If I live to 90 and sleep for eight hours per night, that adds up to 30 years spent asleep.
The calculation isn’t that simple, of course: many of us don’t devote enough time to sleeping, and some who find ample time still aren’t able to get sleep of sufficient quality and quantity. If you wish to go down the rabbit hole, start with this article from the UK National Health Service.
If you struggle with sleep, there are multifarious ways to overcome it. One that I would like to focus on today is maximising the comfort of your bed. Given that we spend years in our beds, it makes sense to ensure that they are comfortable – even when that involves investing time and money.
I’m fortunate to live in furnished accommodation provided by my employer. Beds and bedding are part of this.
My experience of it used to be far from ideal: dusty blankets getting on with my asthma like an old friend and leading to shortness of breath, and a sheet that would detach from the mattress so quickly that I’d often wake up wrapped in it or on the bare mattress the next morning.
I took the view that having any bedding provided is a privilege, so didn’t want to raise any complaints or ask for any upgrades. Instead, on a visit to the UK I invested in a fitted sheet, a feather duvet, and a duvet cover, and installed them on my bed in Goma. Oh. So. Worth it.
I sleep more comfortably than before, and can quickly and easily make my bed the next morning. I’m convinced that this has positively impacted my ability to rest well and to approach each day feeling physically and mentally refreshed.
Here’s to sleeping comfortably!