The researchers assessed the quality of their sleep across five dimensions in 27,500 middle-aged and elderly people (average age 54.7 years) enrolled in the UK Biobank (a research institute conducting long-term follow-up studies of the effects of genetic predisposition and lifestyle on disease). Approximately nine years later, they scanned the participants' brains with MRI and used machine learning models to estimate their biological brain age.
Despite regularly getting six to eight hours of zeds, I'd feel dreadful upon waking: inertia, stiffness, lack of energy. Springing out of bed was tough. I blamed diminished efforts with my diet (not helped by a broken oven) and not bothering with my usual yoga routine. I'd had plenty to keep me awake this year: my son's exams and university departure, chaos surrounding home decoration and long-drawn-out oven repairs, and a busy schedule. I was sleeping, but I wasn't feeling the benefit of resting.
There's something about stepping into a clean hotel room that instantly melts all stress away. The quality of sleep you get is even better. If I'm being honest, sleeping at a rental share doesn't compare to the sleep I get at a five-star hotel. That's because luxury hotels are very intentional about the bedding they use in their properties. Think about it-have you ever been to a hotel where the sheets weren't white, crisp, and incredibly soft? Probably not.
A meal eaten too close to sleep forces the body to focus energy and resources on digestion, impacting the quality of our sleep and increasing wakefulness.
A box spring involves a wooden frame or base that contains innerspring coils or has coils set atop the base. A fabric casing is often involved to keep everything contained. This is a deliberate design choice, because the coils in the box spring are springing up to meet the mattress atop it.