Peps Industries Blog

Do you often describe yourself as decidedly not a ‘morning person’? Most of our mornings tend to start with groans, snooze buttons and cranky moods. Often, this bad mood does not end with mornings, but extends into the rest of our day as well. Research indicates a close link between sleep and mood, with inadequate sleep leading to stress, irritability and increased risk of developing a mood disorder. Here are five ways in which a quality mattress can ensure a smile on your face for most of your day!

More Sleep = Less Anxiety and More Resilience 

Throughout our day, a range of stressors can serve to increase our anxiety, thereby lowering our mood. Lack of restful and adequate sleep can leave individuals feeling impatient and easily irritable, which increases the anxiety induced by stressful events. From sharpening decision-making skills to improving the body’s relaxation mechanisms – sleep increases your ability to cope with stressful events in a multitude of ways.  The right mattress ensures a night of restful sleep, thereby leaving you with the emotional resilience to tackle all the curveballs thrown at you. 

No Pain, More Gain!

Waking up with a back ache or sore muscles can put you in a decidedly bad mood for the rest of your day. Aside from being physically debilitating, aches and pains also affect your mental health and make it difficult to stay positive. A bad mattress is considered to contribute to a range of pain-related conditions. Using a mattress that is right for your sleeping style and unique sleep problems can help alleviate pressure and reduce pain. Replacing your mattress with a supportive one, such as Peps Spine Guard, might be the one-stop solution for all your throbs, aches and pains. 

Aid your Brain In Processing Emotional Information

A new mattress not only helps you wake up refreshed, but also helps your brain function more efficiently throughout the night. Sleep is responsible for various kinds of brain activity that have profound effects on mental and emotional health. It serves to enable the processing of all information encountered throughout the day, including emotional information. Therefore, inadequate sleep can result in inefficient processing of emotional information, which in turn acts as a risk factor for various mental health disorders, including suicidal behaviours. Using a good-quality mattress can help you sleep better, thereby ensuring that you have the positive mood and emotional reactivity to tackle a brand new day!

Hustle Harder Throughout The Day 

Productivity is closely linked to improved mood, and we can all relate to the feeling of satisfaction upon seeing a completed to-do list. A new mattress can exponentially increase your energy levels by ensuring a night of rejuvenating sleep. Lack of restful sleep can leave you feeling tired and unmotivated, with your only end goal being to make it through the day and get back into bed. By choosing a mattress that’s right for you, you can ensure that your sleep gives you the productivity and motivation to chase your dreams!

Start Your Day On The Right Note

Cursing your alarm and craving ‘just 5 more minutes’ of sleep does not exactly make for the best start to your day. The first hour of your morning serves to set the tone and momentum for the rest of your day, and a bad morning can ruin your mood for the entire day. Waking up refreshed, eating a healthy breakfast and getting some morning exercise are all linked to feeling more positive throughout the day. On the other hand, waking up with a sore back, foggy head and a desperate need for coffee can act as the recipe for bad mood. By using a good-quality mattress, you can ensure that a good night’s sleep leaves you refreshed, energized and ready to start the day with purpose and intention. 

 

Negative moods can be extremely draining, and the right mattress might be the pick-me-up that you desperately need. Inadequate sleep has been linked to a wide range of mental health deficits, with lowered moods being one of the most important ones. Use the right mattress, and ensure that you always wake up with the positivity to enjoy your day!

The bedroom is a sanctuary for sleep and relaxation, and the feeling of walking into the right one after a long day is unmatched. An undisturbed and restorative night’s sleep involves the combination of a range of factors, including your bedtime routine, sleep timing and of course, the sleep setting itself. Bedrooms are often a primary cause for night-time tossing and turning, and a few tweaks could magically improve your sleep. Here are five ways in which you can optimise your room for the best night’s sleep. 

Clear the Clutter

Does your night-stand look like a storage cabinet? Well, it might be time to declutter your room to ensure that you sleep well and wake up refreshed. Visual clutter contributes to stress and anxiety, which can make it difficult to relax and inhibit sleep. This involves organising the space, clearing out stacks of books or paper and removing unnecessary items of furniture. Spending a few minutes every day to clear up the clutter can prevent a mess from building up, and ensure that your room is always ready to sleep in. 

Choose Calming Colours

The colour palette of your room can have a significant influence on your ability to wind down for the night. Choosing colours that are conducive to sleep can help you fall asleep quicker and sleep better throughout the night. Light and muted colours are generally ideal for bedrooms, and cool colours such as light blue, grey or lavender are considered to be the best bet for comfortable sleep. A survey of 2,000 people found that individuals with blue bedrooms averaged the most amount of sleep, followed by moss green, pale yellow and silver. Thus, painting your room does not just involve picking your favourite colours, but also ensuring that these colours are conducive for sleep.

Pick the Perfect Mattress and Bedding

The centerpiece of your bedroom is the bed itself, and picking the right mattress is the first step towards building a bedroom for restful sleep. The right mattress should combine support with comfort, and have enough space for you to comfortably move around. When picking a mattress, it is important to cater it to your sleeping position, age, weight and sleep problems. Peps offers a wide range of comfortable mattresses, each with unique properties for your individual sleep needs. Aside from the mattress itself, it is important to invest in the right bedding, pillows and sleep accessories. Crisp, clean sheets play an important role in helping you relax. Moreover, a supportive pillow, such as Peps Neck Guard, moulds itself to the shape of your neck and relieves muscular compression. The right pillow keeps your head and spine perfectly aligned to alleviate pain. By building a bed that’s right for you, you are setting yourself up for a night of restful sleep and an energized morning. 

 Soothe your Senses 

Falling asleep involves creating a sleep-inducing atmosphere for all your senses, from sight to smell. Light acts as an important cue for your body’s internal clock, and it is important to minimise the light in your bedroom through various means, such as using black-out curtains or a low-temperature bedside lamp. The age-old adage of ‘silence is golden’ holds particularly true in the context of sleep, and noise can act as a barrier to a night of rest and rejuvenation. White noise machines or speakers with comforting music can help drown out any unpleasant noises. Finally, having relaxing scents in your bedroom can help promote relaxation and sound sleep. By designing your bedroom to soothe your senses, you are all set to fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up refreshed!

Eliminate the Electronics

Electronics are definitely the antithesis of great sleep, and eliminating electronics from your bedtime routine is key to ensuring an uninterrupted night’s sleep. Research indicates that screen time before bed exposes you to harsh blue light, that  disrupts your body’s circadian rhythm and activates your mind. This makes winding down an almost impossible feat, and stands in the way of a good night’s sleep. Hiding electronics can prevent you from feeling tempted to scroll through Instagram ‘one last time’ before you sleep. As they say: out of sight, out of mind!

From picturing your ideal bedroom to actually creating it, the process of designing a dream bedroom is both exciting and challenging. The first and foremost priority when engaging in this process is to ensure that your bedroom is built to give you the best sleep you can get. By following these tips, you can ensure that your bedroom is a tool for great nights and fresh mornings!

Are you tired of struggling to fall asleep, stay asleep or wake up refreshed? Today, the sleep-deprived, highly-caffeinated person has become the archetype of the typical urban populace. Sleep is a complex, but vital process, that influences a wide range of mental and physical activities. Therefore, having the right quantity and quantity of sleep is essential to ensure that you are well-equipped to tackle the day ahead. Here are five tips to get you started on your journey to better sleep. 

 

Practice deep-breathing techniques

 

A busy and worried mind is often the biggest enemy of sleep. From past events to the next day’s to-do list – your brain may be occupied by a wide range of stressors that prevent you from getting some shut-eye. Rather than going straight to bed, it is often helpful to include some guided breathing exercises into your bedtime routine to help you wind down. Deep breathing exercises, involving breathing from the belly rather than the chest, enables the activation of your body’s relaxation response.This lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, thereby reducing stress and helping you relax

 

Use pleasant aromas

 

Research indicates that certain scents act as catalysts for better sleep and relaxation. Incorporating these scents into your bedroom through pillow sprays, candles or essential oils can help you unwind from a busy day and sleep well. For instance, lavender has long been known as a relaxing agent, which helps in lowering anxiety and pain. The scents of peppermint and chamomile can help to prevent snoring, while olive oil has been shown to have positive effects on sleep apnea. Choosing a sleep scent that combats your unique sleep problems can ensure that you don’t miss out on your beauty sleep.

 

Save your bed for sleep

 

Falling asleep is all about convincing your brain that it is time to rest. While your bed is likely to be the most comfortable spot in your house, using it for different kinds of activities can contribute to sleep difficulties. By reserving your bed for sleep, you are conditioning your brain to associate sleep and rest with your bed. While work-from-home has prompted us to spend most of our day in bed, getting a good night’s sleep often involves ensuring that your sleep space is separate from your work space. 

 

Maintain a Sleep Journal 

 

If you constantly find yourself struggling to sleep, then it might be time to dust off that journal and grab a pen. The first step to sleeping right is to identify the obstacles that stand in your way. A sleep journal can be used to track a range of details surrounding sleep, such as the time at which you went to bed, the number of times you woke up during the night, the amount of caffeine you consumed, how you felt when you woke up in the morning etc. Tracking these details for a few weeks and reviewing them may yield some unexpected results and help you understand your sleep barriers. 

 

Invest in the right products

 

A peaceful night’s sleep occurs when your body and environment are working in tandem to give you the rest you need. If you struggle with sleep, then it might be the right time to evaluate your sleep needs, and invest in the right products to help satisfy them. For instance, blackout curtains can help completely block light from the outside, and bedroom plants can help soothe anxiety and detoxify your room. Moreover, if you wake up stiff and sore from your current mattress, then it might be time to invest in a new one.A supportive mattress, such as Peps Spine Guard, can help you sleep better and wake up without sore muscles or backaches.

The recipe for a perfect day does not start from the morning, but from the night before. It’s time to bid goodbye to sleepless nights, and say hello to fresh mornings. Prioritising sleep ensures that your body and mind are rejuvenated, enabling you to chase your dreams to the best of your abilities. Try these tips, and witness your groggy mornings magically disappear!

 

 

 

Have you ever slept for 8+ hours, but still woken up feeling groggy and tired? Getting 8 hours of sleep has long been preached as the “one-size fits all” formula for good sleep. However, research indicates that this does not necessarily ensure a well-rested mind and body. Rather, the quality of sleep matters too, perhaps even more than the amount of sleep itself. 

Why is Quantity not Enough?

The answer to the question “How well did you sleep” tends to revolve around the number of hours an individual has slept. However, an oft-encountered misunderstanding is that time spent in bed equates to time spent actually sleeping. While you may go to great lengths to ensure that you go to bed on time, this does not guarantee that you are getting enough sleep. Restoration of the mind and body requires sound and uninterrupted sleep to ensure that the brain is well-equipped to function throughout the next day. Disturbed sleep, on the other hand, increases your risk of developing various psychological ailments like Alzheimers and dementia. Moreover, tightly-packed schedules may result in quantity of sleep feeling slightly out of your control, and improving your quality of sleep can help you make the best out of the time spent in bed.

Ensuring Good Quality Sleep

Ensuring that you fall asleep quickly, sleep well and wake up refreshed may seem like a tall order. However, it can be achieved through a series of small changes. 

 

Your bedtime routine matters – try optimizing it 

 

While caffeine may provide you a much-needed boost to get through the day, consuming it up to six hours before bed has been linked to significantly worsened sleep quality. It is also essential to avoid using electronics before bed and instead, establish a relaxing bedtime routine that allows you to clear your mind and wind down. Meditating or taking a relaxing shower can help ensure that you are ready to fall asleep as soon as you hit the bed. 

 

Where you sleep matters 

 

Your sleep environment also plays a key role in creating an inviting atmosphere for sleep. Using comfortable and appealing sleep accessories, such as those offered by Peps, can help make your bedroom a quiet, calm and enjoyable space. Additionally, bed and body temperature also have a profound influence on sleep quality, and getting a good night’s sleep is extremely difficult if it is too hot or too cold. One way to combat this is by using a mattress that has temperature-regulating properties, such as Peps Double Decker, to ensure that your mattress aids you in keeping your body at the right temperature while you sleep.

 

The right bedding and mattress makes a difference 

 

Have you ever wondered why you always sleep better in a hotel? Aside from the relaxing environment, the bed quality may also play a role. New bedding often enhances sleep, while a poor-quality mattress can lead to hours of tossing and turning in bed. Mattress preferences are highly subjective, and good quality sleep involves finding a mattress that is right for you. Peps offers a wide range of mattresses, made from different materials and having different features and levels of firmness, to ensure that you find the right fit.

The bottom line

The old motto of quality over quantity stands true for sleep too. Restorative sleep requires a balance between both quantity and quality of sleep. Thus, getting a good night’s sleep does not just involve blocking off a few hours in your schedule, but requires proactive measures to ensure that you are sleeping well. Make a conscious decision to implement these measures, and witness your mornings instantly get better!

The phrase “New Year, New You” has begun to make the rounds, as people are starting to list their resolutions for 2021. While celebrating New Year often involves staying up late and sacrificing sleep, it is important to ensure that the rest of the year doesn’t follow suit. Research indicates that good quality sleep is necessary to enable you to achieve your goals, including your new year’s resolutions. Here are 5 sleep resolutions to ensure that your 2021 is the best that it can be!

Resolution #1 – Tidying the bed every morning

While making your bed in the morning may seem like just another mundane ritual, research indicates that it might be more meaningful than that. According to a recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation, people who made their bed in the morning were 19 percent more likely to get a good, uninterrupted night’s sleep, than those who did not. This ensures better sleep hygiene by helping your bed stay cleaner during the day, and also helps you start the day on a productive note. Moreover, you will love seeing a freshly-made bed when you decide to turn in after a tiring day!

Resolution #2 – Streamline your sleep schedule

While staying up late on the weekends and sleeping in past noon often seems enjoyable, it has disastrous effects on your health in the long run. Sleeping and waking up at the right time is essential to get in sync with your natural sleep-wake cycle and ensure good sleep. In the new year, resolve to sleep and wake up at the same time to stay in tune with your body’s natural clock and wake up naturally, without even needing an alarm. Moreover, try to bid goodbye to long naps, since they often upend your sleep schedule and make it difficult to sleep at night. 

Resolution #3 – Invest in a supportive, organic mattress

If your mattress keeps you tossing and turning at night, then it might be a good time to buy a new one. By gifting yourself the right mattress, you are investing in your mind, body and lifestyle – all at once! An old or bad-quality mattress results in a variety of issues – ranging from back aches to premature aging. Investing in a supportive, comfortable and organic mattress can help you wake up refreshed every morning, while aiding your mental and physical health in the long run. For instance, Peps Organica is an organic mattress made from eco-latex that offers a range of benefits such as improved air-circulation and anti-microbial properties. 

From the right material to the right firmness –  it is important to ensure that all aspects of your mattress are optimised for the best night’s sleep. 

Resolution #4 – Say no to all electronic devices before bed 

Do you go straight from scrolling through social media to trying to fall asleep? If yes, then this sleep resolution is for you! The disruptive blue light from the screen strains your eyes and tells your subconscious brain that it is still light out, thereby making it difficult to fall asleep. Ideally, a good sleep routine involves putting away all screens at least an hour before bed. Instead, spend the last minutes of your day engaging in activities that help you wind down, such as reading a book or practicing relaxation exercises to clear your mind. 

Resolution #5 – Improve your Sleep Environment

Nobody likes walking into a messy room at the end of a tiring and stressful day. Simple tasks like cleaning your room, making your bed and investing in new bedding and pillows can help create an inviting atmosphere for sleep. Various aspects of your room, such as the noise-levels, temperature and lighting, need to be at optimal levels to ensure that you can fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly through the night. Investing in the right room decor, mattress and sleep accessories can help resolve the problems in your bedroom atmosphere. 

A new year offers an opportunity for a fresh start, just like a good night’s sleep. As you sit down and make your list of New Year’s resolutions, make sure that prioritising sleep is one of them. A new year of new possibilities awaits, and making the best out of 2021 requires that you are well-rested and refreshed, every morning. Resolve to sleep better this year, and your brain and body will definitely thank you for it!

The need for good quality sleep has been well-established today, and people are constantly on the lookout for tips and tricks to ensure that they are sleeping right. However, how many of these tips are actually backed by facts? From conversations with family members to posts on social media – we encounter several sleep myths on a daily basis, that may actually be causing more harm than good. Debunking these sleep myths is therefore necessary to ensure that you fall asleep fast, sleep soundly and wake up fresh. 

Myth #1 – Napping during the day can compensate for lack of sleep at night.

When we are finishing up a piece of work or watching “just one more episode”, we often tell ourselves that we can nap during the day to make up for a sleepless night. However, research indicates that the brain moves through several stages during night sleep. Therefore, while a nap may provide a quick boost of energy, it can also make you feel disoriented upon waking up. Moreover, naps may also upset your sleep cycle, an d make it difficult for you to fall asleep at night. 

Myth #2 – A warm bedroom is ideal for good quality sleep. 

While a warmer bedroom definitely feels cosy, cranking up your room’s temperature may not always be the best idea. The physical process of sleep involves a natural dropping of body temperature. Therefore, a bedroom that is too hot may disrupt that process and interfere with sleep. This can be combated by ensuring that your bedroom is at an optimal temperature, generally considered to be between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Moreover, a mattress with temperature-regulatory properties, such as Peps Double Decker, can help keep your body at an ideal temperature while you sleep. 

Myth #3 –  Still sleepers are the soundest sleepers. 

Worried about moving around in your sleep? While sleeping still is often equated to sleeping soundly, research indicates that minor movements are actually healthy, normal and natural. Movements during sleep are a cause of concern only if they are chronic or violent, cause awakening, or disturb a partner. Using a mattress with pocketed springs, such as Peps Crystal, can ensure that your movements don’t affect your soundly sleeping partner!

Myth #4 – Sleeping on a firm mattress relieves back pain.

People with back-related issues are often advised to opt for a firm mattress to help relieve back pain. However, modern research indicates that a medium or medium-firm mattress may actually be better for back health. The best mattress is one that is firm enough to support your entire body, while being soft enough to contour to your curves and prevent pressure points. For example, Peps Spine-Guard uses revolutionary memory foam to keep your spine aligned properly and eliminate pressure from specific body parts. 

Myth #5 – The time of sleep doesn’t matter, as long as you sleep enough. 

Studies have demonstrated that it is not just the amount of sleep that matters, but the timing of sleep as well. Sleeping at night is essential to align your circadian rhythm or internal body clock with the external environment. Proper circadian timing is not only important for sleep quality, but also impacts mental health, cardiovascular health, metabolism, and other aspects of mental and physical well-being. 

Despite spending over one-third of our lives sleeping, sleep may often still seem like a mystery. While sleep-research is continuously looking for ways to explain the sleep process, it is well-established that sleep can be optimised to improve daily functioning. It’s time to demystify sleep, and replace myths with facts to help you sleep better and wake up refreshed!

Back pain can be debilitating. After the common cold, back pain is the chief reason for people taking off from work. It’s often the lower back pain that is the most common form of back pain. According to a study on the Global Burden of Diseases published in the medical journal The Lancet, lower back pain made up 2.59% of Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY) in 2017.

Significantly, back pain may not have causes that are due to some existing disease. A WHO study said lower back pain arises from ergonomic issues. Examples include overuse, working out or lifting too much, prolonged sitting or lying down. The choice and age of the mattress also come into play here.

Moreover, in this age of technology, postural habits and movement behaviours, including a lack of physical activity, are often cited as causes of back pain.

Back pain may have an impact on mental well-being too. Studies indicate that large proportions of adults with any type of back pain report fair to poor mental and physical health (25%), which is more than double of those without back pain.
There is no one strategy to cure the pain — it comes down to trial and error to discover what works for you!

Stretch
Today, despite being busy and having hectic schedules, it is imperative to stretch as a way to strengthen the spine. The stretching of the spine in the morning is the right way to wake up. Shoulder rolls, forward bends and full overhead stretch are beneficial.

Avoid an oversoft bed
When suffering from back pain, you need to worry about the mattress. The right mattress will help rectify musculoskeletal imbalances that are responsible for back pain, knee pain etc. Spine guard, Peps’ model that is mainly meant to support the spine will help.

Deep breathe
Once you sit or recline, the diaphragm gets constricted. Deep breathing is essential not only for your spine but also in one’s overall well-being. Deep breathing puts pressure on the chest as you inhale and exhale. When standing, breathe with the diaphragm, thus lengthening the spine, and expanding the upper and lower back.

Yoga
Yoga is a natural way to relieve pain. Yoga poses are excellent for strengthening the back, shoulders, spine, and pelvis. They help in relaxing the stressed muscles. Bridge pose, triangle pose, bow pose are some yoga asanas that help strengthen your spine.

Stretch and Extend
Lie on the stomach on a mat with legs extended. Prop up the upper part of the body by resting the weight on the forearms. Position the hands to make the palms face down. Stretch the back and the abdomen, hold for 30 seconds.