline is one thing, being deprived of sleep in the long run can lead to health issues like high blood pressure, obesity and slower reflexes just to name a few. Heard of driver fatigue? It’s an example of how lack of sleep can be as hazardous to us as to others.

More to Play Safe?
Okay, so to play safe we sleep and sleep and sleep. Wrong! Oversleeping is a medical disorder and you can feel constantly tired after sleeping for too long. I have ever tried going back to sleep (greed?) after waking up from my usual number of hours of sleep. Instead of feeling refreshed, I feel more tired than ever.

What I Practise Now
Just in case you think I’m the case of a pot calling kettle black, I need to emphasise that I am ALREADY making an effort to have quality sleep. I avoid drinking caffeinated drinks like tea from afternoon onwards; sleep and wake up at the same time every day. After some consistent efforts, I can automatically wake up feeling refreshed without the help of an alarm clock!

If you have problem sleeping, don’t let it pass. Go find out the root cause and seek professional help.

Oh yes, quality mattress may help.

P.S. Proud of your own reflex? Here’s something interesting – "Sheep Dash".