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Those who want to stay young, fit, and healthy for longer often rely on superfoods and fitness trackers. But one crucial tool for a healthy life is frequently neglected: one's own bed.
Statistically speaking, we spend an average of around 3.066 hours a year in our beds, which adds up to over 30.000 hours of wear and tear on the materials over ten years. "Those who try to save money here are penny-wise and pound-foolish," explains sleep and bed expert Markus Kamps.
Kamps also points to a recent study by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU): Statistically, people who regularly sleep less than seven hours per night have a lower life expectancy than people who get enough sleep.
Too little is invested in beds.
The correlation between sleep and longer lifespan is therefore even greater than that between diet and exercise.
"The bed is therefore our most important place of regeneration – and at the same time one of the most underestimated," says Markus Kamps. During sleep, enormous mechanical and hygienic forces act on the mattress and bed base.
"Materials age, lose their elasticity and therefore their supportive capacity. This happens gradually – often we only notice the wear and tear when our back hurts or our concentration wanes."
Improve your own sleeping environment
Kamps compares: “A high-quality e-bike is used on average for only a few hundred hours a year, while an annual holiday lasts two to three weeks. Nevertheless, people in Germany often spend significantly more on leisure, mobility, or technology than on their sleep system.”
To own Sleeping environment To improve your bed, a professional bed check is the first step. This involves examining the bed frame, base, mattress, pillows, and the local climate.
Does the system still ergonomically suit the body type and sleeping preferences? Are the materials showing signs of wear after prolonged use? Does the sleeping environment still meet modern hygiene standards for respiratory health and skin?
First check for home
Certified specialist stores offer nationwide support, for example at kompetenz-zentrum-gesunder-schlaf.de, to optimize the individual sleep system and avoid expensive mistakes.
A self-test can provide an indication of how well you're getting restful sleep. At schlafkampagne.de/bettencheck, for example, you can find tips and tricks for putting your mattress, bed frame, duvet, and pillow to the test.
“The check is the ideal preparation to determine whether a new purchase makes sense or whether small adjustments will already bring improvements,” advises Markus Kamps.
Sierks Media / © Photos: Ilias Gainutdinov (1), Greg Pappas (1), Unsplash / Source: djd
