Categories
Natural Bedroom Natural Fibers Natural Home

Tossing and Turning All Night…

Last night I didn’t get the best sleep. It wasn’t because I was anxious, stressed or worried. It wasn’t because my bed was too hard or too soft.  It was something that told me summer is right around the corner.

I was just too hot. And not in a way that made my husband go “woo woo”.  I suffered from the heat in the bedroom.

So the first thing I did was quickly go over the DOs and DONTs:

  • 100% natural blankets – no synthetics? Check.
  • 100% natural mattress – no synthetics? Check.
  • 100% cotton linens? Check.
  • 100% cotton PJs? Check.
  • Any medications? Nope.
  • Any illness? Nope.
  • Time of the month? Nope.

That left only one more thing…

When I checked the thermostat I saw it was 82 degrees. EIGHTY-TWO DEGREES!  Even though it was a nice night outside, our bedroom was not getting any breeze through the open windows. It was pretty stifling. I thought about kicking on the AC but then realized I would have to go into the kids rooms to close their windows.  It was 2am. I couldn’t risk waking them up too. So instead I sweated it out and was grateful for at least having the occasional breeze from the ceiling fan.

The optimum temperature for sleeping is 68 degrees – give or take a few. My bedroom was almost 15 degrees above the ideal so it’s no wonder I was tossing and turning all night. It seems like only yesterday we had the heat on and now we have to put on the AC already?

What happened to the beautiful and comfortable Spring time weather? Did I miss it? Or maybe I slept right through it…


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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Categories
Green Living Natural Bedroom Natural Fibers Natural Home

How the heck can bedding be good for the Earth?

There’s a lot of people that ask that question. They don’t really take the time to think about what’s inside conventional bedding. You know what I’m talking about – those $100 bed-in-a-bag packages. The $499 Plushtop Queen mattress set. The fake softness of a synthetic fleece blanket.

Most all of these types of conventional mattresses and bedding are made with cheap foams or petroleum based polyester batting and fabrics. And many times they’re produced using undisclosed amounts of toxic chemicals.

None of these chemicals, foams, fabrics  or battings are what you could call “earth-friendly”  – they’re not renewable or sustainable. In fact, the majority are made without quality in mind and are designed for planned obsolescence to break down faster, throw it away and buy a replacement. Also not good for the Earth.

So what’s the solution? Well let’s look at bedding made from eco-smart and natural materials like organic cotton, organic wool and natural latex rubber.  All of these components are renewable and sustainable meaning we don’t exhaust our resources to attain these materials. There are no harmful chemicals added during the production process. The quality exceeds modern expectations of conventional bedding which means you get real value because it will actually last you much longer than that so-called “bargain”. In contrast, organic bedding is great for the health of our planet Earth. Hey… did we mention the health benefits to you?

Not to be overlooked are the wonderful advantages organic bedding can provide to the sleeper. You’ll enjoy materials that breathe – just like you do! Temperature regulating wool that’s moisture resistant means you’ll not only sleep more comfortably but it’s also naturally dust-mite resistant. Organic cotton is fine quality cotton at it’s very best with absolutely no chemical treatments or synthetic blends which can contribute to overheating. Natural latex comes from the sap of the rubber tree and contours to your body while providing optimum support – and it’s also breathable and dust-mite resistant.

Organic bedding is simple, classic and timeless. It has tremendous VALUE…. to your health, to the product’s long-term durability and to the Earth as well. Next time you get all cozy with your bed, blankets and pillows – think about what you’re getting cozy with.

CozyPure® organic bedding and mattresses are made in the USA from only ecosmart organic materials. Every item is expertly hand-crafted and ships direct from their factory to consumers nationwide. They’ve been doing it for twenty years and satisfaction is guaranteed.


Visit the CozyPure® website.


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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Categories
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.


Categories
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.

Categories
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.

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.