Bed Store Bed Blog

Wake up to the light.

Do you have a problem waking up from day to day?  Tired of that annoying alarm clock?  Do you need someone to kick you out of bed to get you going in the morning?  Are you looking for a better answer to meeting the day?  Maybe you should take the Philips Challenge and start "seeing the light."

In our overwhelmed work a day world, full of stress and energy robbing activities and demands, every minute of deep restful sleep is more essential than ever before.  The truth is, we simply can't afford a bad start to our day.  Adding the annoyance of a "wake up demand" from some premative device like a noisy alarm clock only serves to further frustrate us and get us up on the wrong footing.  It's time for new and innovative solutions to our tired old problems.  Maybe Philips is on to a great new idea.  Check it out for yourself. 

Sleep, Fengshui, and Personal Energy

Our bed is the one piece of furniture that provides the most intimate connection to our personal energy.  If our bed is positioned incorrectly in our bedroom, then "it results in improper sleep and health problems."  This according to an article published on "Your Logo."  According to this article, the Fengshui (pronounced fung schay) of our bedroom can grealy impact our personal energy, which is the prize of a great night's sleep.  I must confess that it's something I hadn't given much thought about until now.  Fengshui is a complex body of knowledge that reveals how to balance the energies of any given space to assure the health and good fortune for people inhabiting it.  And so what are we to think about the impact of fengshui on our sleep as it relates to our personal energy?

There is so much information out there about loss of enegry.  The big thing right now seems to be identical hormone replacement.  Everybody wants more energy.  Can it be that getting the right mattress and then arranging it in the right order in our bedroom, can actually provide the impetus for greater personal energy.   While I'm not yet the number one fan of this thinking,  I think it has merit and I am at least going to become an interested student.  I'll keep you posted on what I find out.  One thing for sure is, I need more energy.  How about you?

High Energy Power Naps

A short 20-minute power nap for people who are really engrossed in their work, almost always provides a fresh burst of new ideas and energy.  Sara C. Mednick, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life. "You can get incredible benefits from 15 to 20 minutes of napping," she says. "You reset the system and get a burst of alertness and increased motor performance.

The truth of the matter is that our brains are overloaded and begging to "shut down" for a few minutes to reboot and once they do, they'll come back firing off at highly productive levels.  It's time for us to reintroduce ourselves to the mid day nap.

 If you need an instant pick me up, try closing your eyes for just five minutes. Even a couple of minutes of rest can give you increased energy and clear your mind.  For an excellent read on how to properly "PowerNap" check out 10 Benefits of Power Napping. 

Now, get back out there and conquer the world!

Brain Cell Protecting Protien May Cause Restless Leg Syndrome

About 10% of the population suffers from "restless leg syndrome".  It's happens most often while the body is trying to rest and the legs are overcome with an electicral tingling sensation that forces one to constantly move their legs to achieve any type of relief.  This robs the individual from deep, restful sleep.  Those suffering from RLS would love to find relief, but would they give up "protected brain cells" in order to achieve it?  A new study has identified a connection between the genetic region TOX3 protein that protects brain cells, and restless leg syndrome.  Previous studies have shown that increased levels of the TOX3 protein protects brain cells from cell death, but the link between TOX3 and restless legs syndrome is not clear. For more on this story, check out the following link. http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20110715/new-genes-linked-to-restless-legs-syndrome

The Perfect Mattress Shopping Experience

I have been in the mattress business for over 40 years and have had some wonderful and some not so wonderful experiences.  From the very beginning, I have wanted to be associated with "the best" products, the best companies, and the best shopping experiences in the industry.  Ninteen years ago, I founded a company called The Bed Store with a mission statement to create the very best mattress shopping experience in the mattress business.  While we have made our share of mistakes, we have enjoyed success, even during very difficult economic times.  And as a result, we are about to enter a whole new phase of growth designed to catipult us into one of the nations largest mattress retail chains.  Before we go one step further, we want to solicit your help in designing "the perfect mattress shopping experience."

There are several ways you can help.  One is by sharing your experiences, both positive and negative on your last mattress shopping experience.  Another is to share your ideas on things you would like to see happen in your next mattress shopping experience.  And finally, share this post with friends so that we can get as large a sampling and as many ideas as possible.  My promise to you is that we will read them all and that we will take your advice very seriously and try to incorporate them into our current operations, as well as our rapid future growth.  Our desire is to create the ultimate mattress shopping experience and then to take it all over the United States.  Get ready, The Bed Store is coming to a location near you soon.  If you are interested in operating your own The Bed Store, please contact cj@bedstore.com.

Why we hate to mattress shop.

Mention mattress salesman and most women immediately envision a used car saleman.  How's that for making you want to come into your nearest showroom and lay around?  I can certainly understand the lack of appeal there.  And shopping a sea of "white rectangles" isn't anybodies idea of a great way to spend the day.  Add to this the boring, non appealing subject matter itself and you have a formula for disaster.  And yet, off we go, responding to all the loud and obnoxious "Mattress Sale" propaganda so that we don't miss that "last chance" deal and get stuck with that tired old worn out mattress that is zapping us of the last ounce of energy we have.  How accurate am I?  So, why did I get into this business?  To change it!  To change the way we perceive it and the way we do it.  I must confess, it has been an uphill battle, but I see light at the end of the tunnel.

The best news of all is that professional women have gotten into the business and began to shake up the "good ole boys" club.  They are insisting that women, who are the main buyers of mattresses, don't want to talk about how many coils and what gauge of wire the coils use.  They don't want to lie beneath over asserative sales people looking down over them preaching the "gospel of wire and foam".  And they don't trust a single thing they say about the "SALE" price, but that's all they have to go on and so they take the "deal."  These new industry leaders are demanding a better way to build, show, and present mattresses.  As a member of this industry for over 40 years I say, welcome!  What took you so long?

I just got back from the Vegas market and saw some exciting new things and, as usual, we tied up some of the most innovative new product offerings so that we could continue our quest to offer our customers the very best sleep products in the freshest showrooms with the finest sleep consultants we can find.  I think it's why our customers are rewarding us with so much growth during these very difficult times.  While the good ole boys are still at it with new offerings of "titanium" coils, and "atheletic shoe themed" mattress covers, we are going to bank on our customer's imput and continue to find the products that actually deliver better sleep at the best prices and in friendly and informative showroom settings that make it safe to come out and shop.  If you don't live in the Knoxville area, these products are available to the right network of dealers in your area.  Check out the exciting new iComfort while your shopping.  I think you'll like what Serta is doing.  We do.

Sleep well!

Mowing Your Lawn Naked.

We've all mowed our lawn at least once in our lives, right?  But have your ever mowed it naked?  How about naked and in your sleep?  It seems that it happened to at least one poor fellow.  Here's the story.

In 2005, a sleep-walking computer expert was reportedly caught by his wife mowing the lawn naked at 2am. Rebekah Armstrong was woken by a noise coming from the garden. When she realized her husband Ian was not in bed she went downstairs to see what was happening.

Rebekah found Ian was mowing the lawn completely starker. She was afraid to wake him up because she had always been told it can be dangerous to disturb someone who is sleepwalking. She just unplugged the mower, went back to bed and let him get on with it. Ian, 34, later got back into bed and didn't believe Rebekah when she told him what he'd been up to.

For more interesting sleepwalking stories check out the following this link.

Sleeping in the Hot Weather

The heatwave the we are curre

ntly experiencing can wreak havoc on our quality of sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation  when the temperature is high it will take you longer to fall asleep and once you do fall asleep your sleep cycle is more likely to be "broken up or fragmented." Below are some things you can do tohelp overcome the hazy, hot, nights of summer slumber.

all below information is from the National Sleep Foundation

What you can do about where you sleep

1. Do whatever you can to prevent excessive heat build-up in your dwelling. During the daytime use blinds to keep out sunlight and keep the windows closed if the temperature outside is much hotter than inside. At night time, if the temperature is less outside than inside, open your windows.

2. Remember that heat rises. So if you are living in a multiple story dwelling the lower you are the cooler it will be.

3. If there is absolutely nothing you can do to cool off your dwelling, consider asking friends or relations who have a cooler dwelling or who live in a cooler place, whether you can stay with them for a few nights. They will understand.

4. If worse comes to worst, in some parts of the world people end up sleeping outdoors because it is simply not possible to cool off their dwellings at night. If you sleep outdoors, consider the need to protect yourself against mosquitoes and other insects.

5. Some communities may have cooling centers in schools or public places that are air-conditioned.

6. This is important! Some people will sleep in a motor vehicle and have the air conditioning running. This can be very dangerous if the vehicle is not moving, because there may be a build-up of carbon monoxide.

What you can do before going to bed

1. Water is a great cooling agent. Showers and baths before bed may help. Strangely enough, some people do better taking hot showers and hot baths when the room temperature is very high. The problem of course with hot showers is that they increase the humidity, which could make things worse.

2. Some people have found that being sprayed by a plant mister or gadget that creates a fine mist may help.

 

What you can do to improve your sleep environment

1. Light bedclothes and light pajamas or no pajamas are certainly an important option. There are pajamas made from materials that wick away sweat which might be very helpful. Such nightclothes are available and helpful, for example, in women who are having hot flashes during sleep, who sweat a great deal. Such materials include CoolMax ®.

2. Some people find that a fan in the room may help.

If you wake up and you are sweaty and your sheets and pillow cases are wet consider taking a brief shower and change the bed clothes.

 

What you can do to prepare for future heat waves

1. Since it is getting hotter and hotter, it might be time to invest in some air conditioning units. In many places, room air conditioners are reasonably priced. They are usually hard to find during a heat wave.

2. If you are going to purchase one, make sure that you obtain the right size. For a small room you don’t need a huge air conditioner. Ask the vendor how to calculate what size air conditioner you need. Remember that if you use a room air conditioner it is best to seal the room from the remainder of the house. Offer to share your air conditioned place with others.

Protect your health

Remember that when you sweat a great deal, you lose both water and electrolytes. This can be dangerous. Make sure that you replenish both and do not become dehydrated. Avoid excessive and unprotected sun exposure. Sunburn will add to your misery in trying to sleep when it is hot.

Do you suffer from sleep paralysis?

Has this ever happened to you?  You try to run, but you feel constrained and held back.  You try to yell out, but your words won't come out intelligibly.  You are gripped by fear.  Your heart beat heightens as your breath shallows.  You are trapped, immobile, paralyzed.  Then you are awakened out of a deep sleep by a someone calling out your name repeatedly.  It's called sleep paralysis, and it affects many people. Sleep paralysis may leave you feeling frightened, especially if you also see or hear things that aren't really there. Sleep paralysis may happen only once, or you may have it frequently -- even several times a night.

The good news: sleep paralysis is not considered a dangerous health problem. Read further to become better informed on sleep paralysis and what remedies are available to you.

Alzheimer's and Sleep

I have a friend who just discovered that she has Alzheimer's disease (AD), a brain disorder that affects a person's thoughts, memory, speech, and ability to carry out daily activities. With AD the loss of brain tissue that leads to loss of mental abilities may also disrupt the sleep/wake cycle, which may cause sleep problems, nighttime wandering, and agitation.  She is a very active person and this news is devestating.  Her AD is very agressive and already she is having great difficulty with her natural sleep cycle, which only aggrevates her illness and causes even greater frustration.

"One feature of AD is "sundowning," a term used to describe an increase in agitated behavior that occurs in the evening. This increased agitation may be explained by sleepiness or it may be that agitated behavior is more troublesome to caregivers after sun down. Whatever their causes, agitation and sleep problems result in severe stress for caregivers and are among the top reasons AD patients are given care in nursing homes instead of at home."

"Getting adequate sleep on a regular schedule is also critical to the management of AD symptoms. Behavioral therapies, including those for sleep problems, also target families and caregivers of AD patients and can be an important part of the treatment plan for AD. If nighttime awakening is a problem, try to avoid or curtail naps."  For more information about Alzheimer's and Sleep go to click here.