In a recent BBC interview, Professor Matt Walker, professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley suggested that turning off the a/c or heating in the bedroom could help us sleep better.

Our ancestors, after all, lived without these technical 'luxuries', and timed their sleep to the natural ups and downs of temperature and light caused by the earth's rotation.  Our brains have been programmed over many generations to sleep when triggered by these changes. Now we have decoupled our bedrooms from these natural cycles and this can result in insomnia.

Professor Walker is generally worried about the intrusion of technology into our bedrooms. For example, the blueish light from lap-top screens is not unlike sunlight which subconsciously makes us believe it is still daytime. And the urge for one last quick check of e-mails, tweets and Facebook 'likes' can be addictive.

He also warned that with anything less than seven hours’ sleep, we start to see health consequences. As he states: 

“Every major disease that is killing us in the developed world: Alzheimer’s, cancer, obesity, diabetes, anxiety, depression, suicidality. All of them have direct and very strong causal links to deficient sleep.”

So, get technology out of your bedroom and, if need be, use the breathesimple app to help you relax and improve your sleep quality.