Get down with the science of sleep

Er Audy Zandri ,  THE JAKARTA POST   |  Wed, 06/24/2009 11:13 AM  |  Supplement

The Science of Sleep, which was also a blockbuster movie from Michel Gondry in 2007, is not a subject you would fi nd at a university. It nevertheless enlightens us about what a good quality sleep can give you.

For a start, those waking up in the morning feeling uncomfortable are defi nitely victims of a bad sleep. To note, there are three things that can help them, the fi rst two being good knowledge about sleep and a cozy bed.

Sleep-depravation can lead to trouble. In fact, the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska, the Challenger space shuttle disaster and the Chernobyl nuclear accident were all caused by human error in which sleep-deprivation was to blame. Hence, enough sleep, commonly ranging from seven to eight hours a day for adults, can in fact affect your daily performance.

A recent study in Canada revealed that the extra hour of sleep received when clocks are put forward at the start of daylight savings has been found to coincide with a fall in the number of road accidents.

But what if you just can't sleep? The easiest solution for the problem is to fi nd a good bed.

Choose a mattress over latex spring bed. Unlike latex spring beds, mattress spring beds have the springs inside to support the body and conform accordingly to the contour of the body. Make sure that your spring bed has many spiral rings -- around 140 rings per bed -- to have that strong bouncing power, and remember that the thickness of a spring bed does not guarantee its quality.

The opposite applies for overweight people, as the thickness of the bed does count. In addition, latex or foam mattresses are recommended to avoid the state where the springs wear out due to continuous pressure, unless of course if the springs are specifi cally designed to hold weight. Another aspect to consider is the right fi rmness of the mattress.

The last piece of advice is to ask the sales person about your requirements, and don't forget to test the bed by laying down on it flat.

But if a good bed is not the answer, you might want to try fi xing your natural alarm clock, setting specifi c hours of sleep every day and setting an alarm and, of course, ignoring the 24-accessibility of the internet.

And if none of this helps, it's time to deploy the third solution, which is, of course, professional help.

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