The Gift Mums Actually Want This Mother’s Day? An Extra Hour In Bed

We can all picture it. It’s a Sunday morning. The spring sunshine is coming through the curtains, you’re snug under a cosy duvet and your head is sunk into plush pillows. It’s Mother’s Day. Your partner or your kids bring you a cup of tea and toast on a tray for a relaxing breakfast in bed on your special day. And then you wake up…

In reality, the kids are running around downstairs, the dog’s barking and your partner is next to you snoring away. To make it worse? That elusive Mother’s Day lie-in might be even harder to come by in 2025, because Mother’s Day (Sunday 30th March) falls on the same day as Daylight Savings Time, which will steal a whole extra hour of precious, precious sleep.

Forget flowers and chocolates, our recent survey found that what Mum really wants for Mother’s Day this year is a good lie-in!

The gift of sleep this Mother’s Day

Our poll found that 62% of mums would rather have an extra hour in bed, compared to just 38% who said they wanted flowers and chocolates. We also found that over 1 in 5 parents are woken up by others at least three times a week, whether by their kids, pets, or partners. 

Unfortunately, it’s mums who are getting the short end of the stick, with twice as many women as men reported being woken up by others six times a week or more!

We all know that your sleep takes a hit when you become a parent, and 69% said they lost at least three hours of sleep per night in their child’s first year. And while dads certainly feel the impact (62%), it’s mums who suffer the most. In fact, 77% said they lost at least three hours of sleep per night.

What about the occasional lie-in? Does it help top you up? Our resident sleep expert, Dr Sophie Bostock, said: 

“Waking up at the same time every day helps our internal circadian rhythms, or body clocks, to stay in sync. Consistent wake-up times have been linked to better quality sleep, more energy and lower rates of heart disease. However, if a weekend lie-in is the only way to get enough hours of sleep, experts agree that it’s better to take advantage of the opportunity for catch-up sleep than to keep building up a sleep debt.”

Getting that Mother’s Day lie in

So how do we make the golden lie-in happen this Mother’s Day, especially with the clock change working against it? Well, all is not lost. Here are Dr Sophie’s top tips for securing that extra hour or so.

Bank extra sleep if possible

The average Brit loses more than an hour’s sleep in the weekend of the Spring clock change. Research shows that we cope better with sleep loss, and recover more quickly, if we’re already well-rested. Enter ‘sleep banking’.

Sleep banking refers to deliberately getting extra sleep in the nights leading up to a sleep challenge such as an early start for a holiday, a big day out or the clocks changing. In an ideal world, we’d spend an extra hour or two in bed during the week, but for most parents, this is wishful thinking. However, you can start going to bed earlier to get that time in.

Adjust your bedtimes gradually

Shifting your sleep-wake pattern earlier a few nights in advance could lessen the impact of the clock change.

This strategy could be particularly helpful for teenagers, and anyone else who follows the sleep-wake pattern of a ‘night owl’. Night owls have a delayed internal clock which means they naturally want to go to sleep after midnight and struggle to wake up before 9am. It can be particularly difficult for people with this chronotype to adjust to waking up an hour earlier in the morning.

To ease the transition, shift your bedtime 20-30 minutes earlier for a few nights before the clock changes. For example, if you usually go to bed at 11pm and wake up at 7am, try this new sleep schedule:
 

• Thursday, bedtime 10:40pm, wake up at 6:40am

• Friday, bedtime 10:20pm, wake up at 6:20am

• Saturday, bedtime 10:00pm, wake up at 6am
   

This 6am actually becomes 7am on Sunday the 30th after the clock changes. 

To make it easier to feel sleepy earlier, we also recommend moving the timing of your evening meal forward by the same amount of time and dimming the lights before bed.

The British Sleep Society issued a statement last year calling for the abolition of clock changes in favour of permanent Standard Time (Greenwich Mean Time or GMT). They noted studies have found an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and fatal accidents in the weeks immediately following the Spring clock change. The major reason for abandoning DST would be because GMT offers a better alignment of our body clocks with day and night across the UK, which promotes optimal sleep and overall health.

Enjoy the sunset the night before

While too much blue light exposure can disrupt your production of the sleep hormone, melatonin, the light from a sunset has the opposite effect.

A 2020 study found that long wavelength orange and yellow light (typical of a sunset) can help your sleeping patterns because it “stimulat[es] the cone photoreceptor inputs to specific neurons in the eye that regulate circadian rhythms.”

Sunset on Saturday 29 March this year is around 6.30pm, so why not put it in your diary and find the time to switch off and watch the sun dip below the horizon?

Ditch the harsh alarm

You might assume that a shouty klaxon or beeping tones will improve morning alertness, shocking you out of bed, but a 2020 study found that these non-melodic alarms have the opposite effect, and can make you feel groggier for longer. 

More melodic alarms, whether that’s birdsong or gentle music (researchers suggested Good Vibrations by Beach Boys or Close To Me by The Cure), can “help us transition into a waking state” much more effectively and smoothly.

Breakfast and cuddles in bed

Mother’s Day Breakfast in bed means mums can stay relaxed while other family members shoulder the responsibility for making it… and doing the washing up! Following this up with cuddles releases oxytocin, a ‘happy hormone’, which can help you feel calm, relaxed, and better able to cope with stress. It might just be one of the best Mother’s Day sleep gifts you can give.

Mother’s Day sleep gifts

If you want to go the extra mile, a few extra thoughtful gifts may help Mum get even better sleep this Mother’s Day. Here’s how:

• A massage or spa voucher: What better way to treat Mum this Mother’s Day than with a massage voucher? There’s a growing body of evidence showing that massage can improve sleep.

• Lavender-scented products: Paired with good sleep hygiene, lavender scents can improve sleep quality.

• Turn her bedroom into a sleep sanctuary: Make sure Mum feels well-rested with comfy bedroom buys like a mattress topper, protector, or new plump pillows. Emma Beck, Head Buyer at Bensons for Beds, explains:
  “Neck pain, stiff necks and even persistent headaches could simply be the result of not having the right pillow support while you sleep, while mattress toppers offer increased support and comfort.”

• Breathable pyjamas: Nightwear made from natural fibres like bamboo, cotton, or linen allows your skin to breathe and helps regulate your body temperature while you sleep. Very important for that Mother’s Day lie-in.

• A silk pillowcase: Silk is hypoallergenic and can help to reduce skin irritation. That’s not only because the fabric’s fibres are very smooth and prevent it from catching on hair and skin, but also because it repels dust.

If you’re looking for the perfect Mother’s Day sleep gift, an extra hour of sleep might be just the thing she’s been hoping for. And if that’s not possible, at least make breakfast in bed… and let her drink her tea while it’s still hot!