Category: Healthy Lifestyles

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Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Sleep Tips

Greening your bedroom

Since we spend a third to half our lives in our bedrooms or personal space, it makes good sense to make it as healthy as possible. Sleep deprivation has been proven to lead to number of health problems such as high blood pressure. The body needs sleep to replenish the damage of the day can do.

Making your bedroom eco-friendly consists of making many little changes to the decor of the room. This includes getting organic bedding, made with natural cotton, wool and latex, restored furniture, “green” paint, wood floors, natural fiber rugs, energy-efficient light bulbs, a dimmer switch and cotton pajamas. Surrounding yourself with natural fibers, pieces of furniture without glue or chemicals and paints with low- or no-volatile organic compounds (or VOCs) and organic cotton pajamas is a great way to keep your bedroom free of indoor pollution. Small steps like these help ensure that you are getting the most of your sleep experience.

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Healthy Lifestyles Sleep Tips

Back Pain and Stress

We had a customer call about back pain which started just a few weeks after getting our mattress. He was doing fine, sleeping pretty well, but then began to feel tightness in his lower back. Since the mattress was fairly new to him, just two weeks, he assumed it was a comfort issue and called to find out if he needed something firmer or softer.

After a series of questions, we discovered that he was dealing with a lot of emotional distress (he broke down on the phone while talking). His wife had passed away within the past year, he was taking care of his eldery father, his son was diagnosed with a chronic illness, and more recently, was laid off from his job. Coincidentally, it was only a few days after he lost his job when he started to experience his back pain. Because he was dealing with so many different stress issues, the layoff was his “peak”, or rather when his “cup runneth over”, in a not so very good way.

Having a problem here and there is a part of everyday life, but when we have an avalanche of issues hit us all at once it can be quite overwhelming. The stress we tend to hold in our bodies during hard times usually manifests in our back because we unconsciously tense those muscles, which in turn causes pain. If you recently purchased a new mattress, like our customer, it’s only natural to assume that’s the cause. But before you make any major changes to the comfort of your sleep system, be sure to address any emotional stress you are experiencing, because no matter how comfortable your mattress is, you’ll still have the back pain until you deal with the stress. It’s a terrible cycle of tension that won’t be relieved until you are able to change the circumstances of your anxiety, or at least get it under manageable control.

Experts advise we should watch our posture when we have high anxiety since we tend to slouch, or torque our bodies in unnatural positions while sitting, which can contribute to back pain. Massage and stretching is also important to relieve muscle tension. However, those things only help with the physical discomforts, and you need to address the underlying cause of the anxiety and find what works for you to manage your emotional stress. Yoga, dance, music, support from family and friends, partaking in a hobby you enjoy, being pro-active and making a list to combat issues… these are just a few of the things that can assist you to focus on feeling better mentally, which in turn may help reduce your anxiety-related back pain.

Back to our customer… after he was able to “get things off his chest” while talking to us, he apologized and was embarrassed, but he also admitted to already feeling a little better. Since we’re in the sleep industry we were able to make him aware of how stress can deeply affect the quality of sleep, and greatly contribute to discomfort. He agreed it made sense, that he’d put off dealing with the problems which were affecting his life, and so he decided he would first try to manage his anxiety better then call us in a few weeks with an update.

After a month, he hadn’t called back, so we reached out to him to find out how the mattress was working out. We’re happy to report that within the time period of our first call, and the followup call, he was able to tackle a lot of his issues and get them under control. He hadn’t contacted us because he was sleeping so well, he didn’t even think about it anymore, and just simply forgot he was suppose to call us back!

Moral of the story: If you’re experiencing back pain when you’re sleeping, think about what’s going on in your life. If there’s additional anxiety, you should first look at ways to resolve your stress before making any major changes to your sleep system, which could very well be unnecessary.

Be happy…. sleep happy!

 

 

 

 

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Healthy Lifestyles Organic Comfort Organic Mattress & Bedding

Sleep Organic

Are you ready to SLEEP ORGANIC?

Sleep is so much more than just a great mattress… it’s about creating a healthy sanctuary where you can retreat and sleep deep every night. At CozyPure, we’ve got you covered from head to toe with natural or GOLS organic latex mattresses and all the organic bedding goodies to cuddle-up and sleep organic.

SUSTAINABLE. RENEWABLE. NATURAL.
sleep organic the way nature intended

sleep organic

What does it mean to “sleep organic”?
So many conventional mattresses and bedding found in traditional stores, as well as online bed-in-a-box websites, are made from chemical-based foams, polyesters, and other synthetic blends, with additional fire retardants added. When you “sleep organic” the mattresses and bedding are made with organic and natural materials from nature’s ingredients, without the use of harmful toxins or chemicals.

Here at CozyPure, we’ve been pioneers in the industry, offering organic home and sleep products since 1991, way before other companies jumped on the trend (see tomorrowsworld.com, our original name and flagship catalog). With more than 25 years under our belt, we can provide you with the experience, knowledge, service and quality you should expect when you purchase a new sleep system, especially if you’re looking for natural and organic options.

“Sleep organic” is a generic term used often in the industry to describe organic sleep products. Back in spring of 2014, the dot.organic domains became available, so of course we purchased the website sleep.organic as an opportunity to continue our efforts to showcase our organic sleep products. We were the first company in America to offer a large selection of organic bedding, shipped nationally, direct to the consumer for over two decades, so it made sense for us to secure our position in the market as manufacturers that help customers sleep organic with our organic sleep products!

We have everything from mattresses to pillows, comforters, blankets, linens, and baby items. And if you’re not quite ready for a mattress, we have toppers you can add on your existing bed.

So if you’re ready to sleep organic, give us a call at 800-229-7571 or visit our sleep.organic website to learn more!

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Customer Reviews Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Made in the USA

Share your love for CozyPure on social media

Enjoying the organic comfort of a new blanket

You could win one of our monthly prizes

We love our faithful CozyPure customers. We really love it when those customers share their CozyPure loyalty on social media. That’s why we’ve begun our monthly selfie contest. Whether you take a selfie in our Granby Street showroom or post a quick photo of your new CozyPure goodies from home, we want to see you posting. Our artisans love to know that their handcrafted mattresses and bedding goodies are appreciated.

Matthew Hinson samples outrageous organic comfort in the CozyPure showroom.

 

That’s why we’d like to congratulate Matthew Hinson for sharing his social media posts in our showroom and a photo ofhis little boy wrapped up all cozy in his prize, a travel-size “Three Pigs on a Blanket” blanket.

Our exclusive “Three Pigs on a Blanket” is cute and cuddly soft for babies, toddlers and kids of all ages.
Made with our matelasse triple-knit 100% pure organic cotton, no synthetic blends that reverses to solid eggplant color. This is not a generic “printed” design but rather the little piggies are actually woven as part of the fabric.
There are more prizes to claim from our monthly social media contest. Just post your best CozyPure photo with #cozypure on Facebook or Instagram. If we see a post we enjoy, we’ll contact you and award you with a comfy, cozy token of our appreciation for your commitment to buying organic and natural mattresses and bedding from CozyPure.
So if you have or haven’t climbed into bed with CozyPure yet, do it today! Then share your love of our products on social media. There might just be a prize in it for you.

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Healthy Lifestyles Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom

Oxymoron: Summer Cold

Summer time is soon upon us, so we thought we’d post this again (originally published June 2014). Enjoy the warmer weather, but sleep well and rest if you catch a summer cold!
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We have all suffered through it: The Common Cold, and yet, why is it that still there is no cure for the aching and stiffness of one’s body? The best that we can do is stay in bed all day and drink juice and sleep and watch our favorite T.V. shows or read our favorite books and magazines. However, that is not good enough for a lot of us, especially after the second day or so of lying in bed. Many of us have to get back to work, get back to school, return to our everyday duties so that we can resume our lives and hopefully retire on a beach some day – and from there we’ll figure out what to do with the rest of our lives once we get bored doing even that. So, what do we do? We resume our lives and our cold does not get any better. In the Winter, if treated the right way, a cold might be gone within a couple of days to a week, with lingering symptoms for the next month or so.

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A summer cold can be very different. Many of us will want to go outside in the nice summer heat, which is great, you know, soaking up that Vitamin D while sipping on a cup of orange juice and falling asleep in the sun perhaps; however, research shows that transitioning from indoors to outdoors might want to be kept to a minimum because the conversion from hot air to cold air can dry the protective mucus lining in the nose, so be careful about air conditioners. Also, as we all know, the key to fighting any cold is rest, just sitting back and letting your body work out the wonders. But, as we all know, Summer tends to be a very busy season. There are so many social things going on, so many beach days that you don’t want to miss, and of course staying in beach body condition is a full time job to begin with. So what are we supposed to do when we get sick> Miss out on all of the fun summer activities that we won’t see for a whole year after Summer has ended? Think of all the Barbeques that you will miss if you take a whole week off for your health!

Well, you can always hide your symptoms by chasing a musinex with cough syrup, but in the end we have to face the facts that the symptoms can not be buried for long and eventually we have to face the ugly truth that modern medicine can’t even defeat the common cold. Still, there is one thing that one can do, every night for a week. That’s right, you guessed it: assure that you are getting the proper rest. Rest is the key to recovery and although we can’t take a whole week off if we want to save up our vacation days, we also can make sure that so long as we are getting a full night’s sleep every night until we are better, then the rest of the Summer will be much, much more enjoyable, and memorable, when we aren’t pumped with Day-Quill.

CozyPure can assure your proper Summer rest with our variety of inviting Organic Latex Mattress‘ and pillows and blankets, etc.. Our products are naturally dust-mite resistant so that your not inhaling debris as you sleep so long as you know how to wash your sheets. Our organic cotton and wool products are not drizzled with petroleum and our sheets not doused in formaldehyde, so there are no unwanted, uninvited, uncalled for chemicals to interfere with your body chemistry.

Of course, you can sweat out a summer cold in the heat of the sun, in a sauna or a steam room. Light exercise is not prohibited for those trying to stay in shape for the Fourth of July; however, workouts that are too intense can deplete the body of energy needed to fight the disease. Remember, though, sleep – sleep – sleep! Get well and enjoy your Summer!

comforter

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Healthy Lifestyles Organic Mattress & Bedding

Sleep Clean. Eat Clean.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS USUALLY INCLUDE EATING BETTER…
And with the obesity epidemic in the country, a lot of attention is paid to eating healthier and ridding the body of harmful and potentially unhealthy ingredients in our food. The importance of the food we eat is critical. It’s how we get the vitamins and minerals necessary to fuel our bodies. We eat grass-fed meats without antibiotics. We eat high nutrient foods like seeds, vegetables, fruits, beans and nuts to ward-off disease, lose weight, and become healthier and stronger.

organic-produce

The other necessity of life we must have is SLEEP. Every living thing needs it.
A good night’s sleep is so important and vital to our health and well-being. Our healing and recovery. Our vitality and energy. Our restoration and rejuvenation. All this repair of both your body and mind takes place during that night-time shut-eye we call sleep.

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Quality deep-sleep requires optimum comfort which includes temperature regulation, proper support and pressure relief. Restorative healing-sleep requires an environment free of harmful toxins because our bodies shut-down and we’re vulnerable to dermal and airborne elements from the synthetic compounds which outgas and decompose in the bedroom.

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN YOUR BED? Because the bedding industry is basically unregulated in regards to the components inside, you should become familiar with potentially harmful chemicals that make up many of the materials you’re sleeping on. With a little research by any consumer, it’s easy to draw the parallel that the chemicals and proprietary formulas being buried in our sleep surfaces is not too different from the additives and preservatives many food companies are being pressured into removing from their products.
 
We love reading articles by Vani Hari, otherwise known as the Food Babe. She writes investigative reports about conventional foods, how they’re processed with wicked ingredients, as well as the marketing of “fake” healthy food. So many of her posts about hidden and potentially dangerous ingredients are strikingly similar to the bedding industry – everything from the processing, to the chemicals, to the marketing.

“Why are we willing to accept poisons and harmful chemicals in our bedding, when we are actively rejecting harmful ingredients in our food?”

Perhaps with something as basic as our bedding, we often fall into the old assumption that if it’s for sale, it must be safe. But we are a more informed consumer, with more information and options available to us than ever before. What’s true of our food, should be true of our bedding too. After all, our bedding is one of the most intimate products we use every day! (see Cheryl’s post from 2009)

That’s why here at CozyPure® we liken ourselves to a “Farm to Table” eatery by presenting ourselves as a “Farm to Bed” workshop serving-up handmade organic mattresses and bedding… using only farm fresh ingredients. And we make everything to order, right here in Norfolk, Virginia, USA.

bed-materialsFARM FRESH INGREDIENTS: Organic Cotton, Wool and Milk from the Rubber Tree

Visit our website at www.cozypure.com to view the menu of organic bedding goodies we offer for a healthy, comfortable night’s sleep.

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Environment Green Living Healthy Lifestyles News Coverage Organic Mattress & Bedding Press Releases

PIONEERING LOCAL BUSINESS AHEAD OF NEW LEGISLATION

Obama signing The Chemical Act, forcing companies to do what CozyPure has been doing for 25 years - manufacturing without the use of harmful chemicals.
Photo provided by the Office of U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La.
Photo provided by the Office of U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La.

Norfolk, VA – CozyPure, makers of organic mattresses and bedding, applauds President Obama for signing the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act into law earlier this week. The law, which updates the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, will do a better job of reviewing chemicals currently in the products Americans buy for their homes as well as regulating new chemicals before they are introduced to consumers.

CozyPure is pleased to announce that this new law will not affect their operations. “We’ve been making mattresses without the use of any harmful or proprietary chemicals for the past 25 years,” says CozyPure’s owner, Cheryl Hahn, “the passing of this act is a great achievement, people deserve to know what chemicals are hiding in their household.”

When the original law was passed there were already 62,000 chemicals on the market but the restraints placed on the EPA made it nearly impossible to ban them. In fact, due to proprietary trade secrets only five of the 62,000 chemicals have been banned in the 40 years since the law’s initiation.

“Folks should have the confidence to know the laundry detergent we buy isn’t going to make us sick, the mattress our babies sleep on isn’t going to harm them,” Obama said. “For the first time in our history, we’ll actually be able to regulate chemicals effectively. And we’re doing it in the same, overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion,” the president said.

The new bill emulates the stance that CozyPure has always taken on the products they manufacture and sell to consumers made only from natural ingredients such as rubbermilk, wool and organic cotton versus similar mainstream products made from plasticized polyurethane foams and undisclosed, potentially toxic chemicals often coated in flame retardants.

In 2007 a huge milestone was reached when PBDEs, a widely used set of toxic flame retardants, were finally phased out. According to an EPA report in August 2015, the new substitute chemicals are now also cause for concern. This new legislation should hopefully eliminate the instances where one harmful chemical is replaced with another.

Consumers aware of the potential dangers lurking in mattresses have sought-out organic alternatives. Norfolk resident Michelle Germano, a victim of the devastating toxic chemicals found in Chinese drywall, had to replace everything in her home and contacted CozyPure for her entire sleep system. “I’ve been a customer since 2009 and recommend CozyPure to all my friends. I’m thrilled we have a local company that makes products without depending on harmful ingredients.”

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Healthy Lifestyles Miscellaneous

Answers to “Where do you put your cell phone when going to bed?”

Following up with our previous blog post about sleeping with cell phones and why it isn’t a good idea, we
decided to poll the sleep snobs at CozyPure and see what their nightly routine is when it comes to “putting
their phone to bed.”

Here are the individual responses, to the question, “Where do you put your cell phone when going to bed?”

  • Cheryl – “I place mine on the bottom of the nightstand with a shirt over it so that the light will not distract me. I also have notifications turned off – the only sound that is on is the actual ringer. I started sleeping with it in the bedroom when my daughter left for college in case she needed to call. Before that I didn’t even bring it in to the bedroom at night. Sometimes I will listen to sleep/meditation music on youtube but I still keep it covered.”
  • Troy – “Wherever it ends up. I don’t really pay much attention to where it is when I go to bed. It just stays wherever I last used it.”
  • Susan – “I plug it in to charge in the bathroom in my bedroom. This way the light does not disturb my sleep but I can hear it if I get a call.”
  • Diane – “I plug it in on the nightstand.” We are going to have to make her read the last blog post!
  • Debbie – “Just wherever.” Debbie is our newest team member, she’ll learn to talk more to survive!
  • Sherry – “On the nightstand, on silent.” That’s a no-no, Sherry.
  • Cris – “In my purse on the floor because it is not good to have it on the nightstand.” Cris is a seasoned sleep snob.
  • Angela – “It is always on silent and usually on the floor beside the bed, although I’m guilty of falling asleep while scrolling through Facebook. How else will I know who to vote for?”
  • Hans – “In the other room, on the charger.” Perfect!
  • Rudy – “I just plug it in to charge on my nightstand.  If it rings, sometimes I answer it and sometimes I ignore it.”
  • TJ – “On the nightstand charging with the volume sky high. I want to make sure I don’t miss anything.” TJ is a popular guy!

Although research shows that a high percentage of people go to bed with their phones, we are not the norm (but we already knew that). Maybe it is because we all have such a love affair with our CozyPure mattress that we embrace sleep or maybe it is just because we are educated on all matters sleep related. Whatever the reason, I am glad to report that no one at CozyPure sleeps with their phone.

Coming soon: It claims to be organic. What does that really mean?

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Healthy Lifestyles Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom Organic Mattress & Bedding Sleep Tips

Sleeping With Your Smart Phone May Not Be So Smart

There are articles in the news every day about sleep – how to get more of it, why it is crucial, how to do it better, ways to enhance it – it’s how we spend a third of our life. In a The-Sleep-Revolutionrecent article “Book Talk: The Sleep Revolution,” on Washington Life Magazine’s website, Erica Moody talks with author Arianna Huffington about her book, “The Sleep Revolution.”

From the article, “In 2014, people around the world spent a staggering $58 billion on sleep-aid products, a figure projected to rise to $76.7 billion by 2019, author Arianna Huffington says. Not only do many Americans not get enough sleep; when they do try to sleep, an increasing number are relying on pills to get there. When Huffington herself collapsed from “sleep deprivation, exhaustion and burnout” in 2007, she decided to do something about the issue. Her fascinating, accessible and necessary book “The Sleep Revolution” (Harmony Books) delves into the current crisis, the history of how we got there, the science of sleep and how we can begin to change the role of sleep in our lives.”

The article includes a question and answer session with the author addressing key points from the book. One topic that is discussed is that of “unplugging” and how our phones keep us up at night. This is a topic I see often in sleep news. Not only are we so accustomed to staying connected via our smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc., social media provides an outlet for us to waste precious time that could otherwise be spent sleeping. The author suggests that sleeping with your smart phone may not be so smart.  Rather putting our phones “to bed” in another room will allow us to sleep better. I know that having my phone on my nightstand is a horrible idea. Not only am I distracted when it lights up, buzzes or dings, I can’t always resist the urge to check social media one last time or type out one more email or listen to one more song. Going to sleep without your phone is not only a good way to get to sleep faster it also gives your mind a much needed break from the constant communication to which we’ve become accustomed.phone on bed
Katy Hall, Managing Features Editor, Huffington Post, cites in her 2013 article, “How Mobile Phones Affect Sleep,” a study concluding sleeping near our phones also has negative physical implications even if we don’t touch it. “If your phone wakes you up in the morning, it may also be keeping you up at night. A 2008 study funded by major mobile phone makers themselves showed that people exposed to mobile radiation took longer to fall asleep and spent less time in deep sleep.” Her article also discusses the aforementioned “need” to stay connected and how it is costing us valuable sleep. An additional resource cited in this article indicates that “nearly three-quarters of young people fall asleep each night with their phones within reach.”  We may all have a hard time convincing a teenager that they will actually live through the night without their phone but  it really is a habit to be discouraged.  Older (and wiser) cell phone users may be easier to convince that “unplugging” for eight hours each night may be well worth it.

There is plenty of research, articles and books that discuss healthy sleep habits.  Taking a break from your electrical devices is certainly a step in the right direction.  Once you break that habit, take the time to research the importance of the materials you are sleeping on.  Many mattresses and bedding materials are just as full of junk as your social media.  Sleeping on natural latex and using organic bedding not only provides better, but a more healthful, sleep!

Coming soon – How “smart” are the sleep snobs at CozyPure?  We know about a good mattress but where are our cell phones when we are sleeping?  I’m going to poll our staff…

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Green Living Healthy Lifestyles Made in the USA Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom Natural Home Organic Comfort Products & Sales Woman-Owned

The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift: SLEEP

It is no secret that moms are some of the most sleep-deprived people in the world. They tend to juggle responsibilities all day and spend countless hours at night thinking about how to juggle even more. Studies show that mothers with small children are seriously lacking sleep, which over time can have some pretty negative effects on both physical and mental health. No matter how old her children, mothers tend to continue the habit of putting others needs before their own. Instead of shopping for the trendiest new gift of fashion or settling for the obligatory flowers, why not give Mom what she really wants (and needs) – SLEEP!
Just in time for Mother’s Day, CozyPure has assembled a bundle of some of our most popular items for the sleep deprived mom. We’ve paired together:Mother's Day Bundle

  • Our best selling LaNoodle pillow, the perfect pillow for Mom – it is adaptable to any type of sleeper, made with all natural latex and organic cotton (no harmful chemicals) and simply the coziest pillow to be found – and designed to last up to 10 times longer than conventional pillows
  • Our ever popular Pebble Pique Travel Blanket which is handcrafted in our Virginia workshop and made from luxurious Organic Cotton Matelasse and beautiful like Mom
  • Organic Lavender Linen Spray, soothing aromatherapy to relax Mom’s mind, body and spirit

This trifecta is the perfect Mother’s Day gift and will arrive packaged in our kraft bag with a complimentary handcrafted note card.

Due to the handcrMothersDay_online cardafted nature of our items, we can’t guarantee delivery by Mother’s Day on orders received after May 1st. However, Mom will agree it’s worth the wait. In the meantime, you can print out a gift announcement HERE to put in Mom’s card notifying her that the gift of sleep is on the way!

Our products are sustainable, natural and organic and made in the USA, and our company is woman-owned by a mom that grew this company while raising children of her own. She thinks sleep is the perfect gift and every mom is sure to agree!

 

The retail price for the items in this bundle is $133 – the Mother’s Day Bundle is being offered for $99.  Valid until Mother’s Day 2016.