When you sleep, your body rests and restores its energy level. Although you may think of it as passive, sleep is an active state that affects both your physical and mental well-being. A good night’s sleep is often the best way to help you cope with stress, solve problems, or recover from illness. A well-rested person has a better chance to be a peak performer. Too little sleep may cause impaired memory and thought processes, depression and decreased immune response. Sleep deprivation also increases the perception and tolerance to pain as confirmed by pain simulation testing.
Sleep is prompted by natural cycles of activity in the brain and consists of two basic states; rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. During the deep stages of NREM sleep, the body repairs and regenerates tissues, builds bone and muscle, and appears to strengthen the immune system. As you get older, you sleep more lightly and get less deep sleep. Ageing is also associated with shorter spans of sleep time, although studies show the amount of sleep needed doesn’t appear to diminish with age.
So how do we get the most NREM sleep we can? Eliminating the tossing and turning certainly can help. The Sleep Foundation reports that we toss and turn an average of 60 to 100 times per night. What causes us to do that? Pressure points, temperature and not enough spinal support are the three main reasons we toss and turn.
There are three key elements that help create and maintain the optimum sleep environment that will allow you to get the most NREM sleep possible. These essential elements are; no pressure, a properly supported spine and lower body temperature.
In order to eliminate pressure points, you have to displace body weight. Basic physics tells us to do this you must use a liquid or a gas. Most beds use springs and foam or just foam. The springs push back which causes you to toss and turn and foam cannot displace weight—it can only absorb it. The Natural Form patented technology uses air which displaces your body weight and ensures that you have a pressure-free sleep all night long regardless of body position or weight, thus eliminating pressure points.
The second element is proper spinal alignment during the night. If you wake up with a stiff back it is due to improper support during the night. It is necessary to have a bed that conforms to you rather than you conforming to it. It is necessary to sleep on a mattress that is firm enough to distribute your weight so your shoulders do not sag or your hips do not sink. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons agrees that firm is usually the best choice. The Natural Form Sleep System provides this support with its nine independent air chambers and dual dial control that allows you and your partner to select your preferred comfort level.
The final element of the optimum sleeping environment is body temperature control. The average person perspires one pint at night. Some of it evaporates but most of it lies around your body and then into your mattress. The Natural Form Sleep System uses a removable, washable 100% Australasian wool cover that can absorb the moisture and keep you dry. Wool wicks away up to 33% of its weight from the body without feeling damp and releases it back in to the atmosphere. The composition of wool fibers increases air circulation next to the skin which results in a dry environment that feels cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Many of us toss and turn in the night, throw off covers or pull up that extra blanket. This activity disturbs the deep NREM sleep cycle and doesn’t allow you to wake up feeling energized and rested. With the wool cover keeping your body at the optimum temperature your heart rate will also decrease by four percent.