Author: Evan Archuleta

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5 Unique Ways To Help You Fall Asleep

We all have our own unique bedtime routines, but some are more “out-of-the-ordinary” than others. Below we will explore how these techniques might help you relax and fall into a deep sleep.

Use A Weighted Blanket

As babies, our parents swaddled us tightly in blankets. This feeling helps babies sleep because it simulates the tight space of the womb. It also prevents babies from restless movement and twitching, promoting a deeper sleep. The same concept applies for adults. Weighted blankets are filled with a variety of things from rice to poly pellets. The weight that these blankets apply to your body simulates the feeling of being swaddled. It is especially good for adults who experience continuous restless nights.

 

Text Source: Reader’s Digest (http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/sleep-tricks)

Try To Stay Awake

This may seem counterproductive, but trying to force yourself to stay awake can trick your brain into getting drowsy. Sort of a reverse psychology on yourself. Studies have shown that keeping your eyes wide open and keeping your body completely still with no electronics or lights on can actually help you fall asleep faster. I tried this method a couple of times this last week, and sure enough, the longer I tried to stay “wide-awake” the faster I fell into a deep sleep.

Text Source: Life Hacker (http://lifehacker.com/you-may-actually-fall-asleep-faster-if-you-try-to-stay-1693693901)

Watch And Listen To ASMR

This is probably one of the most interesting relaxation techniques out there, but over the past few years, it has been gaining in popularity over social media. ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, and is defined as, “a feeling of euphoric tingling and relaxation that can come over someone when he or she watches certain videos or hears certain sounds” (Sleep.org) These responses can be triggered by very simple sounds that we hear every day such as the tapping of rain on a tin roof or the sound of writing with a pencil on paper. These sounds start a tingle at the top of your scalp, and as it travels down your body, your mind relaxes and you can drift to sleep.  Now, this hasn’t been proven to work for everyone, but for those of us that it does, it is a great way to relax. If you are interested in listening to ASMR videos there are hundreds of them on YouTube. Below is an example of one of the popular ASMR videos by ASMR Darling.

Text Source: Sleep.org (https://sleep.org/articles/what-is-asmr/)

Video Source: YouTube (https://youtu.be/WX6SPJxurLo)

Roll Your Eyes

Research has shown that this simple trick can trigger the release of melatonin in your brain. All you need to do is close your eyes, and roll your eyes down and then back up. Do this a few times. Rolling your eyes like this mimics the beginnings of REM (Rapid Eye Movements).

Text Source: Restful Insomnia (http://www.restfulinsomnia.com/eye-roll/)
Text Source: Mirror (http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/unable-sleep-eleven-ways-you-2300449)

Make A To-Do List About Your Next Day’s Tasks

If you are like me, you worry about what needs to be done the next day. One way to ease your concerns a little is to write down your to-do list on a piece of paper.  Writing each task down makes you feel like you are more in control of your day. So, you can rest easy at night knowing that you have a plan of attack for the next day.

Text Source: Huffington Post: (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-kushnick-psyd/5-rarely-seen-tricks-for-_b_10153342.html)

 

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Mother’s Day Buying Guide

It’s time to start planning for Mother’s Day! Finding that perfect gift for your mother or grandmother can be a daunting task. If you are tired of sending flowers year after year, bedding is a soft and cozy alternative. Not sure what she might like? Not to worry! This bedding guide will walk you through the different options of bedding, and provide links to products that might delight your mother on her special day.

Pillows

Give your mother the gift of a peaceful night’s sleep with pillows that support and cradle her head. In this section, we’ll break down our pillows on Pillows.com by fill. Each fill offers its own set of support levels.

Feather/Down

Feather and down pillows are probably some of our best selling pillows. These pillows have a cloud-like feel and compress under the head. If your mother is a little “old-fashioned”, she might prefer a feather and down option. They are offered in varying support levels as well. Generally, a good rule of thumb for determining the support level of a feather and down pillow is to look at the ratio of feathers to down. A 100% down pillow is going to be the softest and most compressible pillow you can get, whereas the firmest is a 95% feather/5% down or 100% feather pillow. Below are some pillows under each support level category:

Soft: Pacific Coast Feather Company Natural Down Pillow (Good for stomach sleepers)

Medium-Soft: Phoenix Down 50% White Goose Feather/50% White Goose Down Pillow (Good for stomach and back sleepers)

Medium: Manchester Mills Down Dreams Pillow (Good for side back, and some stomach sleepers)

Medium-Firm: Pillowtex Triple Core Pillow (Good for side and back sleepers)

Firm: Down Dream Classic Firm Pillow (Good for side sleepers)

 

 

Photo by Ted Gotwals

Polyester

 

Polyester pillows have several advantages over the traditional feather and down pillows. The first is that they are great for people who suffer from allergies. Many people are allergic to the dust particles that tend to cling to feathers, and polyester doesn’t retain dust.  The second reason why polyester is a good option is that it doesn’t need frequent fluffing like its feather/down counterparts. Polyester has a more springy quality to it, so it helps the pillow maintain it’s loft and form. Below are some pillows under each support level category:

Soft: Pillowtex Down Alternative Pillow  (Good for stomach sleepers)

Medium-Soft: Restful Nights Conformance Supreme Pillow   (Good for stomach and back sleepers)

Medium: Down Alternative Eco Pillow (Good side, back, and some stomach sleepers)

Medium-Firm: Dream Surrender Pillow (Good for side and back sleepers)

Firm: Dream Surrender Firm (Good for side sleepers)

Extra Firm:  Infinity Pillow (Good for side sleepers with a wider shoulder width)

Memory Foam

Memory Foam is certainly an acquired taste for many sleepers. These pillows tend to be firmer and a little warmer than the traditional pillows. Of course, memory foam technology has come far in recent years. Many manufacturers are making memory foam more dough-like, and some introduce cooling gel to combat the heating qualities of this material. Below are some of our favorites:

Soft to Medium-Soft: Malouf Zoned Dough Low Loft Plush Memory Foam Pillow (Good for stomach and back sleepers) This pillow is also offered in High Loft Plush, Low Loft Firm, and High Loft Firm)

Medium: Technogel Deluxe Pillow (Side and back sleepers)

Firm: RemFit 400 Series Pillow (This pillow is adjustable, so it can potentially be good for all sleep positions)

 

Comforters

Another excellent Mother’s Day gift is a new comforter! Depending on where you mother or grandmother lives, she may need a comforter to fit the climate. Below are some great comforters for summer, winter, and fall:

Summer

These comforters are very lightweight and feel more like a blanket or throw. They are excellent for summertime sleeping or for areas that stay warmer for longer during the year.

Down Comforter: Phoenix Down Brussels Comforter

Polyester Comforter: Tempo Duvet Insert

All Season/Fall

These comforters are very versatile and are great for the fall, or climates that generally stay in the mid-range temperatures.

Feather and Down Comforter: Pillowtex Classic Weight Feather and Down Comforter

Polyester Comforter: Malouf Down Alternative Microfiber Comforter

Winter

These are the heaviest comforters that keep you warm, even in the dead of winter.

Down: Down Lite Premium White Goose Down Comforter

Feather and Down: Pillowtex Arctic Weight Feather and Down Comforter

Although we carry many different pillows and comforters, these are some of our favorites. Hopefully, this guide can lead you to find the perfect gift for your mother or grandmother! Happy Mother’s Day!

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Relax With Natural Sleep Products

Over the last couple of weeks, the Pillows.com team tested out several new natural sleep products that are currently on the market; the Dream Bar™, Dirty Lemon’s™  Sleep Drink, and Emergen-ZZZZ™. If you don’t like taking pharmaceuticals to help you sleep, these sleep supplements might be right up your alley! Read below to see how each helped us sleep.

Dream Bar™ 

These beautifully packaged bars hail from Colorado and are developed to improve sleep patterns. They come in 3 delectable flavors; Banana Lavender, Apple Chamomile, and Tart Cherry Lemon Balm (our favorite!).  These bars are made with organic ingredients and nervine herbs (Lavender, Chamomile, and Lemon Balm) that affect neurotransmitters to help the body and mind relax naturally. They are also “Beegan”, gluten-free, and contain no GMOs.

One tester tracked her sleep through a sleep app on her phone and found that she had far fewer periods of restlessness throughout the night. On average, she has about 12-15 times in the night where she experiences restlessness, but with the Dream Bar™, she only had 3.

Overall, it does take about an hour to kick in, but once it did take effect, our testers experienced the most restful night out of the three products that we tried. There was also no groggy feeling in the morning because no melatonin or other hormone is used to create these bars.

We highly recommend you try these bars! They are available in these locations across the United States, or you can purchase them directly from their website. Dream Bar™ has also provided our Pillow Fans with a 15% off coupon code (pillowtalk) if you order directly from them. Enjoy a happy tummy and peaceful dreams with the Dream Bar™!

Score: 9/10

 

Dirty Lemon™ Sleep

The Dirty Lemon™ Sleep drink is the next sleep-enhancing product that we tried.  This drink is made with filtered water, naturally relaxing herbs, Magnesium, rose water, and lemon juice. There are no added sweeteners, so it just has a very light hint of lemon and rose.

The ordering process is certainly unique as well. Firstly, a case of 6 bottles of Sleep will set you back $65. Once you’ve made your profile on their website, you receive a text message confirming your order. Everything from receiving tracking to re-placing an order goes through text message. Definitely a first for us!

Our testers did experience more frequent periods of restlessness than with the Dream Bar™, and one had to get up to use the restroom in the middle of the night. Each bottle contains 16 oz. of liquid, so it’s a lot to drink right before bed.

When you open the bottle you are immediately hit with the soothing smell of rose and lemon, but once you take a sip, it just tastes like lemon water with maybe just a hint of rose. All of our testers were a little disappointed by the taste.

For the price, the volume that you have to drink, and the less-than-robust taste, we personally wouldn’t use this sleep aid on a regular basis. That being said, every sleeper is different, and this drink might be just the ticket to soothe you to sleep!

4/10

 

Emergen-ZZZZ®

Emergen-ZZZZ® is the last sleep-aid that we tried. This product is part of the popular Emergen-C® brand.  If you’ve never tried Emergen-C® before, they come in 0.27 oz packets and are in powdered form. You mix the powder in with as little or as much water as you’d like, depending on how strong you want the drink to taste. I personally like it to be really diluted, but one of our other testers only used about 4 oz of water, so she experienced the full flavor of it. We decided to go with the Berry PM, but you can also get it in Peach PM and Mellow Berry.

Out of the products that we tested, this is the only one to receive mixed reviews. One of the primary ingredients of the powder is Melatonin, which is a hormone that the brain naturally produces to regulate sleep. According, to “The Dark Side and Downsides of Melatonin,” although this is a naturally occurring hormone, using the synthesized version in supplement form, can throw off your normal sleep patterns. With that being said, 2 of our testers experienced grogginess when they woke up in the morning and had more frequent periods of restlessness. I personally slept like a rock throughout the night and was wide awake the next morning.

In terms of price and taste, the Emergen-ZZZZ® was certainly one of our favorites. We liked the way it put us to sleep almost immediately, but the unfortunate feeling of grogginess in the morning certainly knocked off a couple points. Also, if you are a smaller person or are sensitive to melatonin, we recommend taking half of the packet to prevent any morning drowsiness.

Score: 7/10

 

In Conclusion

This has certainly been a restful few weeks for us. We hope these reviews helped you and inspired you to try natural sleep remedies. We’re hooked!

Syam, Piyali. “The Dark Side and Downsides of Melatonin.” Van Winkle’s. Van Winkle’s, 16 Dec. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2017. <https://vanwinkles.com/the-dark-side-downsides-side-effects-of-melatonin>.