Wintertime is the most favorite time of the year, at least for a lot of people, especially children. That is because along with building a snowman, hanging Christmas lights, and drinking eggnog by the fireplace is the year-long awaited visit from Old St. Nick, perhaps better known to some as Santa Claus. Santa Claus is the famous jolly, white haired, big-bellied guy in a red suit who climbs down the chimney of people’s houses one night a year, leaving behind presents for the children of the world. Sometimes Santa only leaves presents for children who made the nice list, otherwise you could be left with a lump of coal--which is why it is extremely important to try to be the best you can all year long.     The history of Saint Nicholas Most people know that Santa lives up at the North Pole, but it didn’t always used to...

There is nothing quite like waking up in the morning from a good night's sleep. For some, getting a good night's sleep is rather easy. For others, there are certain essential requirements that need to be met before someone can fall asleep peacefully. This may have to do with the mattress, the bed frame, whether or not there is a fan blowing in the bedroom, how hot or cold it is, what type of pillow you have, right down to the type of sheets. We have all probably experienced a time where we opened up a new pack of sheets and carefully put them on our bed, just to hop in it at night and experience a sense of discomfort because they are not quite what we had imagined. Well, if you have ever been confused at all about what types of sheets are out there, and perhaps what kind...

On average, people will spend nearly one-third of their life sleeping--that means for someone who has been alive for 75 years, they would have spent almost 25 of them asleep. After looking at those numbers, it becomes easier to see that getting enough sleep is extremely important. In fact, not getting enough sleep can have widespread and detrimental effects on a person's overall health. While many may already know the importance of getting a good night sleep, it is a little less well known fact that there are many different types of sleepers.     For instance, according to early researchers and scientists, there are 4 typical chronotypes, with the possibility of six, that most people fall into. Chronotypes are a general way of classifying your sleep patterns based upon a 24-hour circadian rhythm of sleeping and wakefulness. These early chronotypes, which are still widely supported by mainstream science, are...

For some, the days of tank tops, flip flops, and outside BBQs are coming to an end, as the summer season departs. Fall has officially begun and the cool, crisp weather of the season is sure to settle in. That means pumpkin spice, warm sweaters, and big cups of peppermint hot cocoa are near on the horizon. Even better still is what some people consider to be the best holiday of the year, and perhaps the single best thing about fall, is what happens every 31st of October. I’m talking about Halloween, of course! The spooky air of Halloween has people all over the country decorating their homes with skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, and layers of creepy spider webs strung from every corner of the house. Aside from all the blood and the gore, here to help soothe your craving for everything scary during the month of October is a list...

For some people, it can be difficult to not get a little bummed out when summer comes to an end, especially for those who suffer from the winter time blues. Thankfully, though, there are many things we can look forward to during the fall and winter that are sure to give us some joy and pleasure - hot cocoa, everything pumpkin spice, kids are back in school, fall colors, and, of course the many holidays we celebrate during this upcoming time. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the warming holiday season of Christmas in December, are all great examples of what we look forward to during these fall and winter months, even though for the majority of us the weather is not always so pleasant.   Another great example of why we love the fall and winter seasons is because of the holiday shopping season that comes along with it. For many people,...

  Shopping for a new mattress can sometimes bring up a lot of new questions, especially if it's been a while since you bought your last one, as research shows that the average American household replaces their mattress every 7-10 years. Questions like what mattress size is right for me? Or what mattress brand is the best? Or perhaps you are wondering if you should try a different type of mattress, such as memory foam or gel? All of these are popular questions that can usually be answered by a quick trip to your local mattress store. Another question many may ask throughout their mattress buying experience is whether or not mattress thickness matters, and if it does, how much? Unfortunately, none of these questions are ever one size fits all. This is in part because many people prefer different things; some people need a stiffer mattress for more support,...

The importance of getting a good night’s sleep is becoming even greater with all the additional responsibilities that seem to come with living the fast-paced life of our modern world. Unfortunately, many Americans seem to struggle with this, as it is estimated that nearly 1 out of every 3 adults do not get enough sleep in our country. While there are many factors that may contribute to this staggeringly high amount of people, one area of major concern is excessive sweating while sleeping, otherwise commonly known as night sweats.   A recent study found that excessive bed sweating while sleeping, or night sweats, affected nearly 41% of people within a 30 day timespan. There are many simple explanations as to why one may experience excessive bed sweating at night. This could be from eating spicy foods or drinking hot beverages just before bed, hot weather or a warm sleeping environment,...

Humans have always needed a place to sleep. In the most ancient of times, a bed could have looked something like a pile of leaves and twigs shoved into the corner of a cave. Since then, beds and mattresses have begun taking on a more modern and comfortable approach as we began to understand the importance of getting a good night's sleep. From our understanding, this all started with the ancient hunter gatherers of Africa who wove mattresses out of insecticide repelling leaves, leading up to the raised beds of the Egyptians and even the luxurious 4 poster canopy beds that later followed in the medieval and renaissance eras. Since the evolution of human kind, it's not hard to imagine that we have come up with some pretty interesting ways to lay our heads down at night. We are going to take a look at some of the most imaginative,...