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So far we've had fun sharing our ideas for manly Valentine's Day gifts, showing off our Pink Pack, and looking at some of the pretty pink earplugs we have available. But now it's time to talk about something we at Ear Plug Superstore feel is very serious business: Sleep. |
Few things in life are as important as getting a good night's sleep. Sleeping well lowers our stress levels, gives us the energy we need to get through our busy days, improves our health, and contributes to our living longer, healthier, and happier lives.
But as most of us have experienced at one time or another, sharing a bed with someone you love can make getting the good, deep, restful sleep you need a very serious challenge indeed. Between all that tossing and turning and listening to your cherished loved one snore like a buzzsaw, it's hard to sleep well when sharing a bed with your spouse, partner, or significant other.
We at Ear Plug Superstore believe that finding a way to sleep well with your bed partner is not only crucial for the well-being of your relationship, it's also a vital part of living a healthy, happy life. So if we could give you one gift for Valentine's Day, it would be the gift of deep, restful, revitalizing sleep!
(We would have given you actual sleep if we could, but we just couldn't figure out how to wrap it...)
So, we can't actually give you better sleep with your bedpartner, but we can share our wisdom: what we've learned from talking with customers for over a decade now -- people who've shared with us their sleeping troubles, tragedies, and victories -- people just like you, who have the same trouble you have sleeping with your loved one.
So as our actual Valentine's Day gift to you, here are five tips for sleeping better -- together.
1. Lay off the caffiene before bedtime. It sounds like simple advice -- and it is -- but this can be one of the hardest habits to break, and also one of the easiest ways to get better sleep. With coffee, soft drinks, tea, and wealth of other caffienated beverages playing a big role in our diets, a lot of us are getting a LOT more caffiene than we realize. Though the initial buzz usually wears off after a couple hours, caffiene doesn't actually peak in your system until a full six hours after you take that initial swallow! So stop drinking coffee by lunchtime, try to cut down on pop during the afternoon, and don't drink anything caffienated after 6 P.M. (Try herbal teas or decaf coffee if you have to get your late-night beverage fix.) Remember to be mindful of foods like chocolate, which also contain small amounts of the stimulant. Cut down on the caffiene, and you may be sleeping better, sooner, with surprisingly little effort. And less tossing and turning means a more peaceful night for you -- and your bed partner.
2. Make it dark. Most of us sleep at night when it's dark outside, but streetlights, reflected headlights, or even a lamp on in the other room can all cause sleep-disturbing light to filter into the bedroom while we're trying to sleep. Light confuses our bodies and screws up our natural sleep cycles, making it harder to get the deep, restful sleep we all need. Invest in some heavy curtains to block outside light sources, and make sure you turn the lights off before you get in bed. And if you can't make it completely dark (especially if you have to sleep during the daylight hours), consider investing in a sleep mask to keep the light out of your eyes when you're sleeping. Making it dark can drastically improve the quality of sleep you get, as well as helping you normalize your body's sleep schedule, so both of you can spend more time getting the sleep you need.
3. Make it quiet. This is another simple idea that can be hard to put into practice. With traffic outside, noisy neighbors, trains, planes, and subways, today we're arguably living in the loudest environment humans have ever had to sleep in. And all those noises aren't just irritating -- they can prevent you from getting the sleep you need. Even sounds that don't wake you up can still disturb your sleep cycle, preventing the deep REM sleep we need to get the best out of our sleeping hours. Earplugs are an incredibly low- cost solution for keeping the noise out so you can sleep well even in a busy city or a crowded apartment building. White noise can also be helpful, since the brain quickly filters out white noise and treats it just like silence -- so try turning on a fan for some cheap white noise, or get a white noise machine to put on the bedside table so both of you can benefit from high-quality white noise sound masking. The less distracting sounds that your brain has to deal with while you're sleeping, the more effective that sleep will be.
4. Block out that snoring. We can't tell you how many times we've heard heartwrenching stories about how snoring makes it impossible for couples to share the same bed, or even the same bedroom! We've already discussed how important quiet is for sleep; in that light, it might not be shocking to hear that snoring has literally ruined relationships and even ended marriages. But we have to remember that snoring, no matter how annoying, is nobody's fault. And while there are a wealth of "miracle" drugs, gadgets, and surgeries out there claiming to stop snoring, none of these solutions is as effective or safe as simply finding a way to block the snoring sound from reaching your ears. Soft earplugs for sleeping are a good start, and can make it possible to sleep comfortably next to a light to moderate snorer. Combine those earplugs with white noise, and odds are good that even the most herculean snoring won't be such a problem.
5. Don't go to bed angry. Every couple has problems that need to be resolved, and it can be tempting to bring those issues up right before bed. After all, this is a time of day when you're both together, and not doing anything distracting, which may be a rare circumstance for busy couples. But resist the temptation to argue right before you turn the lights out. Bedtime is simply not the best time to resolve your grievances. Not only is this the time of day when you're both the most tired and least able to handle conflict in a healthy way, but trying to sleep when you're stressed over an unresolved argument can be hard (or even impossible), seriously damaging the quality and quantity of sleep you both get. If you feel an argument brewing, make time to sit down together and work things out early in the day. That way, you'll have plenty of time to make your peace before bedtime rolls around.
These are by no means the only ways to ensure that you and your bed partner are both getting a good night's sleep. But just following these five simple tips could seriously improve the rest and rejuvination you get each night. Lay off the caffiene, make it dark and quiet, take steps to neutralize snoring, and avoid going to bed angry.
You'll be surprised how quickly you and your loved one will be sleeping better -- together.
Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at Ear Plug Superstore!
Until next time, be safe and do the right thing.
--Tom "Dr. Earplug" Bergman
