I’m sorta doing cartwheels right now because this post is sponsored by Leesa Mattress, which we three have been using for the past month and absolutely loving it. I say “three” because yes indeed we’ve been co-sleeping with our son. It seemed unfair to have this new amazing mattress to ourselves so we let him join us! Okay I kid.

Truth is, since he outgrew his bedside crib I mentioned in this post, we hadn’t got around to setting up his cot and we welcomed him into the big people bed. But at the time of typing this post, his cot is being set up! I know he’d miss us and our new mattress, because honestly even he obviously slept better the first night we had it – not a wink or his usual attempt to move his hand around and search for me in the middle of the night!

Anyway, let’s leave out co-sleeping situation and actually get to how we, i.e. adults can improve our night sleep. I think two major life experiences have had an impact on my night sleep pattern. First was boarding school, where one had to wake up in the hours of the morning to have a bath while the bathrooms were super clean and before rush hour. This meant that night sleep was often fragmented. The second was having a baby – Night sleep became such a treasured commodity.

With those two behind me now, I’m keen to do everything in my power to get a good amount of great sleep at night – because the truth is you function better when you get a good night sleep.

Here’s how I’m planning to get better sleep every day, that you should do as well.

1. Ditch Technology

It’s probably hard to do, but ditching technology (i.e. phones and laptops) a good hour before bed would help our brains relax. I used to want to work late into the night, but I realised that it was getting counterproductive. I’d most likely sleep off with my phone or laptop beside me, wouldn’t get a good night sleep and so not start my day right. Now, I’m choosing to shut the devices, and instead opt for a book before bedtime, then wake up an hour or two earlier to get work done.

2. Get Pretty Nightwear

I’d admit that there are some days I’m absolutely knackered and find myself sleeping off in my regular day clothes – it’s the most uncomfortable thing ever. What I would absolutely love to do every night is to have a shower, a mini skincare routine, skip into fancy nightwear and then sleep! But on days I can’t do all of that, the very least should be washing off makeup and wearing proper nightwear – not mismatched ones or just an old T-shirt. Comfy night slippers are an added plus – gives you the hotel feeling even if in your home.

3. No lights

I used to be #TeamLightsOn and didn’t really see the fuss people like Tee made about switching lights off before bed. So maybe he’s rubbed off on me or I’ve finally seen the light (pun unintended!) – but there’s nothing quite like turning off the bright lights before going to bed. A bedside lamp helps (because there’s nothing more annoying than leaving the bed to reach a switch that isn’t close by) if you need to read a book or just relax before switching off finally. My ideal would be for Tee and I to head to bed at the same time, turn off the lights, flick the lamp on, catch up and fill out our book of memories and then sleep. But different deadlines mean we’re often not going to bed at the same time. Another surprise about being married eh?

If you need to sleep with lights low, consider a really low beam night light. And blackout curtains to shut out any very early morning light is a good one too!

4. Meditation

When your mind is at peace or calm, you’re also very likely to sleep well. But many times we sleep off with worries of goals unattained or problems unsolved. Meditation, or prayer before bedtime is excellent practice especially if this allows us to examine our daily activities and practise gratitude.

5. Great Mattress!

If you do all of the above and still don’t sleep well at night, it’s likely to be for one simple reason – your mattress!  A great mattress is absolutely necessary for good night sleep. You may feel like this is one adult responsibility your childhood didn’t prepare you for. I use to wonder why my mum fussed so much about getting the perfect mattresses (and the good ones cost quite a bit). Until we got married, and according to Tee, I made him sleep on the floor for a few weeks while we decided on a mattress. I hope he updates that story which he tells frequently to say that thanks to me, we’ve also got the Leesa Mattress which beyond doubt is extremely amazing! I don’t feel any back aches which I almost always have when I sleep on a poor mattress. Leesa’s goal is simple – to help people sleep better. And it’s made of a unique combination of three foams designed to provide great support. It also adapts and contours to your body type – perfect for all kinds of sleepers including couples with different preferences and sleep patterns.

That’s a mark of approval from me!

I’m also very pleased about the fact that for every ten mattresses sold, Leesa donates one mattress and they also plant a tree for every mattress sold. It’s things like this that often win my heart. And as the unofficial queen of returning items I don’t like even after purchasing, I like that Leesa allows you to try the mattress for 100 nights and return it if unsatisfied. The Leesa mattresses are made in the UK, but by being sold online they can reduce overheads and provide you with a great luxury mattress without a crazy premium price. It ships in 5-7 days, compressed to fit into a box and when you unbox it – you see a little magic happen as it expands and unfolds into the mattress.

Finally, it’s pretty! I know beddings are super important, but if you didn’t have any on your Leesa Mattress – it wouldn’t look ugly or unkempt (helpful for lazy or laundry days). But do invest in good beddings – there are very little pleasures in life as much as a good night sleep on a great mattress and freshly laundered beddings!

How many hours of night sleep do you get on the average – what tips (or challenges) do you have with night sleep? And has anyone tried the Leesa Mattress?

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pS: This post is sponsored by Leesa who sent us this UK king size mattress which currently retails at £699. You can get £100 off your orders on www.leesa.co.uk for any size mattress by using our code KACHEETEE.

ppS: what do you think about TV in bedrooms? At some point, we thought it’d be great to catch up on TV in bed after work or on lazy Saturday mornings. And we managed to get convinced to buy our bed with an integrated TV. Safe to say we haven’t watched it as much as we planned!

Read too:

• Let’s Do This: 6 Ways to be More Grateful in Our Everyday Life

• 8 Recommended Items for a Cozy Home

• Don’t Hit Snooze: How to Become a Morning Person!