How smartphone and tablet screens impact sleep

Research has shown that the light from smartphones, tablets and other screens is having a detrimental impact on our sleep because many emit blue light. Here’s why...

Blue light

Blue light is all around us. One of the biggest producers of blue light is the sun. The blue light from the sun collides with air molecules causing blue light to scatter everywhere. This is what makes the sky look blue. In its natural form, your body uses blue light from the sun to regulate your natural sleep and wake cycles. This is known as your circadian rhythm.

Pineal gland

Evolutionarily, this made sense. When the sun goes down in the evening, the amount of natural blue light is reduced, signalling to the pineal gland, a pea-size organ in the brain, that it’s time to rest.

Melatonin

It does this by releasing the hormone melatonin before your regular bedtime. Melatonin reduces alertness, preparing us for sleep.

But looking at screens in the evening stops our bodies from producing melatonin at bedtime, breaking our circadian rhythm and natural sleep cycle; and making us less ready for a good night's sleep.

Impact on sleep

Studies have found that those who read with a tablet at night get a poor quality sleep and feel less alert than those who read their bedtime stories from a paper book.

So get a better night's sleep and switch off any devices at least an hour before bed!

SHOP NOW

Author: Emily AttwoodPublished: 8 September 2017Last modified: 12 April 2024

Deep fitted sheets

A fitted sheet should fit your mattress perfectly without any loose material or being too tight to pull over the mattress corners. All you need to know in a 3 minute read!

Wool Dryer Balls in A Tumble Dryer | scooms

Top tips for cutting the cost of your energy bills

Energy prices are on the rise and the cost of running our homes is increasing. Here are some top tips on how to cut the cost of your bills from the scooms team.

Duvets rolled on a bench to show different thicknesses

Thin duvets for summer

Thinking of investing in a thinner duvet ? Don't put up with being hot and sweaty during warm summer nights, swap to a thinner summer duvet this year for a blissfully cool night's sleep every night!

Egyptian cotton flat sheet on Bed | scooms

Flat sheets vs fitted sheets

We're excited to be introducing flat sheets to our Egyptian cotton bedding range in September. Here's everything you need to know about flat sheets versus fitted sheets.

EXPLORE

HELP

News & Offers

Get £10 off your first order over £200 + First access to new products, clearance sales & special offers.

Bedding size guide

DUVET SIZE GUIDE

These are standard UK bedding measurements so if you know your mattress size, you can easily work out which duvet size you need. (Width x length.)

UK sizes	Duvet size	Mattress size
Single	135 x 200cm (53 x 79")	90 x 190cm (36 x 75")
Double	200 x 200cm (79 x 79")	135 x 190cm (53 x 75")
King	225 x 220cm (89 x 87")	150 x 200cm (60 x 78")
Super king	260 x 220cm (102 x 87")	180 x 200cm (72 x 78")

US/CANADA BEDDING SIZES: Approximate matches to UK sizes are US King/UK Super king, US Queen/UK King, US Full/UK Double and US Twin/UK Single.

EUROPEAN BEDDING SIZES: Each size - Single, Double, King and Grand king - is a little larger than the UK equivalent.

Measure your mattress to see which size bedding you need: our UK v European v US mattress comparison guide.

DUVET TOG RATING GUIDE

Young children can overheat so if they are old enough to use a full size bed, we recommend using a single size 4.5 tog duvet.

Tog rating	Season / heat	Feel
2.5 tog	High summer / hot sleepers	Light thermal insulation
4.5 tog	Summer	Lower thermal insulation
9 tog	Spring & Autumn	Cosy medium heat
All season 13.5 tog	4.5 tog + 9 tog	Very warm
All season 11.5 tog	2.5 tog + 9 tog	Warm
All season 7 tog	2.5 tog + 4.5 tog	Lower warmth

DUVET FILL WEIGHT GUIDE

Our goose down duvets have high 700 fill power. Fill weight is measured in GSM (grams per square metre). For example view our 9 tog king size goose down duvet for more duvet details.

	Fill weight (not total duvet weight)
Single	All seasons - 788gsm 9 tog - 486gsm 4.5 tog - 302gsm 2.5 tog - 220gsm
Double	All seasons - 1168gsm 9 tog - 720gsm 4.5 tog - 448gsm 2.5 tog - 320gsm
King	All seasons - 1478gsm 9 tog - 911gsm 4.5 tog - 567gsm 2.5 tog - 400gsm
Super king	All seasons - 1671gsm 9 tog - 1030gsm 4.5 tog - 641gsm 2.5 tog - 480gsm

PILLOW SIZE GUIDE

Our pillows come in two sizes and two firmness options. (Width x length.)

Standard	50 x 75cm
King	50 x 90cm

BED LINEN SIZE GUIDE

Our fitted sheets are deep fit, up to 40cm / 15.7" mattress depth. And our duvet covers fasten with large, easy to use buttons. (Width x length.)

	Duvet cover	Fitted sheet	Flat sheet	Pillowcase (pair)
Single	140 x 200cm	90 x 190cm	180 x 275cm
Double	200 x 200cm	135 x 190cm	230 x 275cm	50 x 75cm (Standard)
King	230 x 220cm	150 x 200cm	275 x 275cm	50 x 90cm (King)
Super king	260 x 220cm	180 x 200cm	305 x 275cm

MATTRESS PROTECTOR SIZE GUIDE

Our mattress protectors are deep fit, up to 40cm mattress depth. Choose the same size protector as your mattress size. (Width x length.)

	Mattress protector size	Mattress size
Single	90 x 190cm	90 x 190cm
Double	135 x 190cm	135 x 190cm
King	150 x 200cm	150 x 200cm
Super king	180 x 200cm	180 x 200cm

Your basket