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Do you want to wave goodbye to unwanted nightmares and guarantee yourself a great night’s sleep every night?

Well, now you can with help and advice from our very own sleep experts!

Having been crowned Bed Retailer of the Year in 2014 and 2015, we know a thing or two about getting a good night’s rest.

So, we’re obviously keen to share our knowledge and pass on our sleep tips to allow you enjoy better dreams every time you drift off to sleep.

How to make sure you dream

If you want to enjoy better dreams night after night, you’re going to need to establish a consistent bedtime routine and create a relaxing sleep environment.

As well as being bad for our health, sleep deprivation leads to restless sleep and this is not good if we want to enjoy more relaxing dreams and, subsequently, better quality sleep.

Here are five things you can do to make it more likely you’ll dream;

1. Relax before going to bed. This may involve getting a bath, reading a book or doing some controlled breathing exercises. 

2. Try to avoid food and drinks which contain stimulants. Alcohol, caffeine and sugar will all cause your brain to stay ‘switched on’ and reduce your chances of getting to sleep easily. Ideally, you should aim to eat your evening meal 2 or 3 hours before going to bed to allow it to digest properly. 

3. Free your mind of any stressful thoughts. Writing a ‘to do’ list before you go to bed is a good way to do this. 

4. Make sure watching TV or going on a gadget like your mobile phone is not the last thing you do before turning out the lights. The ‘white’ light given off by electrical devices stimulates the mind and can make you feel drowsy or less alert when you wake up the next day.

5. Playing lyric-free music or relaxing sounds, like ocean waves or the call of birds, can have a soothing effect on the body and mind. If you are a light sleeper, wearing ear plugs can help you to enjoy undisturbed sleep.

How to have a dream you want

Wouldn’t it be great if we could influence the dreams we have, rather than settle for any old subject?

Well, the good news is we can do just that by adopting a few simple tactics before we go to sleep.

Eat the right foods: Eating foods which contain tryptophan - such as turkey, chicken, fish and milk - can increase our sleepiness and reduces the amount of time it takes to drift off to asleep. This happens because the body uses tryptophan to produce serotonin, which is important for healthy sleep.

Adopt the perfect sleeping position: According to a study carried out by researchers from the Hong Shue University in Hong Kong, the position in which we sleep heavily influences the topics you dream about. If you want more pleasant and relaxing dreams, try to sleep on your right side. Nightmares and vivid dreams are thought to be more likely if you fall asleep on your left side.

Think positive thoughts: Thinking positively and focusing on the things we want to dream about is the best way to influence the dream topics we experience. If you are continually having nightmares or traumatic dreams this may be a reflection of other stresses in your life.    

Surround yourself with soothing scents: Research shows that aromatherapy and the fragrances we smell can have an impact on our mood.

Do you want to know what your dreams mean?

Although we actually forget around 95% of the dreams we have by the time we wake up and get out of our beds, some of us are able to recall much larger amounts.

Start a ‘Dream Diary’ today, write down the subjects and stories you dream about and investigate what they mean. You might be pleasantly surprised! 

Win a new Slumberland bed

As part of National Bed Month, we’ve teamed up with Slumberland to help you enjoy sweet dreams every night – by offering you the chance to win a new mattress.

Just answer the question below and you could soon be sleeping soundly with Slumberland. 

Visit our Slumberland page now and take a look at the mattresses you could choose from if you win.