New Year, New Sleep: Your Solution Awaits

And just like that, it’s back to work, back to school, back to the same-old routine. Or is it?

Maybe this year you really are going to find that super power which takes you where you really want to be in 2025. It’s no secret, really. If you’re serious about looking after “No. 1”, start with your sleep health. You know the saying, “Early to bed, early to rise …”, right? Well, we all have our own sleep patterns. But the point is to be routine about it. That’s the first step to becoming “… healthy, wealthy and wise.”

There are 365 sleeps in a year. You want every night to count. Here’s how.

Be brutally honest. Just how often do you actually think about your sleep health? Is it just something you do each night when you get tired? Or do you actively plan and schedule your sleep? Sound a bit obsessive-compulsive? That’s because, ideally, you really do need to be consistent and disciplined about your dreamtime.

1. The first symptom of compromised sleep is your daytime behaviour and productivity. Are you often sluggish, unfocused or just generally running on empty each day? Do you get annoyed easily? You might be getting what you think is decent sleep each night, but is it the right type of deep, quality sleep?
2. Optimal sleep is about daily behaviours that help you hit your sleep sweet spot each night. Be mindful about your diet. Go easy on the sugary stuff and the mugs of coffee. Get at least some mild form of exercise. Find just a half hour in your day to get outside into the sunlight. It helps to release melatonin and induce sleep come bed time.
3. Is your sleep often interrupted? Perhaps there’s something weighing on your mind. You might be eating your last meal too late and still trying to digest it when your body should be calming down. The proper quality sleep you want is to move through the cycles of light, relaxed, heavier sleep, and then a deep dream state. It takes roughly 90 minutes to repeat the cycles around 4 times each night.

It should go without saying, but again, it’s not something we regularly think about. When last did you update your mattress? And is the mattress you’re currently sleeping on still fit for purpose? Our bodies and sleep preferences change as we get older. Generally, a good quality mattress should be swapped out every 8 years.

First, do a thorough mattress test. Press down along the middle of the mattress to get a sense of its resistance. It needs to feel quite taut if it’s meant to be a Firm mattress. Or it can give just a little as a Medium or Plush level of comfort. But you still need to feel an underlying support.

Check around the perimeter of the mattress. After years of going to bed and getting up in the morning, you likely spend a little time sitting on the side of your bed. If the rigid, supporting rim of the mattress is collapsing, the inner foam or spring construction will be compromised. You need to pop by The Bed Store and do a comparative mattress test.

Yes, we know. A tired old mattress is also not something we really plan for. If ever. But the time will come, hopefully before any aches and niggles start playing up. Your sleep health – not to mention your daily quality of life – is not something you put on hold. 

Here’s where your next super power kicks in. At The Bed Store you have almost as many payment options as the leading bed brands to choose from. There is always a way to buy the best quality sleep your monthly budget and credit access can responsibly afford. And you’ll sleep all the easier for it.

It may not feel like the most intuitive thing to do for the most promising year ahead. A new mattress? Really? Yes, absolutely. Real, quality sleep is when you let the day go. You allow yourself to drift off and re-energise for every next day. With an affordable, top quality mattress, you may even start daydreaming about bedtime.

Before you rush off into the blur of another year, spend some quiet time on www.thebedstore.co.za. Take a browse through all the new material designs and technologies that have developed since you bought your tired old mattress, way back when. 

The TFG Card is just one of the many payment options you may like to choose. And it opens up a whole shopping lifestyle across South Africa’s leading fashion, sportswear and homeware stores. Let’s just say that you’ll sleep healthier. You can save your way to becoming a little wealthier. And it all adds up to being just that little bit wiser. Happy 2025! See you at The Bed Store.

*TFG Money is a division of Foschini Retail Group (Pty) Ltd, a registered credit provider. NCRCP36.