Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. It determines the quality of our waking life. According to sleep experts 70% of the population is moderately to severely sleep deprived.* Most adults need 8 hours of continuous sleep nightly to restore and repair the body and organize the mind so we may perform at our peak.

One of the most significant barriers to achieving quality sleep is interrupted sleep. 40% of the population has difficulty sleeping at least a few nights a week. Here are five major causes of fragmented sleep:

• Poor sleep environment
• Mental stress
• Physical stress
• Improper diet and lack of exercise
• Tossing and turning

And here is what you can do to help overcome these causes and enjoy quality, uninterrupted sleep.


The bedroom is your ultimate refuge. For fully restorative sleep, you must set the stage for a proper bedroom environment.

Keep you bedroom quiet. Distracting sounds such as dripping faucets, noisy radiators, ambulance, fire and police sirens, barking dogs, etc. will disturb your sleep. Noise should be kept low or at least masked by the use of fans, humidifiers or air condtioners. Or try a white noise machine. If you are on a limited budget, try tuning your FM radio between stations. The white noise will help you fall asleep. If you like the sound of nature, you can buy a machine with quiet soothing sounds that will also help to eliminate outside distracting noise.

• Too much light in the bedroom can contribute to sleeplessness or awakenings. Using dark fabric to block light from windows or light-tight strips on the rims of hallway doors can keep bedrooms appropriately dark. . If you are extra sensitive to light, try using an eye mask. This will block out any unwanted light that may come through the cracks in the door or windows.
• The ideal temperature for sleeping is about 65 to 67 degrees. If it gets too hot or too cold your sleep time may be reduced. Your body temperature drops when you go to sleep. It is important then that you have sufficient blankets to keep warm during the night. But you also want to make sure that you are not too hot, both sides of the spectrum can debilitate sleep.
• An ideal relative humidity level for the bedroom is between 60 and 70 percent.
• Hide illuminated clocks from view to avoid clock-watching during the night,. It can lead to anxiety over sleeplessness.
• Eliminate TV, computer games, the internet and instant me saging from the bedroom. Condition yourself to use the bedroom only for sleep and sex.

Good sleep at night is strongly influenced by what happens during the day. One of the most common reasons for insomnia is stress.Try this exercise before you go to bed:

• Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
• Close your eyes, first tense and then relax, all your muscles beginning with your toes and progressing to your head. Stay relaxed. This should take about 15 minutes.
• Breathe in easily through your nose. As you exhale, silently say a word, like "one." Continue for ten to twenty minutes.
• When finished, sit quietly with your eyes closed for a few minutes. Then open your eyes for a few minutes before standing up. Practice once or twice daily.
• Avoid exercise within two hours of bedtime since digestion of food might interfere with relaxation.
• You might also want to try classic yoga or meditation during the day. Even if it is only for a few minutes the time will help relieve your mind.
• Another exercise to help ease you into bed involves jotting down a "laundry list" of your daytime worries. By capturing your thoughts on paper, they'll be there to attend to in morning. That way, your brain can relax for the rest of the night.

• 80% of the adult population will see a doctor for back pain. This can be caused by not properly supporting your spine while you sleep. Sleeping with your spine properly aligned is critical for reducing stress and enhancing rejuvenating sleep. Simmons® BackCare® is anatomically designed to maintain the spine's natural alignment.

• Exercise increases heart and lung fitness and reduces stress, anxiety, and insomnia. It also raises your endorphin level, which reduces pain, relaxes muscles, suppresses your appetite, and produces feelings of general well being. As a result, sleep will be deeper, more efficient, and more restful.
• The best time to exercise is in the late afternoon or at noontime. Morning exercise has little effect on your quality of sleep that night. If you must exercise in the morning, do not do so at the expense of needed sleep.
• Eat fruits and vegetables, whole grain cereals and breads, rice, pasta, fish, and poultry. Limit your intake of fat.
• You should eat a basic healthy breakfast, a substantial lunch, and a light dinner.
• Eating proteins at dinner, such as fish, chicken, or certain vegetables will prevent hunger pains at night.
• If you are hungry at bedtime, a light snack high in carbohydrates and low in protein will settle your stomach and help you sleep.
• Avoid caffeinated beverages after 2 PM, all tobacco, and any alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime if you want uninterrupted sleep at night.
• Having a warm glass of milk before bed will help cue your body that it is time to sleep. Another added benefit is that milk contains a sleep inducing element.

• The average person changes position 40 to 60 times a night, which can cause your partner to move too. Make sure you are sleeping on a mattress designed to minimize movement from one sleeping partner to the other, and large enough to provide comfort and support for two if you sleep with a partner.*
  
  A Simmons® Beautyrest® meets all of these requirements, beautifully.

*Sleep tips from Power Sleep: The Revolutionary Program That Prepares Your Mind for Peak Performance, by Dr. James B. Maas, Ph.D., Megan L.Wherry, David J.Axelrod, Barbara R. Hogan, and Jennifer A. Blumin, HarperPerennial-A Division of HarperCollinsPublishers, 1999. Sleep behavior statistics from the Tylenol PM 2004 National Sleep Survey conducted by the Harris Poll.