Sleep used to be for wimps – now, it’s become the ultimate status symbol. As evidence grows that a good night’s rest is essential for health, happiness and success, we’ve become a nation obsessed with the quantity and quality of our slumber.
Sales of mattresses and beds rose by 4.5 per cent last year, according to the International Sleep Products Association. We’re investing more time – and money – than ever on luxurious bedding and calming bedroom furniture and lighting, in a bid for optimal comfort.
The tech industry has woken up to the sleep boom, too, with hundreds of apps and wearable monitors to monitor our sleep cycles now available. The latest incarnations are smart pillows, such as the Zeeq, launched on Kickstarter this summer, which tracks your movements during the night, vibrates to nudge you if you’re snoring, and has speakers inside so you can fall asleep to your favourite, relaxing music. Increasing numbers of companies are installing ‘nap pods’ to allow employees to grab a snooze when their creativity is ebbing.
The trend has no doubt been helped by leading business figures such as Arianna Huffington championing the need for more, better sleep – in her recent book, The Sleep Revolution, she described how transforming her habits to ensure she got eight hours a night made her “a better leader”.
In today’s wellness-obsessed culture, cavalier, macho attitudes to sleep seem out-of-date: Donald Trump’s erratic behaviour has been linked by some to the fact he reportedly gets by on four hours a night.
We sell hundreds of mattresses every year and there’s nothing better than coming into a shop and talking to one of our very experienced staff who will offer impartial advice advice across all our ranges. Our staff are specially trained to help people choose what’s best for them. Being able to get everything for a bedroom under one roof is our strength.”