" We all have a bad night's sleep every now and again. It may be due to excitement over a forthcoming event - perhaps a date with an extra special person in your life or perhaps it may be due to anxiety about having to fulfil a public speaking engagement or the need to perform well at an interview.

But for many, not getting a good night's sleep is a regular occurrence. In fact millions of men and women in the UK are not getting the right kind of quality sleep on a regular basis to help them manage the pressures of everyday life in the twenty-first century

Recent research indicates that 35% of us experience sleeping problems of one kind or another at least twice a year and about half of all sufferers consider it to be a worrying problem serious enough to consult their GP. The research also reveals that 7% of the population over twenty years of age admit to feeling extremely tired and sleepy during the day. Alarmingly, almost 80% (78%) of all those interviewed felt they did not sleep as well they would like and felt they were under-performing and under-achieving because of it.

If we left the brain to its own devices, it would make sure that we got somewhere in the region of nine-and-a-half to ten hours sleep in every twenty-four hour cycle. And this amount of sleep is the closest estimate that we can get to the amount of sleep that evolution has programmed-in for us. But, having said that, most of us can function on eight hours sleep 'for most day-to-day purposes' - but only just. Yet, remarkably, only a small minority of people ever experience the benefit of eight hours fully restorative sleep on a regular basis.

In fact, the vast majority of people have been sleeping so badly for such a long period of time that they have forgotten what it is really like to be wide awake in the morning - fully alert and ready to live life to the max.

Loss of sleep can have an enormous impact on quality of life. It can destroy self-esteem and undermine the ability to make the most of lifes's ups and deal successfully with life's downs. More importantly, poor quality sleep inhibits the brains ability to reduce the natural regenerative process of both the mind and body, as well as reduce the ability of the immune system to fight off infection and disease efficiently and effectively.

In many case, loss of sleep, or more properly, poor quality sleep, can lead to kinds of emotional and psychological problems including uncharacteristic behavior such as mood swings;increased irritability; aggressive behavior; reduced frustration tolerance; loss of control; over-emotional responses; eating disorders; weight problems; poor concentration; failing short-term memory and loss of interest in sex.

Despite work pressure and hectic social lives, many enlightened people are now putting quality sleep back on the agenda and buying into the pursuit of sleep. 'Wellness' is the latest buzzword and the personal ability to achieve a good night's sleep is currently the most prized status symbol of all. Getting a good night's sleep shows you are on top of things. And there is no better way to start than treating yourself to a bed you know you really deserve - one which is individually tailored and built to your specification by craftsmen who are passionate about beds"

Ivan Gulvin,
Director of the Sleep and daytime Tiredness Assessment Centre
The Natural sleep foundation, London

If you are having trouble sleeping, call the Natural Sleep Foundation on 020 8642 3780