Snooze or lose? Take the big sleep quiz

Is sleep debt real, and do disco naps actually work? Photograph: South_agency/Getty Images

Whether it’s apps that track the quality of your zzz’s, sleep-assisting pillow sprays, white noise sound machines, or dream dust nightcaps, we’re always looking for new ways to improve our sleep. But with an overwhelming (and sometimes contradictory) amount of information out there, do you know myths from facts? Take our quiz to find out.

1. You overdid it by going out out on a school night, or just couldn’t resist watching an extra episode or two on Netflix. By Friday, you’re exhausted, but it’s ok because you can just catch up at the weekend, right?

   1. No, you can’t catch up on sleep debt – you just have to try to get back into a proper routine again.

   2. As long as you have a nice long lie in on Saturday and get to bed early on Sunday you’ll be fresh as a daisy come Monday morning.

   3. Who needs sleep anyway?

2. You’re over at your friend’s house and you’ve just finished dinner when they bring out the cheese board. It’s late, and you’ve got a lot to do tomorrow. Do you:

   1. Just go for it and have a gouda laugh.

   2. Avoid it: everyone knows eating cheese before bed gives you nightmares.

   3. Eating is overrated. Grab another tipple instead.

3. You’ve been finding it hard to fall asleep recently, and your colleague recommends you join their evening run club. You’re not really that into running but your colleague is convinced it’ll help tire you out so you fall asleep quicker. Do you:

   1. Say yes to your colleague and join up immediately.

   2. Politely decline, but start walking a bit faster to the bus stop each morning.

   3. Say to your colleague you’ll join them on their next run, but only if it’s straight after work – everyone knows that exercising before bed only keeps you more awake.

4. You head off to bed for the night only to find you’ve left your window open all day, and it’s been chilly out. What should you do?

   1. Close the window, crank up the heating and add a few extra pyjama layers.

   2. Just reach for a hot water bottle until you’re cosy enough to sleep.

   3. Cold doesn’t matter – you sleep in your birthday suit whatever the temperature.

5. It’s been a long day at work, and although you’re physically exhausted, your mind is still racing. To help you doze off, you:

   1. Guzzle a glass of wine (or two).

   2. Make a warm tea and stick Netflix on.

   3. Start that book your friend lent you to get you out of your funk.

6. It’s 3pm and you’re lagging. You can’t focus, but you really need to get this report out before the end of the day, so you can head to your family dinner. Do you:

   1. Go for a quick 20-minute nap – you’re lucky your workplace has nap pods.

   2. Grab a triple-shot cappuccino and carry on.

   3. Power through – everyone knows having a nap means you won’t sleep at night.

7. You’ve decided to upgrade your mattress. You’re not sure whether to go for memory foam or springs, but found that Tempur has something that does both. Do you:

   1. Stick to springs – all foam is the same.

   2. Go for one of the new memory foam models your friends are always talking about.

   3. Just grab a mat and sleep on the floor, Japanese-style.

Solutions

1:B - A recent study found that you can, actually catch up on sleep debt. However, it needs to happen gradually, and over a period of time. So if the sleep debt is incremental (2 or 3 hours lost in the week) you can catch up at the weekend., 2:A - There has never been any substantial evidence to prove that eating cheese before bed gives you nightmares, but cheese is high in fat, so it may cause discomfort if eaten too close to bedtime. In 2005, The British Cheese Board conducted a study where they gave 200 participants 20 grams of cheese 30 minutes before bed. They found that in the majority of the participants, eating cheese before bed did not give them “scary” nightmares but actually dreams that were “just wacky”. But perhaps take that with a pinch of parmesan., 3:C - You should allow at least three hours between vigorous exercising and bedtime. Although exercise tires you out physically, your levels of cortisol and adrenaline will be higher, resulting in increased mental alertness that may keep you awake., 4:B - It’s helpful to think of your bedroom as a cave – dark, quiet and cool are the optimum conditions for a restful night’s sleep. Instead of cranking up the heating or wearing extra layers, try wearing bed socks – they’ll bring you instant warmth, and you can whip them off later if you get too warm., 5:C - Although a nightcap before bed might help you doze off quicker, it doesn’t improve the quality of your sleep. Just six minutes of reading has been shown to reduce stress by 68%, clearing the mind and preparing the body for sleep., 6:A - According to the US National Sleep Foundation, our internal clocks are programmed to make us all prone to sleepiness during the early afternoon, and a quick afternoon rest won’t impair your ability to sleep at night so long as it is kept to 20 minutes or so. As long as you don’t enter REM sleep, which usually happens at around 90 minutes in, you won’t feel tired or groggy when you wake. It’s best to avoid drinking caffeine later in the day, as its effects can still be felt up to six hours afterwards., 7:B - A study tested sleepers who had never used memory foam mattresses before and found 70% of participants reported a definite reduction in tossing and turning while using memory foam. However, not all foam is the same. Tempur build their mattresses using technology developed by Nasa in the 1970s to cushion and support astronauts during lift-off, and theirs is the only mattress product recognised by Nasa and certified by the Space Foundation.

Scores

1. 4 and above.

   Caught napping. Serious slumber is within your grasp, but your routine could use a few tweaks.

2. 0 and above.

   Dozy disaster. Best try again and pick up a few tips for some solid shuteye.

3. 6 and above.

   Super snoozer. I would tell you you’re a great sleeper, but … you seem to already have nodded off.

Comfort conceived in space at the core of every mattress
TEMPUR material lies at the core of all of our mattresses and pillows, and is still the only mattress product recognised by Nasa and certified by the Space Foundation. Find out more about TEMPUR’s mattresses and pillows at uk.tempur.com