sleep tips Archives - Mother 2 Mother Blog

What to Consider When Purchasing New Bedding

May 13, 2020 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

Today, I’m sharing empowerment tips on purchasing new bedding. The key to excellent health and well being is a good night’s sleep. When you sleep soundly, you’ll wake up refreshed, empowered and ready to tackle the day. Aside from feeling energized, your body will have replaced and repaired any damaged cells.

Unfortunately, seven to nine hours of sleep per night is elusive for the average American adult. The liberal figure is 6.8 hours per night, but experts believe the number is even lower. Without enough rest, your health will deteriorate rapidly. Therefore, it’s essential to ensure that your bedroom and sleep environment are conducive to a good night’s sleep.

Unfortunately, the bad news is that your bed sheets play a part in your insomnia. The good news is that your bedding can positively affect your sleep, too.

Check These Things When Purchasing New Bedding:

A High Thread Count Doesn’t Equal Comfort

Being comfortable is a significant part of falling to sleep and not waking up during the night. You’re likely to toss and turn if you’re uncomfortable. And, this means your quality of sleep won’t be very high. So, it’s common to turn to the thread counts of your pillow and comforter. Many people think the higher they are, the more comfortable you will be.

However, this theory is flawed because a high thread count is often cut with other materials. Instead of using 100% wool, cotton or feathers, it will combine a mixture of all three. When this happens, the comfort levels automatically drops. Furthermore, your sheets will be coarse and hard to the touch if the synthetic finishes dissipate.

As a rule, sleep experts recommend sticking with a thread count of 400. Anything higher is likely to be a mixture of materials that will only get uncomfortable over time.

Not All Fabrics Are Created Equally

Different fabrics have individual features. So, you must take them into consideration before making a purchase. With summertime on the way, consider your sheet’s ability to keep you cool during the night. Again, overheating will force you to wake at intervals in the night, and you’ll feel more tired in the morning.

Authentic materials are better because they don’t trap heat in the same way as synthetic fabrics. Of course, Egyptian cotton is pricey and out of most people’s range. Thankfully, cotton is an excellent substitute due to its affordable price tag. Also, it’s sleek and not overly insulated. As a result, the warm bedroom air should easily pass through your breathable bed sheets. If you are unsure, a fantastic tip is to stay away from built-up fabrics, such as wool.

Anything that is designed to trap the heat won’t be healthy during the summer months. You should change materials based on the changing seasons.

Irritants Love Bed Sheets

The thread count is perfect, and the fabric is cool and breathable so everything is fine, right? Unfortunately, even cotton bed sheets with a tog count of 400 are susceptible to irritants. Mostly, they are tiny particles in the air that you can’t see with the human eye. However, your skin and nose know they are there because they cause rashes and allergies.

Eliminating irritants entirely is challenging because they are everywhere and hard to destroy. However, washing your sheets regularly kills off the bacteria. Additionally, it will prevent your nose from getting stuffy or your skin feeling itchy. Wash your bedding after you purchase it. Furthermore, you should continue to wash sheets once a week for the best results. The detergent and water will keep your sheets feeling clean and crisp, and there’s no better feeling than lying down on fresh sheets!

Speaking of detergent, you may want to try different brands if your sheets continue to irritate your skin. Usually, the fabric softener is more important than the material as toxic chemicals are incredibly powerful.

Some Sheets Are Beyond Help

Tossing bedding in the laundry basket every seven days doesn’t guarantee that you will be comfortable in bed. Yes, washing sheets is a brilliant way to reset their settings. However, old bedding could be beyond your help. For instance, the thread count could drop to below 200, in which case you need a replacement.

Also, it’s worth noting that certain irritants won’t disappear because you soak your bedding in warm, soapy water. One of the lice causes is passing it from family member to family member via pillowcases. Your washing machine may kill the adults, but the eggs will remain and hatch. Therefore, your best bet is to swap your bedding with new sheets and pillowcases to stop an itchy scalp from getting in the way of your sleep.

When you buy replacement bedding is really up to you, but there are telltale signs. Age of your bedding is the thing to look for if you’re always sleepy or fatigued.

Stress Is A Thing

Going to bed shouldn’t be stressful. Remember these things when purchasing new bedding. Replacing your bedding with softer materials will help you enjoy a good night’s sleep. Satin is a popular choice, so is silk. Other than that, you should sleep on your back and avoid burying your face into the pillow so that the skin on your face isn’t in harm’s way.

Of course, co-sleeping with a baby is stressful, too. So, look for bedding that will enhance your co-sleeping experience too. You want it to be a memorial experience for both you and baby.

5 Things to Know About Co-Sleeping With Your Toddler

October 13, 2019 by Rhonda Gales 1 Comment

The moment your child comes into the world, your world as a parent will revolve around sleep. Chances are that co-sleeping has crossed your mind as a possible method of how to help your baby get a good night’s sleep. Today, we’re sharing parenting tips on five things you need to know about co-sleeping with your toddler:

Attitudes to Co-sleeping Differ Across the World

The perception of co-sleeping with your toddler differs drastically from culture to culture. In many Western countries, co-sleeping is often regarded as a sleeping method practiced by slightly “alternative” parents. However, the desire to sleep privately or only with one’s adult partner isn’t all that common in the rest of the world.

In Asia and Africa, co-sleeping is encouraged. In places like Botswana, co-sleeping is seen as an important kinship ritual. As a matter of fact, often the whole family – parents, babies, grandparents, even visitors – will sleep together at night.

The Benefits of Co-sleeping Abound

There’s a reason why so many parents worldwide advocate the virtues of co-sleeping. First, co-sleeping establishes the baby’s circadian rhythms and helps them to distinguish day from night. Furthermore, young children sleep better when they feel close to their parents. Especially, to their mother.

Co-sleeping is more convenient for mom and dad through the night too. Parents no longer have to stumble down the dark hallway to soothe their baby. If your child is already right next to you, you don’t have to go far to change diapers, feed and soothe your baby back to sleep.

Co-sleeping Doesn’t Lead to Over-attachment

There’s a common misperception that co-sleeping with your toddler leads to an unhealthy level of dependence between mother and child. Babies and toddlers need secure attachments with their parents in order to thrive. Also, sustained closeness with the mother helps release oxytocin. Oxytocin is the hormone responsible for bonding and attachment. So, there’s nothing bad about that!

Safety is Important

Safety has to be the first priority for any parents interested in co-sleeping. First, think carefully about sharing a sleep space with a baby that is under one year old. Babies are most delicate at this stage, and often need their own space in a crib for sleeping. If you bottle-feed, it’s usually recommended that your baby sleep close to you, but not in your bed. Additionally, your doctor should confirm whether your size poses a risk to your baby in a co-sleeping situation.

However, you should recognize that adult beds were not designed for infants if you are considering co-sleeping. As a result, make the necessary adjustments for baby’s comfort and safety. This includes a flat, firm mattress which isn’t too far from the floor. Next, make sure that your child isn’t overheated with blankets. Last, check that your own clothing has no strings which could pose choking hazards to baby, and tie up long hair.

It’s All About the Environment

You’ve made sure everything is technically safe: what now? Well, there are a few more steps you can take to make the co-sleeping environment truly sleep-inducing. For instance, you won’t regret investing in some blackout blinds. Babies tend to be sensitive to light and darkness. If you have the budget, you might also consider investing in a dual air conditioning and heating unit. This will keep your room at optimal temperatures through all seasons.

Freelance writer, Harper Reid, resides in the beautiful City of Sails ~ Auckland, New Zealand. She enjoys experiencing different cultures, trying local food and exploring new places. See more of her work here.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: children's sleep tips, healthy parenting, parenting toddlers, sleep tips

Sleep Tips: Falling and Staying Asleep In the Midst of Commotion

April 11, 2017 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

Traditionally, noise does not accompany a great night of rest. However, whether it’s a noisy roommate, undesirable conditions, or too much light, obstructions exist. Therefore, you need to get accustomed to sleeping when conditions are sub par. Here’s a few sleep tips on how to fall asleep and stay asleep when noise and other undesirable conditions won’t stop or go away.

Create More Noise

It seems counterproductive, yet if you create your own white noise to drown out other sounds, you could lull yourself to sleep. Try placing a humidifier/dehumidifier somewhere adjacent to your bed. The rumbling would initially seem like a disturbance, yet it’s constant and does well in eclipsing other sounds in the immediate area.

Use Earplugs

Some people don’t like sticking things in their ears. They believe that it impedes their ability to hear intruders entering the home, the phone ringing, etc. However, a tried and true way to cancel out other noise is to block your ability to hear it. If the solution sounds attractive, you’ll be happy to hear that a wide range of selections exists. Actually, some report that earplugs work too well. They make it difficult to wake to alarms and hear other things. Additionally, find apps at this link that help with waking on time.

Muffle the Sound

Use fabric and other materials to deafen sounds outside of your room. Wrap your door in heavy fabric that will muffle the sound. Moreover, you could put soundproof fabric on your walls. The heavier the material, the better it will block sound. If you don’t like the thought of fabric, try shopping for heavier wallpaper or tapestries.

Spray Scented Oils

Scents help drift people to sleep by first making them at peace and relaxed. For example, lavender oil is known to help people relax and is sometimes used in therapy and sleep studies. Many products on the market incorporate oils, chamomile, passionflower teas, etc.

Exercise and Stretch to Exhaustion

Getting too tired to be bothered by noise is another way to get to sleep. Some enjoy reserving time in the evenings to stretch, lift weights, do a cardiovascular activity, etc. However, such a solution could backfire since working out can also make one feel energized afterward. It may be best to find a sweet spot, such as going to the gym or working out three to two hours before bedtime.

Go to the Source

Another sleep tips is to try going straight to the source. For example, if it’s a noisy radiator, maybe you need to call maintenance for help. If it’s a noisy roommate, it may be much more effective to have a conversation and ask them to be quiet. Maybe it’s not that noisy; perhaps you have a mild sleeping condition that can be addressed through medical attention.

Make it Darker

In some cases, you may think that it’s noise that’s keeping you awake while it’s really too much light. Some people are very sensitive to light. And if you are trying to sleep during the day or in a room that lets in too much interior light, it could be incredibly difficult to get to sleep. Try draping sheets over the windows while you’re sleeping, putting a towel underneath your door to block light from leaking in, etc. Also, light blocking drapes are known to work.

We hope that you have found our sleep tips beneficial, and you will implement a few suggestions in your life.