How to achieve your best sleep this summer
We’ve rounded up the best EE smart tech to help improve your shut-eye this season…
The summer season is well underway, and along with the higher temperatures and longer daylight hours come the restless nights.
Yes, from heat and humidity to sunlight exposure and pollen allergies, the seasonal changes of the summer months are proven to negatively impact our sleeping patterns.
In fact, according to new research, Brits appear to be missing out on at least 30-minutes of sleep a night during the summer months, with statistics showing a spike in insomnia over the hotter season.
This can have major repercussions across all areas of our lives, with poor sleep (both in hours and quality) proven to reduce productivity and concentration, while having a lasting impact on our mental health.
Thankfully EE is on the case, providing industry-leading smart technology to combat these seasonal barriers, helping its customers to achieve some quality sleep. And in turn, allowing us all to make the most of the summer months ahead.
From guided sleep meditation to smart lighting, here’s how to achieve some quality shut-eye this season…
Keep yourself cool
There is a direct correlation between body heat and snooze, with many needing a drop in core temperature to facilitate sleep. And with hot and humid summer nights causing overheating and discomfort, it’s no surprise that our sleeping patterns are out of whack. Increasingly, people are turning to smart technology to regulate their body temperatures, with summer being the perfect time to invest in a smart thermometer. This is proven to aid sleep, with an optimum room temperature helping us to doze longer and deeper.
Switch off before bed
Stress is another key barrier when it comes to sleep. And with the summer months seeing a rise in hybrid working, we often let our work hours bleed into our downtime. This includes our bedtime rituals, with many Brits forgoing an evening wind-down to take work to bed. Experts have warned against this, with pre-bed screen time proven to overstimulate the brain, making the transition to sleep more difficult, and decreasing both sleep duration and quality. Creating positive boundaries is key to achieving restorative sleep, with EE’s WiFi controls feature allowing you to pause your WiFi, and schedule some tech-free time for yourself before bed. This could help improve your chances of getting quality sleep, with a pause in screen-related activities giving your brain a chance to wind down.
Tailor your lighting
It’s important to ensure that your bedroom is the right environment for you to sleep in, with brightness and sunlight exposure cited among the most common reasons for summer sleep issues. Investing in good quality smart blinds is key to limiting extra sunlight exposure, allowing you to snooze uninterrupted and achieve a better quality of sleep. Plus, EE’s Smart lighting selection offers dimmable bulbs, allowing you to customize your surroundings to achieve your best possible sleep. Not to mention, by using its timer settings, you can ensure lights are off when you need them to be, thereby maintaining a regular bedtime and creating a healthy sleep routine.
Clear your mind
Looking after your mental wellbeing is essential to achieving quality sleep, with stress and anxiety being the most common causes of insomnia. According to research by leading mental health brand Calm, 91% of adults are not rested and feel tired often, with 77% of its subscribers using the app primarily to aid with sleep. EE has now partnered with the number one app for meditation and sleep, offering its customers discounted access to its science-backed features. And from guided meditations and sleep tracking, to Sleep Stories and sound scapes, they are proven to enhance sleep quality as well as duration.
Visit ee.co.uk/home for more information on EE tech.
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Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.