On average, we sleep for 32 years of our lives. If all goes well, that is. Poor sleepers (and people with night-waking babies) know how disastrous it is when you regularly have bad nights. There is little we can do about those babies, but we do have tips for a good night’s sleep. Ten, to be precise.

1. Tidy up your bedroom

A tidy bedroom is a tidy mind. Clutter or things lying around remind you of things you still have to do, or of things that occupy you in daily life. The more calm in your field of vision, the less chance you will be distracted. In short: you need to be able to shut yourself off from daily life, and you do that by - exactly… tidying up. And preferably not just before you wanted to go to bed.

2. A good bed and a good mattress

The second (and third) step is buying a good bed and a good mattress. Have you been lying on a mattress for more than ten years? Then you can safely call that mattress elderly and it is time for a new one. No idea which mattress and bed work best for you? We are happy to help.

View our mattresses here.

3. No coffee, alcohol or screens

It is a very well-known but oh-so-difficult one: no coffee, alcohol or screens just before you climb into bed. Everyone knows it, but how lovely it is to watch a series with your feet up and a glass of red wine in your hand. Or with, oh go on, one last espresso. Yet research repeatedly shows that both alcohol and caffeine can seriously disrupt your sleep pattern and your ability to fall asleep. Not to mention the blue light that screens emit.

4. Read

What is good again just before you go to sleep is reading. A book is the way to relax at the end of the day and so let go of the stress of the day, so that you end up in a deeper and better-quality sleep. You do not need to read for hours, by the way. Six minutes would already be enough to reduce your stress level by 68 percent.

5. Warm feet

Another trick for falling asleep easily: create warm feet. When you are cold, you are naturally more alert and therefore less sleepy. When you are a bit warmer, you become sleepier. Several studies also show that warm feet cause a signal to be sent to your brain that it is high time to sleep. In short: socks and (warmed) slippers on, and off you go.

6. Exercise

You may not always feel like it, exercising just before going to bed, but it is certain that it is good for your night’s sleep. People who exercise in the evening generally fall asleep faster. Moreover, they sleep more deeply and for longer too. But, a small caveat: do not exercise too intensively and not later than an hour before bedtime. An intensive workout makes your body temperature rise, whereas around bedtime it should actually drop.

7. Go to bed at the same time every day

A regular sleep pattern helps you give off signals at a fixed time, so that you fall asleep easily in the evening and wake up pleasantly in the morning. This (unfortunately) applies to the weekend too. Yes - sorry.

8. Create a sleep ritual

Yoga nidra, listening to a soothing podcast, taking a bath or reading a book: by repeating the same ritual every day before going to sleep, you tell your body that it is time to go to sleep. Which ritual works best differs from person to person. Above all, find out what gives you the best night’s sleep.

9. Your favourite products/bed linen

As mentioned, we spend 32 years in bed. That amounts to about 30% of our lives. In other words: lots and lots of time. Do not waste that time on hastily bought items, but make sure that every evening you get into a lovely, hotel-quality duvet . Is that exactly what you want, but you do not know how to get it? With us, DOUXE. It may be strange to say about your own products, but once you are on our pillow, featherbed or under one of our duvets, you will never want anything else again.

10. Take a cue from a hotel

And finally: what feels more luxurious than a stay in a five-star hotel? Exactly, not much. So have a look at how hotels manage to immerse you in that luxurious feeling. We already have a few tips: throw open your windows during the day, always fluff up your bed, use a lovely room spray and teach yourself how to make the perfect bed. We can do that last one like no one else, too.