Iowa Sleep Blog

Valentine's Day Gift of Good Sleep

Monday, February 09, 2015

 The Valentine’s Day gift of good sleep

February is arguably the busiest month of the year, as many industries are starting their sales pushes and tax season approaches. This busy time can mean long hours at the offices, high stress levels and hours of lost sleep. When you aren’t sleeping well, it can affect almost every aspect of your body, such as your mood, diet, energy levels, attention span and memory cognition.

Show someone you care this Valentine’s Day by giving the gift of good sleep with a few of these fun gift ideas:

  • New PJs: For someone who frequently travels, surprise them with a new pair of cozy PJs to help them relax while on the road. With the cold weather and unpredictable hotel room temps, find a pair made of flannel with a fun print.
  • Heated blanket/cooling blanket: If you and your bed partner disagree on a temperature for your bedroom each night (the doctors at Iowa Sleep recommend 65 degrees), compromise with a heating or cooling blanket for their side of the bed. These blankets come in all sizes, and many even have two separately controlled panels for each sleeper’s side of the bed.
  • A new mattress: In the case you’re both not sleeping well, it may be time to replace your mattress. Test the different types of mattresses to see what the best fit is for you and your bed partner. For more tips, check out this guide from the Better Sleep Council.
  • Snore-no-more: For the snorer in your house, there are a couple easy, at home remedies that can help improve their snoring. Have them consider trying out nasal strips that sit across the bridge of the nose while they sleep, or anti-snoring pillows that help align the airways to decreases blockage at the back of the throat.
  • Stuffed animals: Many children find comfort in sleeping with a stuffed friend each night. Find a soft, plush animal without too many hard pieces or dangling limbs. When your kids inevitably do become attached to a certain one, buy a second right away and rotate them frequently to avoid catastrophe when it gets lost.
  • Mattress pads: For the college student in your life, make the small bed in their dorm feel like a million bucks with a new mattress topper. There are many types made for twin sized beds to provide extra cushion and comfort such as memory foam and featherbeds.
  • Comfort upgrade: For new parents, a good night’s sleep is hard to come by. Make sure when they do sleep, they really enjoy it by trading out their curtains for black-out shades and indulging in a new set of sheets. When purchasing, take into consideration the thread count and weave of the fibers.
  • A full night’s rest: Parents with young children may rarely have the opportunity to sleep through the night without waking up to crying children. Give your partner the gift of an undisturbed night’s sleep by volunteering to get up and tend to the children. You may find that sometimes sleep itself is the best gift of all.

While there are many things you can give to someone you love to help them sleep well at night, establishing a nightly routine and getting to bed at the same time each night will help your family sleep better all year. Hold each other accountable to keep electronics out of the bedroom and turn them off at least 45 minutes before bedtime. Consider a 15-minute stretching routine you can do together or enjoy a cup of calming tea before turning in. If these healthy sleep habits aren’t helping improve your sleep, give Iowa Sleep a call. Your good night’s sleep is our priority.