Reports on sleep quality and quantity are in, and we're afraid they are not pretty.

Forty-five percent of Americans say that poor or insufficient sleep affected their daily activities at least once in the past seven days, according to the National Sleep Foundation's inaugural Sleep Health Index™. (National Sleep Foundation)

We probably don't have to tell you that without sufficient rest, men and women suffer. Whether at home, at work, or play, they lack the emotional and physical resources to deal with the pressures of daily life. If you find yourself part of that group, take heart.

You're not in this alone. We're here to help.

Although you may be lacking sufficient sleep, it doesn't have to stay that way. With just a few minor changes, you can turn things around and be on your way toward facing each new day refreshed and well-rested.

It all begins with identifying why you're not sleeping well.

4 Reasons I Can't Sleep

Noise

Whether the noise stems from personal factors (hello, roommates!) or simple environmental factors, noise can be especially disruptive during the lighter phases of sleep. Though loud noises can also jolt you out of deep sleep, soft sounds can also be a problem. Noise affects you primarily while you're attempting to fall asleep, and while both volume and persistence are factors, noise doesn't have to particularly loud or particularly constant to be a severe problem.

A noisy environment can prove especially frustrating when you go to bed tired and are always on the verge of dozing off, only to be abruptly pulled from sleep by auditory disruptions.

Poor Choices

Occasionally, you will discover that your struggle with sleeplessness is no one's fault but your own. You made some poor choices throughout the day, and now you are suffering the consequences. Despite your sensitivity to caffeine, you couldn't turn down a cup of coffee after dinner. You binge-watched Netflix into the wee hours of the morning, not realizing how much time was passing. That sort of thing.

Discomfort

There are several ways in which discomfort may lead to sleeplessness. People who suffer from recent injury or chronic medical conditions may find that their pain keeps them from falling asleep. Others may not suffer internal pain but may be attempting to sleep on uncomfortable surfaces that cause pain or are otherwise not conducive to a good night's sleep. Either way, difficulty falling (or staying) asleep due to discomfort is a particularly frustrating experience.

Stress

Stress can wreck sleep in multiple ways and can affect both the amount and quality of sleep you're capable of achieving. Even more troubling is stress's ability to create a vicious cycle of sleeplessness.

You're stressed, so you can't sleep, then your lack of sleep makes you more stressed, and so on. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, nearly three-fourths of adults say that their stress-induced sleep problems have caused an increase in stress or anxiety in their lives. (Huffington Post)

That's one destructive loop we'd all love to avoid.

Some Possible Solutions

The list above is not exhaustive, but it's likely you found at least one item you can address in practical ways. The specific steps required will depend on which reason you struggle with sleep.

If noise is an issue, don't just bemoan with “I can’t sleep.” Instead, adjust. Whether you have a chat with a noisy roommate, work on soundproofing your bedroom, or invest in a small set of comfortable earplugs, you'll find that with minimal effort, most noise problems have a solution.

When it comes to poor choices, there's little we can do except to encourage you to place enough value on your well-being to make choices that promote healthy sleep patterns. Of course, you may not be aware that your own decisions are influencing your sleep; in that case, you may consider keeping a weekly journal to track your choices and their side-effects. If a significant pattern emerges, you'll know how best to take action.

Because discomfort and stress are often closely related, addressing one often helps to deal with symptoms of the other. Because these two factors often work in symbiosis, you can choose almost any practical place to start; although, in the case of stress, you may sometimes feel helpless.

We get it. Eliminating stress is sometimes tricky to do because the elements causing our stress are so often beyond our control. After all, most of us can't replace our oppressive bosses, clear up daily traffic snarls on the interstate, make our children wake up in good moods, or ensure that our vacation plans work out.

The good news is that we can take specific steps to increase our comfort levels.

When we're more comfortable, we're not only less stressed, but we're also capable of achieving smooth, restful sleep; and when we're well-rested, we are better equipped to handle stress. It is where things start working in our favor. When we can manage stress better, we're less likely to lose sleep because of pressure. That, in turn, leads to even better sleep, which further decreases our stress.

The feedback loop seems entirely less threatening when it's working for us than when it's working against us.

What can we do to turn the tide?

One simple and effective step is to invest in a comfortable mattress.

That's where we come in.

Although many of the above solutions are ones you'll have to pursue on your own, there's one way we can assist you. We can help you find the perfect mattress to suit your needs.

We Can Help

One of our very favorite things to do is to help people just like you reach their best and most productive levels of sleep.

When you stop by one of our showrooms, you'll see that our staff is trained to be helpful and friendly without being pushy or intrusive. We honestly do seek to help you select a mattress that will best suit your needs.

If you're too busy to stop by, or if you'd like to ask some questions in advance, you can always contact us at any time.

We look forward to hearing from you and look forward to assisting you!