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Search the web for the secrets to a good night’s sleep and you’ll be overwhelmed with advice from sleep therapists to celebrities. Surprisingly, you won’t find insights from the professionals who impact your sleep the most: those who make mattresses, pillows and sleep accessories – the things that are usually the difference between a great sleep and crappy one.
That’s why we approached Rachel Beard, whose great-great-grandfather Enoch William Beard began selling mattresses stuffed with straw and tufted horsehair to Sydneysiders way back in 1899.
Rachel is the Education and Development Coordinator for A.H. Beard, the family-owned mattress maker which has evolved directly from the company that Enoch established almost 122 years ago. Now run by the fourth generation of Beards, its product range has expanded from mattresses to mattress bases, pillows and technology such as smart sleep lights, sleep trackers as well as sleep apps. However, the end goal remains the same: improving people’s lives through better sleep.
We assumed that with her unfettered access to all these sleep products and knowledge, Rachel would have pretty much nailed sleep by now. She didn’t disappoint, telling us she generally get 8.5 hours of shut-eye a night. That’s at the desirable end of the 7 to 9 hours a night recommended by sleep experts. That’s what ideal sleep looks like, if you can get it.
Our interview revealed that Rachel’s strategies for sleeping well can be divided into two areas. The first is her wind-down pre-bedtime routine, and the second is the careful selection
of her mattress and pillows, and use of sleep accessories.
Drops her body temperature
About three hours before sleep, Rachel begins her pre-bedtime ritual with a hot shower or, if she has time, a warm bath. “The reason behind that is your body naturally drops in temperature when falling asleep, so having that warm bath or hot shower assists your body to do that,” she says.
Changes the lights
About an hour before bedtime, Rachel banishes any electronic screens that emit blue light, which means no Netflix or scrolling through Instagram while she’s in bed. Then, with half an hour to go, she puts on a special smart sleep light which fills her bedroom with red light that mimics the setting sun and naturally increases the production of melatonin, the body’s natural sleep hormone. A.H. Beard’s Nox Smart Sleep Light also wakes her in the morning with changing colours to simulate sunrise, and comes with built-in sensors that monitor sleep disruptors such temperature, humidity, light and noise in her bedroom. It combines data from these with an analysis of her sleep. Rachel views her nightly sleep data on her iPhone the next morning and can make adjustments to her sleep environment based on that data to help her sleep better.
Uses the Calm meditation app
The Calm app is hands down the most popular sleep and meditation app and Rachel is an avid supporter. “I have one sleep story that I always listen to – it’s a 30-minute deep rest meditation that just puts me to sleep. I put the music on a timer and, together with the Nox red light, it helps me get the best night’s sleep,” she says.
The key to choosing a good mattress, Rachel explains, is the “combination of, one, feeling comfortable in your mattress and, two, being supported while sleeping, because comfort is what gets you to sleep and support
is what keeps you asleep.”
She likes a plush mattress, but stresses that mattress selection is very subjective. It’s all about how you interact with the mattress, how comfortable you feel lying on it and the level of support it gives you – all things that can vary dramatically from person to person.
To start with, make sure you spend enough time on the mattress before buying it, Rachel stresses. “Laying on a mattress in the middle of a store for the ideal time of 10 to 15 minutes can sometimes be a little bit daunting, but you’ve just got to keep in mind you’re going to have this mattress for at least seven to 10 years, which is the general lifespan of your mattress,” she says.
Rachel also recommends you get into your natural sleeping position when you hop on that mattress. “Not many know what their natural sleeping position is. If you don’t, it’s generally the position you wake up in in the morning. For example, if you’re a side sleeper, you want to be conscious that you don’t have too much pressure built up on your shoulders, and your hips and your waist are still supported.”
A mattress for those who train
A.H. Beard is the official mattress partner of the Australian Institute of Sport, so given that Fitness First members spend plenty of time in the gym, we asked Rachel if those of us who train have special needs when it comes to a mattress.
“Sleep is critical when it comes to muscle recovery,” she says. “Good-quality sleep aids in muscle recovery
and rejuvenation through the night. How do you get
that good-quality sleep? A supportive mattress and pillow will help your body’s recovery process.”
If you train regularly, it’s
worth considering some of the things that may be disrupting your sleep through the night, Rachel adds.
“If you’re getting muscle pain or muscle aches, or you’re tossing and turning, you might consider a mattress with memory foam, for example, which is highly body conforming to help relieve the pressure that can cause tossing and turning,” she says.
“Or a bed with an adjustable base that lets you articulate the feet slightly above your
heart if you’re lying on your back, which will help increase circulation and blood flow through your legs.”
Some of A.H. Beard’s adjustable bed bases also come with a massage feature that will encourage blood flow to facilitate muscle recovery and a better night’s sleep, Rachel tells.
A bad pillow may also impact negatively on your sleep, even if you have a supportive mattress. Therefore choosing the right pillow for your sleeping position is very important – it’s a bed for your head, Rachel points out.
“If you’re a side sleeper, for example, your head is higher off the mattress than if you are a back sleeper. I’m a tummy sleeper so I have a really thin pillow to make sure that my spine isn’t too misaligned while I’m sleeping,” she says.
“The whole idea of a pillow is to help promote a neutral spine while you’re sleeping. Then, once you’ve selected the right pillow for your sleeping position, it comes down to comfort choice, such as memory foam pillows, which are really good for conforming to your head and your neck. Alternatively, latex pillows are naturally hypo-allergenic and antimicrobial, and are really good for pressure relief, say, if you have neck pain.”
These insights from Rachel are just the tip of the iceberg. A.H. Beard has an informative website that’s worth visiting for its tips on getting a better night’s sleep, and also for its excellent mattress selector. Head to ahbeard.com and follow Rachel on Instagram
@rachelbeardsleeps