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How Much Sleep Should I Be Getting Every Night?

For a lot of people, the moment when they finally can crawl underneath their warm, comfortable covers as a means of drifting off blissfully into an evening of slumber is the best part of their day. Who doesn’t love satisfying the feeling of exhaustion with a good night’s sleep? Of course, the problem is that entirely too many people are not getting enough sleep each night, which is something that can have hugely negative effects on their performance during the day. According to one recent government report, one in three Americans is not getting enough sleep, but how much really is enough?

The Standard Recommendation

The truth is that sleep requirements are different for everybody, but in a general sense most adults require somewhere between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. Whether or not adults actually get this much sleep depends on a number of things, ranging from socioeconomic factors to the types of jobs that they work. People with babies (or even people with puppies) can lose significant chunks of sleep as well. Not everybody can always manage those seven to nine hours, but that is the standard recommendation.

Variations by Age

There are some slight variations by age. Adults age 18-64 need the above-recommended sleep, but older adults need about an hour less on the top end. Teenagers require a bit more sleep than previously thought, with the new recommendation being somewhere in the eight-to-ten-hour range, while younger children in school, those aged six to thirteen, require nine to eleven hours. Younger children require significantly more than that, with toddlers and preschoolers sleeping anywhere from ten to fourteen hours per day.

Quality Over Quantity

Of course, these are all just numbers, which don’t speak much to the quality of sleep a person is getting. Just because you’re in bed for eight hours a night doesn’t mean that you’re getting eight hours of quality of sleep. The best way to get a good night sleep is to avoid taking naps during the day, to exercise regularly, to sleep in a room that is dark and cool, to use backlit screens as little as possible in the hour before bed, and of course to purchase a mattress that is comfortable and provides ample support for a good night’s sleep.

Chasing the Sleep Debt

Many people believe that if they sleep more on the weekends, they will make up for all the hours of sleep they have missed out on over the course of the week. While sleeping more on Saturday or Sunday certainly can help people feel better over the weekend, it doesn’t do much to improve performance during the week. Drowsy people are less productive at work, much more dangerous on roads, and a lot less fun to be around on a personal level. It’s great to catch up on sleep when you can, but if you are burying yourself in too big a hole on every other day, those “makeup days” hardly matter.

The bottom line is that you should try to hit your recommended sleep every night, and we hope to help with that by providing access to comfortable and affordable mattresses right here at Ben’s!

Sleep Tips for People Who Work the Night Shift

Working the night shift is a sacrifice that many of our country’s most valued employees make on a regular basis. But just because doctors, nurses, policemen, firefighters and even custodial staffs all work more than their fair share of night hours doesn’t mean they necessarily have to love the lifestyle. In fact, working night shifts can create real-life, honest-to-goodness sleep disorders, and while that can’t totally be avoided there are a few things night shift workers can do to improve their quality of sleep. The following are a few tips for evening employees in search of a better night’s slumber:

Avoid Multiple Consecutive Night Shifts

The occasional night shift is the sort of thing a person can rebound from and ultimately return to a normal sleep schedule after an off night.  Working multiple consecutive nights can lead to real sleep deprivation and start changing your sleep cycles, which is incredibly confusing for your body.

Avoid Rotating Shifts

In fact, the recommendation is to try and settle on either day shifts or night shifts so your body can get used to normal sleeping and wakeful times. Rotating shifts, where those sleeping times alternate dramatically, can wreak havoc on your sleep quality.

Avoid Long Commutes

Not only are long drives dangerous for sleep-deprived people, but they rob you of time that could be better spent in bed. Try to live close to your job or to find a job that is located close to your home. Either way, avoid the long commutes.

Make Sure the Sleep You Do Get is Quality Sleep

When the time does finally come to crawl into bed, it’s important the bed you have is comfortable and supportive so that your sleep is of the highest quality. If this is not the case with your current mattress set, we would be happy to help remedy that here at Ben’s.

Use Blackout Blinds and Heavy Curtains

Part of quality sleep means simulating darkness so your body can find its way to the proper REM cycles. Blackout blinds and heavy curtains keep the sunlight out so your body at least can be tricked into believing that nightfall has overtaken your bedroom. The darker it is, the more likely you’ll be able to fall into a deeper sleep.

Limit Interruptions

Just because you are asleep all day doesn’t mean the rest of the world stops. If you have a family or significant other, they are going to be up and moving around, while businesses that are open may have a need to call you during their normal hours. Put your phone on silent and respectfully request that the people who you live with leave you alone so you can get the sleep you need.

Tips for Sleeping When You Have Neck Pain

In just about every way possible, neck pain is a burden for people trying to sleep. At the same time, improper sleep can lead to considerable neck pain, which can set up a vicious cycle that can be incredibly hard to break. Here at Ben’s, we specialize in providing customers with the raw materials they need to get a great night’s sleep, and that includes helping out those people dealing with considerable neck pain.

The following are a few tips for alleviating neck pain so you can get the great night’s sleep you long for:

Sleep On Your Back

While everybody has their own unique way of sleeping through the night, basic biology suggests that sleeping on your back is the way to alleviate the pressure that you can have placed on your neck bones and muscles. Lying flat on your back is the best way to ensure that your spine is in the neutral position, which keeps it aligned all night and prevents unnatural curvature that could ultimately cause pain in your neck area.

Side-Sleeping Can Work… With Help

That isn’t to say that all hope is lost if you’re a side sleeper. You may lie on your back with great intentions to stay in that position throughout the night, yet wake up on your side every morning with a sore neck. If you are a side sleeper, one of the best ways to get your spine properly aligned is to sleep with a pillow between your legs for extra support. This takes pressure off of your neck since your body won’t sink as much, keeping you closer to the neutral spine position.

Use the Right Type of Pillow

Another way to keep your neck lifted is by using the right type of pillow. If yours has gone too flat, or if you’re the type of person that prefers sleeping with two pillows, it may be time to shop for something new or change your pillow habits. The ideal type of pillow is one that is in the middle of the road in terms of firmness and isn’t too bulky. Beyond that, shop for a material that is comfortable, as there certainly are plenty of new pillow options out there from which to choose.

Consider a New Mattress

An older mattress may be causing your body to sink down, curving your spine and putting extra pressure on your neck. If you haven’t bought a new mattress in the last decade, it’s definitely time to head to Ben’s and consider purchasing a new one that will provide better spinal support. That, in turn, will lead to better neck support and a decrease in the neck pain that has been keeping you up at night

Here at Ben’s, we want to make sure that the money you spend on new mattresses and bedroom sets actually goes to good use in making you sleep more comfortably. You can help, too, by altering some habits and making a few adjustments to ensure that you at least won’t experience neck pain as you sleep through the night.

Four Tips for Getting Your Kids to Sleep Faster

Getting enough sleep is incredibly important for all of us but is especially for growing children. If you’re a parent, you may be used to your kids begging to stay up late to watch a movie or play a game online, rather than adhering to their set bedtime. We’ve come up with a few foolproof tips that should ensure your children fall asleep much more quickly, giving you more quiet time in the evening and giving them the good night sleep their little bodies require.

Make a Bedtime Routine

Children’s brains are fairly predictable, especially when it comes to bedtime. If you are able to establish a routine that signals to their brains bedtime is coming, they will grow tired naturally and fall asleep a lot more quickly. Start by giving your kids a two-minute warning before heading up, then do a bath, then brush their teeth, then a story, and then turn out the lights. Doing the same thing at the same time every night will help them appreciate the routine of bedtime, which is a great first step in speeding up how quickly they fall asleep.

Make Sure They Exercise During the Day

It makes sense that if you wear your children out, they’ll fall asleep more quickly. Get them some exercise and/or some fresh air, and you’ll be surprised how much more quickly they fall asleep.

Make Sure They Love Their Bed

Kids’ bedrooms should be a place they’re excited about rather than something they see as punishment. Make sure their bedroom is a place they have positive associations with, and that their bed is incredibly comfortable. Here at Ben’s, we have a number of comfortable mattress sets for kids, as well as fun bedroom sets to make their rooms more fun. Wanting to be in bed is a really important part of the process!

No Screens!

The same is true for adults, but electronics are especially stimulating for children. The bright lights and stimulating content promote wakefulness. Their brains think they’re looking at daylight, which keeps them awake longer. Simply cutting off all screens an hour or so before bedtime will help their brains to relax enough to fall asleep more quickly.

It’s not always easy getting your kids to bed. They’ll always try to ask for one more drink of water, or ask to use the potty even though they just used it a few minutes ago, but these tips should help them fall asleep more quickly and then get more quality sleep once they’re out. And, best of all, that means parents can get the rest they need in the evenings as well.

Is it time to replace your family’s mattresses? Come visit the bed experts at Ben’s! Bring your little ones along with you so they can help choose their mattress and bed set. Allowing them to be a part of the selection and purchasing process will show them the importance of where they sleep. So maybe next time they’ll be the ones initiating bedtime instead of you!

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