Buying a new mattress used to be simple. Years ago, there weren’t many mattress types from which to choose. We were kind of stuck with lumpy, bumpy, or hard. And if you had enough money, you could upgrade from “squeaky every night” to “squeaky once in a while.” That was it.    Good Riddance To The Good Ol’ Days Not everything from yesterday used to be high quality. This is especially true with mattresses. Sure, most of them looked ok on the outside. In fact, getting a new mattress was like a dream come true. But, in reality, it was more like a living nightmare because of what materials were used inside the mattress by some unscrupulous manufacturers. It’s too gross to get into. Just know that the federal government had to step in many years ago, which is why new mattresses come with those big tags, guaranteeing the materials...

  The results are in. We have the receipts. Getting enough high-quality sleep is essential to our physical and mental health. Period. No one can be sure when or how we became careless about sleep, but we must come to our senses. Sleep deprivation and poor sleep can catch up to all of us, regardless of age.    Conditions Linked to Poor Sleep According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, insufficient sleep has been connected to several chronic diseases:   Diabetes Insufficient sleep is a contributing factor to an increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes. The amount and quality of sleep are considered predictors of Hemoglobin A1C levels. This is recognized as an essential marker of blood sugar. In addition, type 2 diabetes can itself be a contributing factor to a list of other conditions with severe consequences.      Cardiovascular Disease In simple terms,...

  Whether or not we get enough high-quality sleep has become a priority in our physical, mental, and emotional health. So much so that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides an easy-to-understand chart, you can use depending on your age. They also include tips to build habits to improve your sleep. This understanding has dramatically evolved mattress technology over the last decade. Years ago, our general knowledge about sleep consisted of a smidgen about REM sleep and a smattering about Circadian Rhythms. In the last ten years, sleep science has uncovered many insights about the importance of sleep, and mattress manufacturers have stayed current with the latest developments. Don’t Mix Up Your Memory Foams Viscoelastic polyurethane foam (memory foam) was first developed in 1966 by NASA as a way to make sure astronauts could have the most comfortable and supportive material on which to sleep. It wasn’t...

  The first years of life are crucial to child development. And we're learning so much about how vital sleep is to brain development. There has been a lot of research into how to help your kids sleep better at night, and the scientific community is consistently learning new things. A research team led by Dr. Ze Wang at the University of Maryland conducted a study that involved nearly 12,000 volunteers between 9 and 10 years of age from across the country. Their research compared children who typically got less than the recommended nine hours of sleep to children who generally got nine or more hours of sleep per day. The study was conducted over a two-year period, and both groups were matched according to key factors like gender, household income, body mass index, and puberty status.  According to Dr. Wang, "Children who had insufficient sleep–less than nine hours per...

  Buying a new mattress for Christmas might not be the first thing that pops into your mind around this time of year, but it should be. Can you think of any other gift that will be used for eight hours a day, year after year? How many "morning smiles" will a new bed give you from a good night's sleep? A new mattress really is the gift that keeps on giving.    The Best Way to Watch Christmas Movie Classics These days, family traditions are hard to keep. If you want to create a new and everlasting Christmas Family Tradition, watch your favorite Christmas movie on The Family Bed by Taylor & Wells.     This bed is ginormous, and your whole family, including your furry friends, will be able to bond while everyone enjoys a favorite Christmas movie like Home Alone, It's a Wonderful Life, Rudolph the Red-Nosed...

  This really depends on how important a good night’s sleep is to you. If it makes no difference, why buy a mattress at all? Why not sleep on the floor, on a military cot, or get comfortable in a corn crib? After all, that’s how our early pioneers did it.  For everyone else, the average life span of a mattress is roughly 6 - 8 years. This depends on the type of mattress, the quality of the materials, the workmanship, the everyday use, and the routine of care. There are some things you can do to help make your mattress last longer, and yes, there are definitely some factors that will shorten its life.    Take a Short Quiz To See If Your Mattress Needs To be Replaced Does your mattress sag in the spot where you sleep most often or at the edge where you get out of...

  Yes, they do. Even though we cannot directly observe another being’s dreams, according to many studies, scientists agree that dogs and, in fact, most mammals have dreams. This is something you may have already noticed. If you watch your dog carefully as they sleep, sometimes you can see them moving their paws as if they’re running. Other times you may notice Rapid Eye Movement (REM), and this is one of the most telling signs of being in a dream state.   Snuggling With Your Dog Can Lower Your Blood Pressure It’s just one of the health benefits of interacting with a beloved pet. Studies show petting a cat or dog can lower your blood pressure. Pet owners generally feel calmer when they’re snuggling with their pets.       Petting an animal can also lower your heart rate. Pet owners know this already. No matter how stressful your day starts, the...

  Edge support on a bed is one of the least known factors of a good night’s sleep. Here’s why -- a firm yet comfortable edge on your mattress means everything stays where it should be, whether you’re sleeping, hanging out with the family, watching a movie, or even putting on your shoes. The technology and materials used to create the edge support make it one of the most important components of your mattress, and it is integral to the overall performance and durability.   Mattresses are not built the way they used to be, and that’s a good thing Today’s mattresses are designed with several specific components that work together. The strength and flexibility of the edge of the perimeter of the mattress are crucial to how well these components work. The edge needs to be sturdy enough to provide stability and yet pliable enough to make it comfortable....