We all know how a good eight hours’ sleep can work wonders in making us feel better the next day, but it also looks like sleep is essential for our health too. And whilst it’s something that we all have plenty of experience of, it seems that sleep isn’t as easy to get as we’d hope.

The NHS have highlighted how one-third of the population suffers from insomnia which can have a devastating knock-on effect on everything from our moods and behaviours, to our long-term health.

Whilst there has been no shortage of weird and wonderful ways to improve the quality of our lives in recent years, it seems as though we might be overlooking how a good dose of regular sleep can help us live significantly healthier and longer lives.

Although ancient healing methods like reiki and health-boosting superfoods like blueberries frequently attract the headlines, we seem to be less willing to examine how a simple change in our sleeping habits could have potentially far-reaching effects.

Often it’s a result of our busy lifestyles that we are not getting all of the sleep we need, and the relentless interference of smartphones and tablets in our lives is meaning that it’s getting harder than ever to turn off.

But we need to make an extra effort to improve our sleep hygiene, as everything from heart health to the functioning of our immune systems is ultimately dependent upon us getting plenty of sleep.

It’s not just our physical aspects of our bodies that require the restorative powers of sleep, as our powers of concentration, our abilities to form memories, and even our moods are also reliant upon our ability to sleep.

As a result, it’s essential that we make every effort to improve our sleeping environment. From investing in high-tech items like white noise makers to block our any unwanted sounds, to even taking steps to check out the pay monthly plans for a new bed from Bedstar, it seems that there is no shortage of ways that we can try and give ourselves a better chance of sleeping throughout the night.

There is also a growing amount of research that shows how everything from limiting the amount of fatty foods eaten, to how much time we spend on our mobiles before bed can significantly affect our sleeping behaviours.

So whilst it’s relatively easy for any of us to get a pay monthly bed and hope for better sleep, it seems that achieving that mythical eight-hours per night is not as simple as it seems.