There’s a lot of research and science about sleep, why we need it, the chemicals involved, and how it affects our bodies when we don’t get enough of it. On a recent episode of the podcast Fresh Air, the guest was Matthew Walker, a neuroscientists and professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California. He spoke about the importance of sleep, how alcohol affects sleep, if sleeping pills actually work and more. Learn more about this sleep expert can share and to experience a better night’s sleep with your partner, try the split sheets from Double Ups For Beds.

Can we Catch up on Sleep?

Unfortunately, the answer to this is no. If you decide to stay up late to watch the football game that goes into overtime one night, the next night you finish a project for work, and the next night is Friday so you stay up and go to a concert. The World Health Organization recommends getting eight hours of sleep, so if you only get six hours for these three nights, you have a sleep debt of six hours of sleep! That’s almost an entire night! Our bodies and brains, even if we sleep in an extra six hours on Saturday morning, won’t repay that sleep debt.

Do Sleeping Pills Work?

Many of us have taken melatonin to help us sleep, or a sleeping pill like Ambien, but how effective are these at actually helping us sleep?

• Melatonin is a hormone that is released every night and is suppressed during the day. This hormone can help us regulate when we fall asleep, but unlike what some may think, it doesn’t necessarily help us fall asleep quicker or stay asleep longer. Melatonin can be helpful when you recover from jet lag after a long flight.
• Ambien is actually a form of sedative, and doesn’t produce natural sleep. Being sedated after taking an Ambien doesn’t give you the benefits that natural sleep would.

Alcohol and Sleep

Have you ever tried to sip at a glass of scotch before bedtime to help you sleep? While on the surface, this method may seem to help, but it might be causing you to wake up frequently throughout the night. Alcohol produces a certain chemical, which will help you fall asleep, but when it leaves your body, you are left waking up during the night. You may not be awake long enough to remember, but you will feel it in the morning.

How to Improve Sleep

At Double Ups For Beds, while we can’t help you say no to the glass of wine or the sleeping pill before bedtime, we can offer you split sheets to help you and your partner rest with fewer distractions. Our split sheet sets combine two separate sheets so that you and your partner have your own sheet, but they are attached at the bottom. You don’t have to worry about fighting over who is pulling the sheets or being left in the cold.

Our split sheets are available for both standard and adjustable beds, and they can easily be added to your bed for a full night’s sleep. So the next time you’re headed to bed, skip the alcohol and instead turn down the temperature in the room, turn off the lights well before bedtime, turn off the screens, and order a set of our split sheets.