5 Tips For Getting Out Of Sleep Debt

Recover your sleep debt

Sometimes it's remarkably difficult to recover lost sleep. A series of bad nights and you're on the way to some difficult days. Here's a few ways you may be able to recover your sleep debt. It's not often you can do it one night, or sometimes even over a weekend but there are things you can do to help yourself.

1. Consistency: Make sure you get a consistent 7.5 hours of sleep a night. Be conscious of what time it is and what you need to be doing the next day. Consistency is the key to sleep recovery.
2. Add your losses: If your sleep debt is in the short term, work out how much you've lost and try to add it to your next few nights sleep. For example, if you've lost 5 hours sleep, add an hour to next your next 5 nights.
3. Keep a diary: Keep a sleep diary. Not when you go to bed, when you get up and your activities during the day. This way you'll be able to recognise your patterns easily and have the potential to change your routine for better sleep.
4. Sleep holiday: If your sleep debt is long term, this isn't something that can be sorted over a few days. If sleep debt is affecting your life then take a few weeks off. During this time go to bed at exactly the same time every night and don't set an alarm. This process encourages the body to wake up naturally. This way your body will efficiently recover sleep by itself.
5. Priorities: Just as you'd allocate importance to tasks during the day such as; a meeting, seeing friends or just general downtime, you should allocate the same importance to sleep. Put it at the top of your to-do list to make sure it's not neglected in any way.

Caring for your sheets

It's easy to shove all of your dirty bedding in a washing machine, but is this good for them? It's also worth addressing how often you wash your sheets. I'm sure if you're like me then you may not always get round to the once a week recommendation.

Here's a few tips:

Ball them up: When you put your sheets in the washing machine, ball them up. This way they're less likely to get wrapped around the outside of your washing machine which may stretch them. Balling them also helps them rub against each other during the cycle which aids cleaning.

Wash them separately: If you end up putting your sheets in with other washing the longer fibres in them may react with the shorter 'fuzz' from towels and other such items causing them to 'pill.' This is just a snazzy term for those annoyingly small balls of fluff you sometimes find all over your sheets when you get into bed which can agitate you.

Tend to stains first: Citrus based cleaners are often the best but you can also buy specific pre-wash satin removers as well. If you don't deal with a stain immediately and your sheets go in the dryer, you could bake it on and it'll never come off!

Rotation: Make sure you have enough bedding to ensure you can wash different sheets once a week. This also means your sheets will last longer, especially high quality sheets such as those made from egyptian cotton.

Avoid bleach if possible: Bleach weakens fibres and diminishes the life of your sheets. Try a drop of lemon juice in your wash to enhance the whiteness.

Thicker sheets: Printed sheets and high thread count egyptian cotton can feel quite hard until they've been washed a couple of times. If you use a dryer try not to overload it with loads of these sheets as they'll take forever to dry, once the cycle is finished, fold them immediately to prevent wrinkling.

Heat: Excessive heat often damages fibres, so make sure they're washed at a medium temperature.

Storage and organisation: Always keep sheets in a dry place away from direct sunlight to avoid fading. For extra organisation and neatness, slip your sheets into the matching pillowcase they came with if you have a matching set.

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