Category: Healthy Lifestyles

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Environment Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Natural Home Organic Comfort Products & Sales

CozyPure at The Green Festival Sept. 29-30

Pack your bags and get an up close look of our CozyPure® mattress and bedding collection at the 2012 Green Festival, provided by Green America and Global Exchange. There you will find Cheryl Hahn, the President and Founder of Organic Comfort Zone, manufacturer of CozyPure® organic mattresses and bedding. She will be there to talk to you about how her CozyPure® products can make our lives healthier, how the quality offers a return on your investment and how our manufacturing procedures alongside our fabrics and materials have a very low-impact on our environment.

The Green Festival will have 125 renowned authors, how-to-workshops, cutting-edge films, fun activities for kids, organic beer and wine, vegetarian cuisine and live music. Ralph Nader, consumer advocate, author and lawyer, with more than 40 years at the forefront of progressive movements, will be a keynote speaker at the DC Green Festival.

In addition to all the great speakers and activities, everyone who attends will be able to shop the festival marketplace of more than 300 eco-friendly Green America business members, including CozyPure®.

For more information about The Green Festival visit www.greenfestivals.org

For more information about Green America and Global Exchange visit www.greenamerica.org and www.globalexchange.org

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Jamar Diggs is a PR Communications and Social Media team member for Norfolk, VA based business Organic Comfort Zone, manufacturers of CozyPure organic bedding and mattress. For more information visit organiccomfortzone.com or cozypure.com or call 757.480.8500.

 

 

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Healthy Lifestyles Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom

Sleep Tips for A Better Nights Sleep

Do you toss and turn every night? There are a lot of factors that interfere with a good nights sleep. It could be pressure from work and family to relationship issues and illness. We can’t always control the factors that ruin our sleep but adopting habits that encourage a good nights rest is a great place to start.

Try sticking to a sleep schedule. Going to bed and waking up at the same times even on weekends and holidays help your body’s sleep-wake cycle. If you don’t fall asleep within about 15 minutes get up and do something relaxing and go back to bed when you are tired.

Watch what you eat and drink. Don’t go to bed hungry or stuffed. Your discomfort could keep you up. Reduce the amount you drink before going to sleep to decrease middle of the night bathroom runs.

Creating a bedtime ritual is an easy way to tell your body when its time to wind down. You could read a book, listen to calming music, take a bath. Doing relaxing activities before bed create an easier transition to becoming drowsy.

Create your room ideal for sleeping.  Make your room cool, dark and quiet. Try using room darkening shades, a fan, earplugs or other items that can create your ideal sleep environment. Your mattress and sheets can contribute to a better sleep. Using fibers such as polyester can overheat your body at night and make you feel uncomfortable. Natural fibers like cotton and pure wool wicks your body’s moisture causing you to stay  a little cooler so you can sleep better through the night. Don’t forget coverings such as blankets and even your pajamas which should also be made from natural fibers to help contribute to better sleep.

Limiting daytime naps will help you get a good nights sleep especially if your struggle with insomnia or poor sleep quality. If you choose to nap, limit yourself to about 10-30 minutes during the mid-afternoon.

Include physical activity in your daily routine. Regular physical activity promotes better sleep, helping you fall asleep faster and to enjoy a deeper sleep. Make sure to exercise earlier in the day. If your exercise before bed you may be too energized to sleep.

When you have many things to do and think about – your sleep suffers. Consider healthy ways to handle stress. Start by getting organized, delegating tasks and setting priorities. Take a break when you need one. Before bed, quickly write down what’s on your mind and save it for tomorrow.

Hopefully with these tips you are able to receive the best sleep you deserve and wake up a little less crabby. If you have trouble sleeping often, contact your physician. Finding and treating an underlying cause may also contribute to a better sleep for you.

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Jamar Diggs is a PR Communications and Social Media team member for Norfolk, VA based business Organic Comfort Zone, manufacturers of CozyPure organic bedding and mattress. For more information visit organiccomfortzone.com or cozypure.com or call 757.480.8500.

 

Categories
Environment Healthy Lifestyles Made in the USA Miscellaneous Organic Comfort Renewable Energy

Made In The U.S.A

At Organic Comfort Zone we pride ourselves on making all of our CozyPure® products in the U.S.A. When you decide to purchase a product that was completely made in the USA like our LaNoodle pillow versus foreign countries you will feel the highest quality of comfort.

When someone purchases a “Made in the U.S.A” product they can be fairly confident that it is safe. In America we have consumer protection laws and safety standards that protect you and your family. Some foreign countries have low safety standards. Think about how many children’s toys made overseas that ave been recalled because they have been found unsafe or toxic.

The U.S. manufacturing processes implemented here at Organic Comfort Zone are much cleaner for our environment, especially considering we generate our own energy, minimize scraps, and don’t have any chemicals on our premises. Many products produced overseas where there is no regulation, use dangerous processes that pollute our environment. We choose chemical- free organic eco-smart materials to create our CozyPure® products which provide a healthy and comfortable sleep.

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Jamar Diggs is the PR and Communications specialist for Norfolk, VA based business Organic Comfort Zone, manufacturers of CozyPure organic bedding and mattress. For more information visit organiccomfortzone.com or cozypure.com or call 757.480.8500.

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Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Natural Bedroom Natural Home

If CBS says organic bedding is important then it must be true!

Actually we’ve been teaching (and providing) the benefits of organic sleep for 20 years… but it’s always great when an official news source such as ABC, NBC, or CBS also states the claim that bedding is one of the important product choices when choosing something “organic”.

People often times don’t think of how intimate they are with their bedding and mattress. You get close.  In fact, you get close for one-third of your life cuddled up in that bedding. Probably closer than anything else in your life, right?

And when you get that close to something for that amount of time, you want to be assured it feels good and it’s safe for you too.  After all we’re not twenty-one forever. There comes a time when we have to get serious about what we’re getting close to… it’s that simple.

Most conventional bedding and mattresses are made from synthetic materials derived from petroleum as well as soaked with other undisclosed chemicals you can’t spell yet alone pronounce. We love the fact that our CozyPure Organic Bedding and Natural Latex Mattresses are made with ingredients from the Earth that your body will naturally resonate with to enjoy healthy, deep sleep.

You can spell and pronounce every ingredient: Organic Cotton, Organic Wool, Natural Latex Rubber. “That’s all folks!”

No foams dipped in funky stuff or fabrics coated with shiny stuff.

Improvements and new technology are very good up to a point;  however there are some things that are best left simple, pure and undisturbed. Like sleeping. And getting close. Be sure your mattress and bedding are up for that simple challenge. If not, we can help.

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Healthy Lifestyles Natural Bedroom Natural Home

Get Close and Feel Great with Organic Bedding

This was a challenging but FUN project for me. Our branding team wanted to make an easy-listening music video slide show featuring our safe and healthy CozyPure® organic bedding and mattresses. My job was to choose the music.

The objective was to find a song that represented the absolute purity of our bedding. Something safe and healthy and comfortable – that doesn’t have harmful chemicals and petroleum foams. A song that also portrayed the love you have for your family and wanting to provide only the very best for them.

A song that reminds us our bedroom is a healing space – and even though it’s not a “status symbol” because no one sees it – it shouldn’t be an area you neglect by choosing the cheapest options. Your bedroom truly is your night-time retreat. It should be stripped down to only the classic basics. Your mattress, pillows, comforters and blankets should be made from the finest natural fibers that are not treated with any harmful chemicals. After all, you’re snuggled up close to that bedding for up to eight hours every single night!

During the day we plan nutritious meals for ourselves and our family. Perhaps we encourage our kids to play a sport so they can get a good dose of exercise. If someone is ill we nurture them back to health or visit the doctor. In other words, we consciously take care of ourselves all day long, right? So why would we neglect choosing a healthier sleep system?

I spent hours listening to so many different artists and songs to represent our CozyPure® brand, yet nothing truly represented the meaning of how I felt about our organic bedding. How I felt about my loved ones sleeping safely. Or how I felt to be back home after a trip.

Finally frustrated, I took to pen and paper and wrote my thoughts. Simple lyrics to express both my love for our sleep products, as well as the love for my family. Wrapping them up cozy and snug in our CozyPure® organic bedding… the hugs that last all night long once I leave their room.

“Closer” was written in about ten minutes. The arrangement and recording took another thirty. We didn’t  clean the track or auto-tune so I apologize for the “static noise” in the sound… but even this DIY low-budget song was “closer” than any other song I listened to…

It’s me 100% raw and unplugged with a ten dollar microphone.

A song to my kids, and also to my CozyPure bedroom-sanctuary after a long weary trip.

It’s always good to be home. Good to be “close” to  family and back in your own bed.

Cheryl Hahn is the President and Founder of Organic Comfort Zone, manufacturers of CozyPure® organic mattresses and bedding and Tomorrow’s World, one of America’s first green-living stores.

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Healthy Lifestyles

The Dangers of Sleep Deprivation

Feeling sluggish at work? Unwilling to take on activities you normally love doing, or experiencing a lack of enthusiasm for events and life in general? You may not be getting enough sleep, and if you maintain a busy schedule that keeps you up at all hours you will soon discover that sleep deprivation eventually takes its toll. Going through life listless and tired is certainly not healthy, and fatigue is just the least of your problems.

When you suffer a lack of a good night’s sleep, you put yourself at risk for a number of problems:

Weight Gain – When you do not sleep regularly, you may create a hormonal imbalance in your body. The hormones ghrelin increases your appetite, while leptin triggers that sense of feeling full. Send these out of whack, and bad sleeping habits will effect your eating schedule, perhaps causing you to pack on the pounds.

Disrupted Concentration – If you are not fully rested, you are more apt to forget things and feel restless when trying to work. You may become more distracted and have a tendency to forget things. You need to sleep a full eight hours to give your brain the rest it needs to function properly.

Vulnerability to Illness – Keeping awake when you should be in bed does a number on other hormones as well, especially melatonin. This assists in fighting cancer agents, and when there’s an imbalance it puts your health in danger.

Higher Propensity for Accidents – Burning the midnight oil may lead to getting burned, literally. A fatigued mind and body increases the opportunity for accidents, especially if you are driving. Don’t get behind the wheel if you know you haven’t been sleeping well.

The news is bad enough to keep you awake at night, but the good news is: if you get a proper night’s rest you have the chance to reserve these problems and live healthier.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on organic mattresses and organic pillows.
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Healthy Lifestyles Natural Bedroom Natural Home

Turning Off Technology Before Bedtime Helps Improve Sleep Habits

Having trouble sleeping? This comes as no surprise in the age of rapid-fire digital technology. If you are wired to the gills with pockets full of gadgets and phones, you may pride yourself on missing nothing…except, perhaps, for a good night’s sleep. A recent survey released during National Sleep Awareness Week reveals that usage of such devices close to bedtime affects sleep patterns for the worse. Lights from the phones and pads and PCs generates a distraction, but one can argue there’s much more to it than that.

In order to enjoy a good night’s rest, you must naturally sleep. The bare minimum of seven hours is recommended if you wish to feel refreshed and renewed in the morning. Taking those last minutes before retiring to check your e-mail, text messages, and social pages may ease your mind if you expect to see something important, but it doesn’t necessarily do well to calm you completely. Leaving phones and computer running as you sleep also stands to disrupt you, and can lead to problems down the road.

Consider why you have these devices close when you sleep. You don’t want to miss out on a message, but if you are not a doctor on call or work in a similar position to requires communication after midnight, is there really anything incoming that can’t wait until morning? If the kids are all home and you’re not expecting news from somebody traveling, take the initiative toward a better night’s sleep and go “off the grid” at the night. You are more apt to make better decisions about these messages when you have had some rest.

One disadvantage to technology so close to bedtime is that it can keep your mind racing. When you have problems to solve and ideas to parlay, you will find it challenging to calm yourself and drift away. This is why it’s suggested to read a book to unwind before bed, or pursue another low-key activity that doesn’t require serious thought. Get too involved in something, and you could burn away another thirty to sixty minutes that should have been spent in dream land.

The key to weaning yourself from technological dependency is to first keep the items that tempt you out of the bedroom. This means the PDA, the computer, and even your smart phone. If you want to argue that any of these items has an alarm, simply invest in an alarm clock that only serves that purpose. Out of sight, out of mind is the first step in taking control of your sleep, and when you have only to worry about your bed, reclaiming rest gets much easier.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on organic pillows and latex mattresses.

Categories
Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom Natural Home

Is It Safe to Bring Bedding From Home to Hotels?

With hotel bedbug plagues making the news, people who travel often for business or pleasure have been forced to take extra caution when unpacking in rooms and at home. The notion that bedbugs only stay in bed is a myth, for it’s strongly recommended to take luggage directly to a safe place after your trip and make sure all clothes and the luggage are sanitized. That said, it’s not uncommon for people to bring their own bedding on trips. Is that safe to do?

Why bring your own pillow and blanket to a hotel? Certainly there is no shortage where you are staying, and major chains make no secret of how they work to bring guests quality sheets and pillows. For some of us, however, there are important reasons why it’s necessary:

  • There are health issues. If one suffers from orthopedic problems and has a pillow for better sleep support, it’s sometimes better just to bring that along.
  • Sometimes, a familiar pillow or blanket offers the comfort of home one doesn’t usually find in a hotel. Especially for small children who might have anxieties about leaving home, it is not unusual to take along a blanket or stuffed animal, or even a pillow with their favorite cartoon character on the case.

So we have explored the why’s, now let’s think about the what if’s. What if your home bedding should become infested with bedbugs while you are away. There is the risk, even in highest quality hotels. As with any other infestation, you want to deal with the issues quickly so there is no chance of bringing the critters to bed with you once you’re back from vacation.

It is important to note that whatever you bring home from your stay – pillows, blankets, coats, and clothing – should not be taken directly to your room on your return. If you have a garage, clear some space and unload everything there. What can be washed, bag in plastic and take to your laundry room immediately. With pillows that cannot be washed, you may wish to consider placing them in plastic and leaving in a sunny location for a few days. Bedbugs are known not to survive in extreme temperatures. After a few days, clean as you normally would.

If you are concerned about bugs when you travel, you may want to consider leaving the comforts at home where they are safe. An investment in a travel support pillow can help, just make sure you observe the same cleaning practices when you come home. It never hurts to be cautious, especially with the risk of home infestation.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on organic pillows and organic mattresses.

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Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Natural Bedroom Natural Fibers Natural Home

The Difference in Organic Cotton On Bedding

As you shop for new bedding – be it a mattress or pillows, sheets and toppers – you’ll find an array of different materials used to help create your sleeping environment. Cotton is especially a popular material as it is easily grown and harvested, and because cotton is a prime resource in the United States people may be more inclined to buy products made of it. Check labels, and you’ll find some products made of organic cotton.

Some may suspect, though, that the organic label is slapped on just about everything to convince people to buy the products. Others will argue that such items are genuine are eco-friendly. You may not be able to directly see or feel any difference between organic and “regular” cotton, but look deeper and you will – even sense – unique qualities.

Firstly, how is it that not all cotton material is considered organic? It all grows from the soil, correct? Synthetic fabrics are usually given other names – if you believe it isn’t labeled all-natural only when it is blended with rayon or other materials, consider this: oftentimes when crops are planted and maintained, they are treated with pesticides to prevent bugs from eating everything. Chemical based fertilizers, too, my cause these crops to be disqualified from earning the organic label. How the plant is cultivated plays a large role.

Once the raw material is harvested, too, what happens to it will determine its final label. Cotton that is not treated with chemicals during the weaving process is identified as organic. These products are certified by agencies approved by the USDA.

So if you see “USDA Organic” on the sheets or mattress you wish to buy, you can rest assured – literally and figuratively. Consider organic cotton as you shop for bedding and sleep well knowing your purchase has helped the environment and your sleep health.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on organic mattresses and organic pillows.

Categories
Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Natural Bedroom Natural Fibers Natural Home

Are You Really Allergic to Your Bedding?

It’s no secret people can be sensitive to certain types of fabric. There are those who suffer allergic reactions when exposed to latex, and some may complain of rashes and other skin irritation when they wear a certain type of clothing. When it comes to bedding, it’s important to make sure what you sleep on doesn’t cause you discomfort. If you plan to spend eight hours a night lying down, you definitely don’t want to wake up sneezing!

Many manufacturers of green bedding products will tell you that you are better off buying organic bedding – mattresses, sheets, and pillows – to combat allergies and health problems. What if, however, you believe you are allergic to cotton or wool? Is there any hope for a comfortable night’s sleep?

Consider this: with all the different chemicals and additives used to treat fabrics, there is a possibility you have associated an allergy to a fabric merely because you see it. You itch when you put on a shirt, and you automatically think it’s the shirt. You can see and touch the shirt, but not necessarily the dyes and soaps that have been used on it. Consider the possibility it is not so much a cotton or wool fabric that makes you sick, but these chemicals.

When in doubt, take the opportunity to have an allergy test. This will help you determine exactly what bothers you, and if you find cotton and wool are not the culprits, you can look for alternative bedding ideas. Contact stores and suppliers that deal in organic bedding and make sure what they offer does not contain the allergens that irritate your skin or sinuses.

You may find, as you learn more about your body and tolerance, some allergies may be misdiagnosed. For the sake of getting a proper night’s sleep, take a test to see if you are truly allergic to your bedding.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on latex mattresses and latex pillows.