Our Care Guide For Bed Linen And Laundry Hygiene To Promote Restful Sleep
For all of us, sleep is an essential part of our lives! It is both an important and involuntary process that we can not function effectively without. Sleep helps us to repair and restore our brains and our bodies and, therefore, is vital to maintaining our physical and mental health. Are you getting enough sleep? This can vary from person to person! The average adult requires, on average, seven hours of restful sleep each night. The quality of sleep is very important to feel restored and refreshed.
THE BENEFITS OF SLEEP
i) It can reduce the risk of developing significant health issues, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
ii) It can bring down stress levels to improve overall short and long-term health.
iii) It can improve mood and general well-being.
iv) It can help with the management of a healthy weight.
v) It can improve cognitive function, support daily tasks, and support memory.
WAYS TO IMPROVE A BETTER NIGHT’S SLEEP
There are a whole host of factors that can lead to poor sleep patterns, including:
i) Sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or insomnia.
ii) Certain medications.
iii) Stimulants such as caffeine, soda, and alcohol can lead to poor sleep.
iv) Stress and anxiety.
v) Chronic and acute pain.
Making certain changes to your sleep routine may have a positive impact bringing improvements to sleep quality, including:
i) Incorporating more physical activity into your daily routine and schedule can promote sleep.
ii) Try to set and stick to a regular bedtime routine, making sure to go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning.
iii) Try to create a stress free and relaxed sleep environment that promotes positive sleep hygiene practices.
TAKING CARE OF YOUR BEDDING TO PROMOTE HEALTHY SLEEP PATTERNS
As well as improving bedtime routines and creating a relaxed bedtime environment, we would recommend taking care of your bed laundry needs and requirements in a timely manner. By doing so, this will promote sound laundry practices, which in turn will aid healthy sleep hygiene. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 73% of people surveyed were reported to have achieved better sleep outcomes when sleeping on clean, fresh laundered bed sheets. A further 85% reported general sleep improvement when sleeping on clean, fresh, laundered bedding.
If we were to consider the length of time the average person spends in bed sleeping each week, this means that things like sweat, oil, and dirt can build up considerably quick on your bedding and linen. Over time, this can give way into the development of bacteria and dust mites that can bring concerning health risks, such as skin conditions, allergies, and even fungal infestations in some cases. Sleeping on dirty bedding and linen while contributing to risks that can potentially affect our physical health, can also play havoc with our emotional health which can affect our sleep quality.
DIRTY BED LAUNDRY AND THE IMPACT ON SLEEP QUALITY
An uncomfortable sleep environment can lead to stress, making you anxious and irritable. This problem can give way to interrupted sleep that can lead to brain fog, confusion that, in turn, can lead to emotional instability and general mental health exhaustion and overall burnout. Irregular sleep patterns can in themselves cause stress and anxiety and eventually lead to longer-term physical and mental health issues. Bacteria, fungus and other substances may develop on dirty bedding and linen that may well lead to insomnia.
Understanding some common sleep problems caused by unhygienic sleep practices makes it easier for us to adopt better laundry practices to improve restful sleep outcomes.
KEEP BEDDING AND LINEN CLEAN TO ACHIEVE BETTER SLEEP OUTCOMES
Keeping your sleep environment as clean and fresh as possible to achieve a better night’s sleep should be your optimal goal. How often you wash your bed laundry is not a precise science. Rather, this invariably will depend on a number of factors and values, including:
– If you allow your pets to sleep with you.
– What you wear to bed.
– If you eat in bed.
– If you sweat a lot at night in bed.
– If you wear make-up or other products when in bed.
If your bedding and linen items meet some or all of the above criteria, then you should consider laundering them at least once a week to keep them clean, fresh, and free from bacteria and possible growth and infestations, such as bed mites!
FIVE EASY STEPS TO WASH AND CARE FOR BED LAUNDRY.
STEP ONE
Before you start this process, your first consideration should be to read the care label instructions before washing, drying, and ironing your bedding and linen sheets, etc.
STEP TWO
It’s important to separate darker from lighter colours when washing bedding and linen to avoid dreaded ‘colour transfer’. This can leave your lighter colours ruined and left dingy at best.
STEP THREE
Choose a colour safe, bleach free, detergent formula to avoid any harsh chemicals to safeguard and protect your bedding fabric. This will also be kinder to your skin.
STEP FOUR
When washing bedding and linen items, it may be tempting to think that they can be chucked into the washing on the highest possible temperature setting to kill off bacteria and any bugs. However, this is not recommended as this can damage the fibres of the fabric, especially over time, giving your bedding a shortened lifespan. The best temperature is around 40 degrees to meet the laundry needs of your bedding and linen fabrics.
STEP FIVE
Bed laundry can either be air dried indoors, tumble dried, or lined dried outdoors. When dried, these items can be ironed to make them look brand new and presentable before placing them back onto the bed. If your bed set is made of 100% linen, you might want to avoid ironing them altogether and place them straight back onto the bed after drying to achieve that unique crisp, fresh look and feel that we have come to love and expect from linen items.
Modern-day living and the fast pace of day to day life can really eat into our time. If you’re finding this to be the case and need help with your laundry, ironing, and cleaning, contact us at Pressed not Stressed to take care of these tasks for you. Our service area covers Chester-le-Street and surrounding areas.
