Having a bed is certainly useful to help promote good sleep! 

However, if we find the mattress uncomfortable we may not sleep as well as we could. Asking a client to buy a new mattress may feel like overstepping a boundary, however, it is worth asking your client about the comfort level of their bed:

• how old the mattress is
• if they get lots of aches and pains
• if the mattress sags
• how much support does the mattress give
• do they find themselves tossing and turning as they can’t get comfortable
• do they overheat (as an aside, memory foam mattress make you warmer than a coil mattress and an old mattress makes you sink more into the bed so less air flow which can make you warmer)
• what they think would be a good mattress for sleep 

Through questioning, your client could start to research mattresses and perhaps invest in a new one. 

Bedding

The pillows on the bed need to be able to support the head and neck and ensures good spine alignment. The wrong pillow can contribute to aches and pains during sleep. Using the right pillow could make a difference without having to change the mattress. This ‘right’ pillow is personal preference and possibly trial and error to find what works. 

Sheets and pillowcases that allow the body to breathe and not overheat are best. Recommendations are cotton, linen, silk or bamboo. Try to avoid synthetic fabrics. 

Having a duvet at the correct tog for the season can be useful to not get to hot or cold in bed. Alternatively layering the bed with sheets, blankets and comforter could be beneficial to manage temperature regulation more easily. 

Weighted blankets have been found to be useful for people suffering with anxiety and help to promote deeper sleep. 

Keeping the bedding clean is also recommended as allergens from dust mites, animal dander (if your pets sleep in the bed), skin shedding and natural secretions can cause irritation. Also think about washing the duvet and pillows and if you can tumble dry on a high heat to kill off any mites. 

Too Hot in Bed?

If your client still gets too hot in bed despite altering the bedding then there are cooling pillows, cooling mattress toppers, cooling duvets and cooling mattresses available. This may be an option to explore. 

Bed and Its Position

Where do you place the bed in your bedroom? Often, the answer will be where it fits! However, in Feng Shui it is said the bed should not be pointing towards the door (known as the coffin position) as it is said to cause tension and unease. Instead the bed is to be in what is known as the Commanding Position so you can see the door but not directly in line with it. If this is not possible, you can put a mirror in front of the door to reflect and see who may be coming into the room. Ideally the headboard needs to be against a solid wall to give you stability in life. There are other Feng Shui ‘rules’ when it comes to the bed and the bedroom, take from it what you want and ignore what doesn’t resonate. 

In the Yoga and Ayurveda traditions it is best to sleep with the head pointing to the East (in the Northern Hemisphere) and due to the magnetic pull of the North Pole is a big No to sleep with the head pointing North as it creates too much pressure on the heart. It is also recommended to sleep on your left side to help with digestion.

Please note: Rules around the bedroom and the bed may start to cause more distress which we are ultimately wanting to avoid as it could interfere with sleep.

Bed and Associations

It is said the bed is only meant for 3 things – Sex, Sleep and Sickness.

If your client struggles to sleep they may have developed an association that the bed is a place of anxiety, restlessness and an inability to sleep. If this is the case then suggest your client gets out of bed if they are struggling to sleep, please do note that it can take a ‘healthy sleeper’ up to 30 minutes to fall asleep so don’t jump out of bed after 5 minutes, get up when feelings of frustration, annoyance or anxiousness arise. After getting up do something relaxing in dim light and then go back to bed when feeling tired, thereby creating the association of bed with sleep.