New research has found that over 50 percent of adults believe they don’t get enough sleep.
Worryingly, a lack of sleep can have an impact on your overall health, influencing your concentration, immune system and even the risk of health problems, ranging from heart disease to dementia.
While some people struggle with insomnia which often requires medical help, others just prefer not to go to sleep or are unsure when to hit the hay.
With this in mind, experts at Make My Blinds have created a sleep calculator to help improve sleep quality around the country.
The calculator will ask about your sex, age and the time you usually wake up to calculate the best time to doze off tailored to your needs.
Factors like age also influence how much sleep you should get. For most of the population, seven hours is the golden standard, but babies under 12 months should get between 12 and 16 hours of sleep every day.
The result will then show you how much sleep and sleep cycles you’ll get if you call it a night at your recommended time.
You go through three stages during sleep: light, deep, and REM sleep. Experts tend to recommend seven to nine hours of sleep for adults, which brings you to about four to six sleep cycles.
The calculator also takes into account 15 minutes which is how long it should take you to fall asleep. You can view the calculator by clicking here.
Colette Toman, expert from Make My Blinds, said: “Getting the correct amount of sleep is vital for our physical and mental health.
“But for those who are struggling with sleep deprivation, it can be hard to understand what contributing factors may be to blame, making the issue worse.”
From a bad diet to using technology just before bed, there are many factors that could influence your sleep quality. However, Toman explained that the environment you’re sleeping in also plays a big role.
The expert said: “Finally, your bedroom should be a place of relaxation, and technology can often make us more alert and increase our chances of having a bad night’s sleep. With this in mind, consider removing any distractions from your room or make sure they’re switched off long before it’s time for bed, and instead, opt for a book or practise mindfulness.
“As well as this, making sure you’re sleeping in a neat and tidy space is also a great way to relax the body and mind, which in turn will benefit your quality of sleep.”
