• Why is sleep important?
• Why is sleep good for brain health?
• Why is sleep good for physical health?
• How many hours of sleep do you need?
• How to improve sleep quality
• How to create a good sleep environment
• Create a healthy sleep environment with SpringBond®

Sleep is crucial to our health and wellbeing, as it allows the body to repair and restore itself, ready for the next day. Sleep quality impacts everything, from our brain function to our immune system and our hormones to our physical health. If we don’t get enough sleep, it can negatively impact both physical and mental wellbeing. With this in mind, it’s important to know how to improve sleep quality.

According to The Sleep Charity, 9 in 10 people are currently experiencing sleep issues, and 37% of adults experience insomnia. More than 4 in every 10 adults have even engaged in high-risk behaviours when they haven’t been able to fall or stay asleep.

Sleep quality can be impacted by many things, such as stress or staying on your phone too late. However, your sleep environment, such as the mattress you sleep on, the air quality in your room, noise, and temperature, among other factors, can determine if you’ll get a restful and healthy night’s sleep. 

Over the last year, there has been an apparent growing demand for non-toxic and health-conscious home products, with the term ‘non-toxic living’ seeing a 71% spike in interest and non-toxic sleep seeing a 328% increase in interest, according to Google Trends. 

In this guide to improving sleep quality, we’ll explore key factors contributing to healthy sleep, and what you can do to create the ideal sleep environment.

Why is sleep important?  

To learn how to improve sleep quality, it’s firstly important to understand why sleep quality is critical to mental clarity, energy and physical health. 

Why is sleep good for brain health? 

Sleep plays a role in brain plasticity, also known as ‘neuroplasticity’, which is its ability to change and adapt its structure by forming new connections between neurons, allowing us to learn new things, recover from injuries, and adjust to new experiences. Sleep gives the brain an opportunity to undergo this adaptation. 

Sleep also helps the parts of the brain responsible for learning and remembering information, paying attention and making decisions, and clearing toxins that have built up throughout the day. 

If your sleep environment is causing you to have sleep deprivation, this can lead to difficulty concentrating, trouble making decisions and problem-solving or controlling emotions and behaviour. If this becomes a long-term issue, it can also increase the risk of health problems such as high blood pressure. 

Why is sleep good for physical health? 

Like brain health, sleep helps the body repair itself and allows it to rest. A good night’s sleep allows the body to release growth hormones, aid muscle repair, and regenerate tissue throughout the body. Sleep also allows the body to produce new immune cells, which can help fight infections. 

If you’re feeling stressed, sleep helps regulate cortisol, which can, in turn, impact appetite and metabolism. Similarly, sleep is linked to better blood sugar regulations, lowering the risk of health problems such as diabetes. 

With this in mind, it’s clear that we all need to get the right amount of sleep, and enough good quality sleep. 

How many hours of sleep do you need? 

According to Bupa UK, how many hours of sleep you need depends on your age. 

For adults:

• adults between the ages of 18 and 65 need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep
• adults 65 and older are recommended to get between 7 and 8 hours of sleep

Babies and children need a lot more sleep than adults. In a 24-hour period:

• 1 to 3 year olds need 12 to 14 hours of sleep, including naps
• 3 to 6 year olds need 10 to 12 hours of sleep
• 7 to 12 year olds need between 10 and 11 hours of sleep
• 12 to 18 year olds need 8 to 9 hours of sleep

It’s also important for adults to avoid oversleeping and to establish a good sleeping pattern. For example, staying up late on a weekend and sleeping in can impact how well you sleep during the week ahead. 

How to improve sleep quality 

Now we have an understanding of why sleep is essential for our physical and mental health, we’ll break down each element to create a good sleep environment and how to improve sleep quality, which includes:

• Air quality and ventilation 
• Non-toxic materials 
• Lightning 
• Room temperature 
• Noise control 

How does indoor air quality affect sleep? 

We often hear about air pollution outdoors, and the detrimental effect this can have on our health. But did you know that your home has indoor pollutants too? 

Indoor air pollutants include:

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Dust mites 
• Mould spores 
• Pet dander 
• Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

All of these pollutant types have the ability to impact sleep. For example, pollutants like dust mites or mould spores can irritate the respiratory system, causing coughing, sneezing, and congestion, which will often get more irritable at night. Some studies also show that if a home has high levels of air pollutants, this can lower sleep quality and decrease levels of deep sleep, which is vital for physical and mental restoration. 

To get rid of indoor pollutants, it’s essential to undertake regular cleaning (even washing things like curtains and upholstery), using air purifiers to remove allergens, and reducing moisture to prevent mould and condensation – dehumidifiers and fan extractors are vital for this.  

What is a non-toxic mattress?

A non-toxic mattress has low VOCs, no harmful chemicals, materials, or toxins. 

Choosing a mattress with low VOC content is essential. VOCs are gases that come from common household products and processes, and these compounds can be linked to causing health issues such as eye, nose, and throat irritation and damage to the central nervous system. Too much exposure to VOCs over time can cause harm. However, this is particularly true if you suffer from allergies. 

At Think Group, our SpringBond® UltraFlex is a high-performance, chemical-free foam replacement solution that can be applied to mattresses, commercial upholstery, and task seating. 

SpringBond® Ultraflex has ultra-low VOC content. After 3 days of testing according to BS10580, the TVOC count was 43 micrograms per m³ of air, well below the permitted off-gassing limit of 1000 (10000) micrograms.( after 3 days and 1000 micrograms after 28 days of off gassing)

By opting for a mattress made with SpringBond® technology, you will improve your sleep health. A lower concentration of VOCs means less chemicals that can irritate the body and disrupt air quality, reducing the risk of respiration issues and overall, promoting a restful sleep environment. 

Non-toxic bedding and pillows 

Like mattresses, bedding, and pillows can emit harmful chemicals, which can cause irritation and respiratory issues, especially if you have allergies. This can impact sleep. 

Non-toxic bedding and pillows will include fibres and fillings that don’t contain harmful substances such as formaldehyde, phthalates, or flame retardants. These types of chemicals, if exposed to over a long period of time, could cause respiratory issues, skin irritation, or disrupt hormonal balance. Prolonged exposure to these harmful substances has also been linked to more serious health concerns, including developmental issues in children. Choosing non-toxic bedding and pillows reduces the risk of these potential health problems, creating a safer and healthier sleep environment.

Our fibres and fillings at Think Group all have an OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 label. This is a label for textiles tested for harmful substances. It sets the benchmark for textile safety, and every item bearing the STANDARD 100 label is certified as having passed a safety test for the presence of harmful substances. 

Non-toxic flooring 

Over time, floors and carpets carry dust, allergens and other particles that may impact sleep quality. Over time, these particles can be released into the air, especially when walking on or vacuumed. 

VOCs can also be found in underlay, a layer of material placed between the subfloor and new flooring. Low VOC content in underlay is crucial because it minimises the release of harmful chemicals into the air, a process known as “off-gassing.” Off-gassing can lead to indoor air pollution, which, as mentioned, can cause headaches, respiratory issues, or sleep disturbances, especially in poorly ventilated spaces.

Various hotels, house builders, and commercial spaces have chosen our SpringBond® solution, which is non-toxic flooring, including prestigious projects like Atlantis The Royal in Dubai, Bellway Homes, Taylor Wimpey, and SCS. These clients choose SpringBond® because they understand it provides the best combination of performance and sustainability, ensuring long-lasting and eco-friendly flooring solutions.

SpringBond® is also made from 100% polyester, which is naturally inherent and is resistant to mould and mildew. 

But the benefits extend beyond the builders themselves. For end users—whether guests in a hotel or residents in a new home, SpringBond® helps create a healthier environment by reducing exposure to VOCs. This improves air quality and supports overall well-being, offering a more comfortable, safe, and sustainable living or staying experience.

To get a good sleep, opting for low VOC underlay can help reduce health risks, and regular cleaning of carpet and floors can also help minimise dust accumulation and maintain better air quality.

Atlantis The Royal, Dubai: “SpringBond underlay was the perfect choice for Atlantis in all the bedrooms and communal areas of their latest flagship hotel. SpringBond boasts reliable performance and truly sustainable qualities. What’s not to love!”

Visit our blog to learn more about how to choose the best carpet underlay for your project.

How does light impact sleep? 

According to Dr Deborah Lee from Dr Fox Online Pharmacy,( sounds a questionable source) exposure to bright artificial lights impairs the secretion of the sleep hormone, melatonin. This may prolong sleep latency, which is the time taken to get to sleep. People living in brightly lit areas tend to have a later bedtime. Overnight, the excess light can encourage the use of smartphones and laptops during the night, which emits blue light, and this shuts off melatonin secretion. Those living and working in urban areas may see relatively less natural light, which again upsets Circadian rhythms. 

Not only this, but by using your phone at night and scrolling through social media, you’re exposing yourself to an abundance of information that can be overstimulating for the brain, especially when you’re about to go to sleep. Social media content can also be negative, making the transition to sleep more difficult. 

With this in mind, it’s essential to set a strict bedtime routine, which includes reducing screen time at least an hour before you sleep. Other tactics to create a good sleep environment include reading, meditation, or listening to calming music. 

What temperature should your bedroom be?

Health expert Dr Deborah Lee says that the optimal bedroom temperature is 16-18C. Many people do not realise that core body temperature falls by 1C just before sleep and continues to fall by 1-2C to reach its lowest values between 2 and 4 am. Sleeping in an overheated bedroom is a common reason for waking up at night and not being able to go back to sleep. It’s also the reason people fall asleep more quickly if they go to bed with their socks on! As their feet warm up, blood is diverted to the peripheries, cooling their core temperature. 

Dr Deborah Lee suggests keeping the heating off in the bedroom and sleeping with the window open, if possible, even in the winter.

How does noise impact sleep? 

Noise at night could be anything from traffic, a loud neighbourhood, or other family members in the house. According to the Sleep Foundation, noise has a major impact on sleep, and can have both short-term and long term-effects. 

The organisation says that even noises that don’t wake you up, can have a subconscious effect on sleep by changing the time we spend in certain sleep cycles. For example, if you live close to a main road, you might spend less time in REM sleep, which is deep sleep. 

In the short-term, if noise disturbs your sleep, you may feel irritable and sleepy the next day. In the long term, if noise continues to disrupt your sleep, this could increase the likelihood of health issues such as high blood pressure, weight gain, and type 2 diabetes. 

A solution to sleeping without noise would be to use earplugs, turn off notifications on phones, insulate windows, and add soft surfaces which might help block or lessen noise from inside and outside of the house. 

Alternatively, if you ‘need’ noise to sleep, using white noise, pink noise, or brown noise may be less disruptive. 

How to create a good sleep environment 

If you’re a homeowner and you’re struggling to get a good night’s sleep, it’s clear that your sleep environment plays a significant role in your overall rest and well-being. Every detail matters from the air quality to the materials in your flooring and mattress, and this is how you improve sleep quality. 

If you’re moving into a new build and you value your sleep and health, it’s important to question what materials are being used in your home, particularly when it comes to underlay, flooring, and even furniture. The material choices made in the construction of your space can have a direct impact on your health and comfort. 

Just like we carefully consider health and safety when it comes to the sleep environment for children and babies, adults should equally prioritise these factors when designing their own sleep spaces and learning how to improve sleep quality. Whether you’re choosing new flooring or a mattress, never underestimate the impact that materials can have on your sleep quality. 

Create a healthy sleep environment with SpringBond® 

For hotels, house builders, and commercial companies interested in enhancing the sleep environment for your clients or guests, our SpringBond® solution offers a sustainable and low-VOC option that contributes to better air quality and overall wellbeing.If you’re looking to create healthier products, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to learn more about how we can help.