Last week, I was invited to attend ELTE's Sleep Well event. I always welcome a chance to visit ELTE (it is an absolutely beautiful store with inspiring decor products) but I really wanted to attend and listen to sleep expert Dr. Neil Stanley speak. You see, I have been having horrible night sleep lately.

On any given night, I might be waking up at 2am to calm Chloe after she's had a nightmare or I'm kept awake by HandyMan's tossing and turning (he can't sleep either). And lately, Chloe has been sneaking into our room and I only realize she's there when I feel her feet in my back. Of course, by that time I'm too lazy and tired to move her back to her room so the three of us sleep squished in our Queen sized bed.

A lovely assortment of bedding with a bohemian vibe

And then I wonder why I crave a nap in the afternoons?! I learned quite a bit at the seminar and realized just how much your sleep impacts your performance throughout the day. I used to be such a good deep sleeper but now those nights when I could drift off quickly are rare. Are you a restless sleeper too? I made notes and thought I'd share 5 Tips for Getting A Good Night's Sleep:

1. Create a sleep-promoting environment. Ensure your room is dark, quiet and well-ventilated.
2. Associate your bed with sleep. If you find yourself tossing in bed for a 1/2 hour unable to sleep, leave the bed and do something else (e.g. have a snack, watch some TV, do yoga) until you start to feel sleepy.
3. Don't think about sleeping. You know what happens when you tell yourself "I need to get to sleep. It's already 3am. Go to sleep!"... that's right, just the opposite. Think about something other than sleep, if you can.
4. Move the lights, such as cellphones beside your bed with their glaring screens or alarm clocks with bright LED numbers. Your bedroom should be as dark as possible.
5. The ideal temperature for sleeping is a cool 16-18 degrees Celsius (60-65 degrees Fahrenheit) which allows our bodies to lose heat, mostly through our heads and faces. Keep it warm under the duvet, around 30 degrees Celsius.

Twin beds with an industrial edge

Another interesting tidbit I learned was that
That statistic blew my mind. In reality, the renovating/decorating budget for our kitchen was probably at least 5x what we spent on our bedroom. And it made me think of this: why is it when we go shopping for a mattress or bed linens, we go looking for the good deals instead of shopping for the best we can afford? We spend so much time in bed, shouldn't it be the most comfortable thing in our house?

A gorgeous ottoman with brass details that would be perfect for a grand master suite

ELTE agrees that sleeping well is an investment worth making so they're offering up a $100 gift card to one of my readers to shop in their beautiful store. If you've been to ELTE, you'll know its the place to find stunning rugs, linens, and exclusive furniture lines you won't see anywhere else.

To enter, leave a comment telling me either about your most memorable night's sleep, or tell me what you would spend the gift card on. Local GTA readers only please as I'll be hand-delivering the gift card to you ;)  Contest closes March 5, 2014 at midnight.

Good luck!

*****

UPDATE: And the winner of the $100 ELTE Gift Card is... Meg @ LovingAlbany! Congratulations Meg and thank you everyone for entering. I hope you all get a good night's sleep tonight ;)


Disclosure: I was provided a gift card by ELTE however the opinions about getting a good night's sleep and how it's not ideal to have a 4yr old in your bed are entirely my own :)