10 Tips for a Better Nights Sleep

10 Tips For A Good Night’s Sleep Naturally

1.             Stick to a schedule. Mum was right when she set a time we always had to go to sleep as kids. Sticking to a schedule allows your body to set its internal rhythm clock so you can get up at the time you want, consistently, every single day. Also, make sure you try to keep the same schedule on weekends too, otherwise the next morning you will wake later and feel overly tired.

2.             Sleep only at night. Avoid daytime sleep if possible. Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute, power naps when needed.

3.             Exercise. It’s actually known to help you sleep better. Your body uses the sleep period to recover its muscles and joints that have been exercised. Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise every day can help you sleep, but be sure to exercise in the morning or afternoon. Exercise stimulates the body and aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult.

4.             Taking a hot shower or bath before bed helps bring on sleep because they can relax tense muscles. Try a lavender soap for the calming aroma.

5.             Avoid eating just before bed. Give yourself at least 2 hours from when you eat to when you sleep. This allows for digestion to happen (or at least start) well before you go to sleep so your body can rest properly during the night, rather than churning away your food.

6.             Avoid caffeine. It keeps you awake and that’s not what you want for a good nights sleep. If you need a warm drink try a soothing green tea or warm milk with honey.

7.             Read a fiction book. It takes you to a whole new world if you really get into it.  Then take some time to ponder over the book as you fall asleep. I find as I read more and more, regardless of the book, I get more tired at night and so find it easier to fall asleep.

8.             Have the room slightly cooler. Your body temperature does not need a warm room and bed covers so turn off the heat and allow the night air to circulate in and out of the windows. If I get cold, I wear warmer clothes or use a heavier quilt in the colder months.

9.             Sleep in silence. I find sleeping with no music or TV far more restful. I guess others are different, but sleep with no distractions is best for a clearer mind.

10.                Avoid alcohol before bedtime. It’s a depressant; although it may make it easier to fall asleep, it causes you to wake up during the night. As alcohol is digested your body goes into withdrawal from the alcohol, causing nighttime awakenings and often nightmares for some people.

 

 

Ecosleep The Home of Coshee: Terms to help you shop for bedlinen around the wor...

Ecosleep The Home of Coshee: Terms to help you shop for bedlinen around the wor...:                                                                    The beauty of shopping for bedlinen online or in store…...

Terms to help you shop for bedlinen around the world

                          

                             The beauty of shopping for bedlinen online or in store…

                       Here are some helpful terms to assist and make the shop worthwhile!

• Bed skirt (also bed ruffle, dust ruffle or valance): A decorative piece used to cover the boxspring and legs of the bed. It fits between the mattress and boxspring and hangs to the floor.
• Bed spread: A bed cover with sides that go to the floor. This does not require a bed skirt, and was particularly popular in North America after World War II.
• Bolster: A long, narrow and commonly cylindrical pillow filled with down or feathers.
• Boudoir pillows (or breakfast pillows): Small rectangular decorative throw pillows.
• Comforter: A filled bed cover that is quilted and usually reversible. Also referred to as a inner quilt or duvet by some countries. They typically are paired with a bed skirt to form a complete ensemble, as the sides only go about halfway to the floor.
• Drop: The length of a bed skirt.
• Duvet: A soft flat bag traditionally filled with down or feathers,silk or wool or a combination of both, and used on a bed as a blanket, doona, quilt or comforter. Needs to be enclosed in a cover to keep it clean.
• Duvet cover: A decorative and protective covering for a duvet or quilt. Most duvet covers have a button or tie closure at one end.
• European sham (or Euro sham): A decorative pillow covering which fits a large 26” x 26” pillow. These are often placed behind the standard size pillow shams as a backdrop, or on top of standard pillows as a coordinated set with a duvet cover.
• Feather bed: Feathers contained within a fabric shell and lay on top of a mattress as a mattress topper. The feather bed will normally have elastic straps or even have a fitted sheet on it so that it fits over a mattress and stays in place.
• Fitted sheet: This is the bottom sheet used to fit tightly over a mattress. Fitted sheets are available in a variety of pocket depths, which refers to the thickness of your mattress. 
• Flanged: Including a decorative band of fabric that is straight or tailored; often used to describe pillows or pillow shams.
• Hotel bedding: Sheets with a high-thread count and unadorned designs, marketed to replicate the bedding materials that hotels use. Hotel bedding is typically designed to be soft, durable and inoffensive to variable tastes, and the expansion of business travel created a consumer demand for similar products.
• Mako cotton: A high grade of cotton, the long staple or long fibre of Egyptian-grown cotton has more continuous fibres to use when creating threads or yarns. This yarn is smaller in diameter yet stronger than other cottons. Smaller yarn means that more threads per square inch can be used to create stronger fabrics which are lighter in weight yet breathe well. Mako cotton is frequently used to make up scale sheets and towels, which are marketed as a luxury product.
• Mattress protector:  Also known as a mattress pad, mattress topper, or underpad. This is typically used underneath a fitted sheet to add comfort, protect against allergies, and protect the mattress.
• Neckroll: Small cylindrical decorative throw pillows.
• Pillow shams: Decorative coverings for pillows, often designed with trims, ruffles, flanges, or cording. Shams are normally placed behind the pillows used to sleep on, which would be covered with regular pillowcases.
• Pima cotton: A high grade of cotton. It has the long staple similar to Mako cotton, which is what gives it its exceptional softness and brilliant luster, as well as its durability. Its superior characteristics improve with wear. Pima cotton is used to make up scale sheets, towels and clothing, which are marketed as a luxury product. Peru produces the most of the world's Pima cotton and of the best quality.
• Pleated: Material that is sewn in folds, like a fan.
• Tailored: Fitted closely, i.e. made to fit the bed exactly.
• Thread count:  The number of thread ends per square inch in a woven.
• Around the world we use so many different terms but in the end it all comes down to a bed, pillow, mattress, sheet set, duvet or quilt and the cover to go over them to give you a great nights sleep!

Sleep well :)

Jane

Bamboo Sheeting from EcoSleep

Bamboo SHEETING BY ECOSLEEP

Bamboo sheeting on our Coshee quilt covers by Ecosleep Australia® is made to be durable, but soft, wearable, washable and affordable.

       Bamboo is a natural and hypoallergenic fibre which naturally breathes. This keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer.

       Bamboo has antimicrobial and antibacterial qualities ensuring that body odours are minimised.

       It is machine washable and very easy to care for.

       Bamboo is grown without pesticides. It also grows quickly, requiring no replanting. It absorbs carbon dioxide, releases oxygen into the atmosphere and uses very little water to grow, leaving only a small carbon footprint.   This is the ethos of Ecosleep Australia.

What are the health and other benefits of using bamboo sheeting?

Bamboo absorbs moisture and unlike many man made fibres, it will wick perspiration away from your skin.

Bamboo has great thermal properties ensuring it is warm in winter and cool in summer.

Bamboo is non-allergic and is ideal for people with sensitive skins.

Bamboo does not shrink like other fibres, nor pill or lose its colour when washed.

Bamboo is a renewable easily grown plant that requires little water and no pesticides.

Bamboo has anti microbial and anti bacterial properties minimizing body odours in people prone to this.

Bamboo is very cost effective and easy to care for.

Bamboo sheeting can be washed in the washing machine gentle cycle and in cold water.

What is the best way to care for bamboo sheeting?

Bamboo sheeting can be used in all seasons. It is very easy to care for.
A good gentle laundry powder works well on bamboo sheeting in cold or cool water on a gentle cycle or hand wash.
Never use bleach on your bamboo sheeting. Dry normally outside and do not tumble dry.
Cool iron if necessary but most wrinkles fall out naturally when the sheeting is placed back on the bed.

House or Home?

HOUSE OR HOME?

Its cold outside so we tend to nest during the colder months and stay indoors. While doing this the eye will roam around our abode picking up on the things we need to upgrade....but my question is do we live in a house or a home?
I moved a lot as a child and this made me think of home being when my family where all together and the house was a place we resided.
In todays world we tend to make our house a home in a similar fashion....we decorate with family shots, we add little momentos from travel, and we use colours that make us feel safe and loved.

 So today here are a few of the items I love to have to make my house a home!

                              My beautiful Grandelier from Who did that? in natural timber

My soft, natural mulberry silk quilt to snuggle under.

My red/beige hemp cushion

My beach memories the children have collected ....and still add to!

http://au.linkedin.com/pub/jane-tepper/15/886/299

How much sleep do our babies to teens really need?

The amount of sleep a child needs varies depending on the individual and certain factors, including the age of the child. Following are some general guidelines

1-4 Weeks Old: 15 - 16 hours per day

Newborns typically sleep about 15 to 18 hours a day, but only in short periods of two to four hours. Premature babies may sleep longer and colicky ones shorter.

Since newborns do not yet have an internal biological clock, or circadian rhythm, their sleep patterns are not related to the daylight and nighttime cycles. In fact, they tend not to have much of a pattern at all.

1-4 Months Old: 14 - 15 hours per day

By 6 weeks of age your baby is beginning to settle down a bit, and you may notice more regular sleep patterns emerging. The longest periods of sleep run four to six hours and now tends to occur more regularly in the evening. Day-night confusion ends.

4-12 Months Old: 14 - 15 hours per day

While up to 15 hours is ideal, most infants up to 11 months old get only about 12 hours sleep. Establishing healthy sleep habits is a primary goal during this period, as your baby is now much more social, and his sleep patterns are more adult-like.

Babies typically have three naps and drop to two at around 6 months old, at which time (or earlier) they are physically capable of sleeping through the night. Establishing regular naps generally happens at the latter part of this time frame, as his biological rhythms mature. The midmorning nap usually starts at 9 a.m. and lasts about an hour. The early afternoon nap starts between noon and 2 p.m. and lasts an hour or two. And the late afternoon nap may start from 3 to 5 p.m. and is variable in duration.

1-3 Years Old: 12 - 14 hours per day

As your child moves past the first year toward 18-21 months of age he will likely lose his morning nap and nap only once a day. While toddlers need up to 14 hours a day of sleep, they typically get only about 10.

Most children from about 21 to 36 months of age still need one nap a day, which may range from one to three and a half hours long. They typically go to bed between 7 and 9 p.m. and wake up between 6 and 8 a.m.

3-6 Years Old: 10 - 12 hours per day

Children at this age typically go to bed between 7 and 9 p.m. and wake up around 6 and 8 a.m., just as they did when they were younger. At 3, most children are still napping, while at 5, most are not. Naps gradually become shorter as well. New sleep problems do not usually develop after 3 years of age.

7-12 Years Old: 10 - 11 hours per day

At these ages, with social, school, and family activities, bedtimes gradually become later and later, with most 12-years-olds going to bed at about 9 p.m. There is still a wide range of bedtimes, from 7:30 to 10 p.m., as well as total sleep times, from 9 to 12 hours, although the average is only about 9 hours.

12-18 Years Old: 8 - 9 hours per day

Sleep needs remain just as vital to health and well-being for teenagers as when they were younger. It turns out that many teenagers actually may need more sleep than in previous years. Now, however, social pressures conspire against getting the proper amount and quality of sleep.

Feng Shui in the bedroom

Feng Shui Your Bedroom

The bedroom is the site of relaxation, romance, and rest. Designed well, the bedroom can inspire couples to feel more romantic and stir their passions. If not, relationships can dwindle down to a friendly, not so romantic, handshake. If bedrooms are a place of activity, such as exercise, work, hobbies, or other interests, then they will not be the restful space they were intended to be. There is a fine line between creating the bedroom that inspires you and the bedroom that depletes you.

One of the first areas this shows up in is the artwork. Feng shui has stringent rules regarding bedrooms - and correspondingly - the art that goes into them. Time after time, I see bedrooms during feng shui consultations whose artwork appears to be whatever was leftover from the rest of the house. Or, the symbolism of the art in relationship to the room it is displayed in is not taken into account, such as winter scenes in a marriage bedroom. This can fill the bedroom with all the wrong messages. Bbbbrrrrr.......

Bedrooms should display the messages that inspire the person (or persons) who occupy the room. Artwork should reflect their tastes, interests, and desires while still following feng shui guidelines. This will help to ensure that negative messages or inappropriate messages don't distract from the principal goals of the bedroom: rest, romance, and relaxation.

Look at all the bedrooms in the house. Determine if they are inspiring and if they are making the appropriate statements for the room. For example, a scary Spiderman poster that looks like Spiderman is going to jump off the wall may create a frightening bedroom for a young boy.

Or, pictures of the kids in a marriage bedroom create too much "kid energy" and can be uncomfortable for romance, causing marital passion to wither. Next, take into account feng shui guidelines, such as eliminating mirrors, pictures of dragons, deities. or vicious animals.

Sleeping is a time when we must be the most protected and cared-for. This is why it makes sense to make sure that your bedrooms support you, your family, and your relationships.

Art in Children's Bedrooms

* Avoid vicious animals and scary figures.

* Place happy, bright images in the children's bedrooms

* Display images of skill and learning, such as pictures of globes and books or any kind of learning experience

* DON'T hang pictures of water, lakes, or oceans

* Avoid pictures of religious themes, such as crosses or religious figures

* Select pictures of animals that are positive, such as horses (good for sons) that look happy and strong, not frightened. Turtles are also beneficial. Avoid frogs and toads which can appear to "eat" whatever is in the room.

* DO have pictures of parents in children's bedroom to inspire better behavior and greater respect

* Clouds are very popular for children's bedrooms. Be certain that if you have clouds on the ceiling, that the child's head is not covered by a cloud as this will create "a cloud over his/her head" and this can lead to a number of difficulties. (The same is true for adult bedrooms.)

Art in Adult Bedrooms

* For couples, DO place pictures of pairs (geese, ducks, chairs, vases, etc.) to foster togetherness

* Avoid pictures of heavenly images deities, religious figures, etc.

* Avoid pictures of singular items that suggest being alone

* Avoid pictures of flowers and plants, unless someone is ill. Plants and pictures of plants or flowers will cause couples to argue.

* DO have pictures of love, such as couples in an embrace, tasteful nudes, or affection

* DON'T have pictures of children in the bedroom. You have enough "kid time" already. Have one place in the house that is devoted solely to you and your mate.

* If single, make sure you have pictures in the bedroom that represent the energy you are trying to attract, i.e., a single woman seeking a man should hang pictures that show men or have men strongly in the scene.

* To create opportunities for yourself, place a picture of an open field on the wall opposite the bed. This suggests the way of your life is open and obstacles are removed.

Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter Feng Shui E-zine and certified feng shui consultant in classical Chinese feng shui. Kathryn helps her readers improve their lives and generate more wealth with feng shui