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Healthy Sleep - What our Body Needs to Rejuvinate
Facts About Sleep
The fact that we spend a third of our lives in bed means that nothing in our homes gets as much use as our mattress. We are all aware how important it is to our quality of life and we understand that a good mattress costs very little when you compare this investment to the benefits you gain in health and well-being.Surveys suggest that over 70% of people complain that they sleep poorly, with only 30% being satisfied with their night's sleep. Although poor sleep can have many causes, is often boils down to an incorrect sleeping position. A mattress should be firm, even and flexible, but all too often it is quite the opposite!
When it comes to mattresses, harder is not necessarily better. A good mattress should adjust itself to the human body in an anatomically suitable manner. It is important that it does not sink too deeply under your hips and pelvis, since these are the places that come under most strain. Instead, it should absorb and distribute the body's weight. Otherwise, we end up in an unnatural sleeping position that all too frequently leads to back pain. A good mattress should yield to all your movements, but should immediately return to its original position once the load is removed.
What do doctors say? A good mattress should also provide a relatively soft surface to ensure that the skin is not too heavily compressed, a problem which may otherwise lead to circulatory disturbances. Although our bodies equalize the compression in our skin and tissues through movements, a sleepless night can often result if the body has to do this too often. Any mattress intended to promote healthy sleep should ensure that your body does not sink into it and should prevent your spine from being left sagging for hours on end. The body's weight should be evenly distributed across the mattress surface.
Ideal Sleeping Conditions
A mattress that is good for your body should be designed to create sleeping conditions that are neither too humid nor too warm. Healthy sleeping conditions mean that your body's warmth is neither blocked in nor too quickly released and that moisture released by the body is properly absorbed by the mattress material and rapidly dissipated. Even under ideal sleeping conditions, our bodies release anywhere between 200 and 300 cm of moisture during the course of the night. That is why a mattress should consist of a material that is capable of self-ventilation, as well as being hygienic and easy to clean!To accommodate this, Bedtek mattresses have quilted cotton covers. On the inside of the cover is a Lyocel membrane which traps moisture, dust mites, bacteria and unhealthy materials in the cover itself, thereby protecting the mattress core from infestation or contamination. The cover can then be removed using a full-circumference zip, separated into two halves and machine washed at up to 60 degrees. This is the perfect solution for anyone who suffers from allergies - simply hot-wash the cover and washes it all away!
All Bedtek mattresses are exclusively fitted with high-quality cotton composites and have passed the stringent German Oeko - Tex 100 Standard.. The explanations below will help you decipher some of the key terminology!
1. The "Medicott" Process:
* Special process for extracting any substances present on the fabrics from the pure cotton.
* Protection against mould
* Lasting hygiene thanks to washable covers
* Eco-friendly and energy-saving
2. The "Sleep Fresh" Process:
* The top surface is designed to be hydrophilic (water-attracting), while the bottom is hydrophobic (water-repelling)
* Drier sleeping conditions: the moisture is absorbed but does not seep into the mattress core
* Wash for at least 10 minutes
* The active agents have long been used in functional (sports) textiles
3. The "Aloe Vera" Process:
* Superb, fluid, soft textures through improved stitching
* Active agents that take care of your skin: minerals, enzymes, vitamins and amino acids
* The Aloe Vera components are non-permanent
* Plasticizing active agents with excellent permanence
The Ecological Mood
In Western Europe there is an increasing awareness of the relationship between textile production and related environmental issues. The media feeds this concern, in particular with regards to topics addressing harmful substances historically present in many textiles and their effects on human health. The Oeko-Tex 100 Standard comprehensively addresses the Human Ecology component of textile products. It evaluates and screens for any harmful substances present within processed textiles intended to come into contact with consumers.Textile and clothing producers are working successfully to design products so that no harmful substances are present in any significant amounts and to achieve this, a significant technological effort is required by industry. Manufacturers can work towards this goal by adopting recognized "environmentally friendly" methods such as the careful selection of dyes, optimization of the dye baths, chlorine free bleaching techniques, low formaldehyde finishing methods and by selecting pesticide and heavy metal free materials. By employing these and other recognized methods, the results of these efforts are safe products, which pose no risk to the consumer.
Identify Ecologically Sound Products
How does a consumer recognize a bedding-textile, which has been produced with special care, so as to pose no risk to health? A label is required for such products - the "Oeko - Tex 100" label.For more information, please visit http://www.oeko-tex.com
Copyright, Oeko - Tex 100 Association
Why do I need a neck support pillow?
Your cervical spine has one of the hardest jobs around. Seven cervical vertebrae support your head, which typically weighs anything from 4 to 6 kg! The fact that the heavily loaded joint that is responsible for moving your head is not a ball-and-socket joint means that it is only capable of a limited range of movement.Over the course of the day, this joint quickly becomes stressed, since even the way you hold your head when you are working has an impact on your spine and ligaments.
Relaxation and regeneration are only possible during sleep, yet most pillows reinforce poor posture instead of providing anatomically correct support and relief to the ligaments and the vertebrae. Only a well-designed neck support pillow can provide the real benefits your body needs.
A neck support pillow provides optimum support and relief to your cervical spine, thus providing an opportunity for your ligaments and muscles to recover from everyday stresses and strains. Whether you are a back sleeper or a side sleeper, a neck support pillow ensures that you lie in a relaxed and anatomically correct position and helps to avoid neck and shoulder pain.
Not every imaginatively shaped foam or latex pillow is a bona fide neck support pillow. Many of the products available on the market fail to deliver the benefits you might expect. If you slice through them at the midpoint where your head and neck are supposed to receive anatomically correct support, you find nothing but a flat mat.
Many peoples' conception of a neck support pillow, with a kind of roll at the front and a head support at the back, is not really a neck support pillow at all. The danger of this type of design is that it puts pressure on the carotid artery when you lie on your side, which negatively influences the vitally important blood circulation to your brain.
Please view our range of neck support pillows here.