How to Choose a Pillow

Pillows. They're the last thing you feel before you fall asleep. Since we spend a third of our lives sleeping, it's important that you have a pillow that is comfortable and provides you with a great night of sleep. Here are some tips on choosing a pillow:


First, determine what your sleeping position is. Do you sleep on your back, side or stomach? The way you sleep is going to give you an idea of the firmness the pillow needs to be. Back sleepers need medium support that provides the perfect position for your head and neck. Side sleepers need firm pillows that will provide an even sleeping surface. Stomach sleepers should have a soft pillow to ensure that the head and neck stays at a natural and comfortable angle. If you find you change your sleeping position throughout the night the best route is a medium pillow that can fit all positions.

Decide what you would like the fill to be. If you are concerned about any allergies, avoid down and feather as they can cause an allergic reaction. There are plenty of alternatives when it comes to pillow fill.

Did you know that there are multiple pillow sizes to choose from? Just like a bed, pillows come in a variety of sizes. Typical sizes are standard, queen, king and Euro. Euro sizes are square and are typically pillows that you don't sleep on, they're there for looks. King pillows and long and require a king size pillow case, perfect for king size beds. Queen pillows go well with a full or queen bed, using a standard pillow case. Standard pillows work well on twin beds or with two on a full or queen bed.

Now that you know a little more about pillows it will be easier for you to know which route to take when you are choosing a pillow.

How Exercise Benefits Your Sleep

You've heard it before: exercise has many great benefits for your mind and your body. It's easier said than done to get off that couch and get exercising. Exercise benefits your sleep in many ways, making you feel more energetic and positive every day. Here are some ways that exercise benefits your sleep.

1. Researches say that people who exercise on a regular basis report better quality of sleep. This is because your body is burning calories and energy, causing you to feel more relaxed and tired at the end of the day.

2. Exercise boosts your mood and causes less sleepiness during the day. Many people find working out in the morning helps them stay awake throughout the day rather than rolling out of bed and going to work.

3. Depressive symptoms are reported in fewer people who exercise. Depression can cause many sleep issues, therefore if a person exercises they are less likely to feel depressed and lose out on valuable sleep time.

4. When you sleep better you are more willing and able to get up in the morning and exercise. A great night of sleep can equal to a great morning with a work out to help you start your day correctly.

5. Exercise benefits your sleep because your body feels healthier and your metabolism is on the right track as well. When you feel healthy, your body is healthy and you are able to sleep better.

All in all, exercise and sleep go hand in hand. If you want a great night's sleep, get some exercise is. Exercise does not have to be something you force yourself to do, even going on a morning walk through the park can be just what you need!

Why am I still tired?

Did you wake up after eight hours of sleep only to still feel tired? It's something everyone deals with almost every day. Our bodies feel tired, your brain feels like it never stopped and all you want to do is lay in bed all day, right? There are many reasons why you might be feeling tired even after a full night of sleep.

Fatigue affects everyone at some point in their life. Lack of sleep is one of the main reasons you will still feel tired. About one third of us deal with insomnia, a serious sleep issue that causes it hard for you to get to sleep or to stay asleep. You might think eight hours is enough sleep for you, but you might need to adjust the amount of hours you sleep for.

The food you eat before bed, or lack of food you eat, can also cause you to still feel tired. By not eating enough or eating the wrong foods, your energy levels will fluctuate throughout the day and by the end of the day when it's time to go to bed you will find it hard to get that sleep. 

Depression has a large affect on your sleep as well. Known for causing emotional pain, depression also causes physical pain as well. Lack of sleep can be a sign of poor mental health, something that you should seek medical advice for.

There are many health issues that can also cause you to still feel tired. Diabetes, heart disease, urinary tract infections, underactive thyroid and anemia are just some of the examples when health issues can harm your sleep.

It is important that if you are experiencing a continuous period where you are feeling tired and down that you seek medical advice to find the cause. We all have crazy lives where sleep might not be at the top of your list, however it is important that you are well rested so you can carry on with your life.

Sleeping in Summer Heat

The 90+ degree days are upon us, which means there's plenty of time to be spent outside. This also means you are going to worn down a lot quicker and feel the need to hit the pillow earlier every night. However, when it's so warm and you don't want to crank the air conditioning, how can you possibly fall asleep?! Here are some ways to help you sleep comfortably in the summer heat.

1. Keep your windows and shades closed during the day. At night, open as many as possible.
2. Change your sheets to materials that retain less heat. Light colored, lightweight cotton is a perfect example for this.
3. Adjust fans to run counter-clockwise to pull the hot air up.
4. Wear loose-fitting clothes. Or don't wear any clothes at all.
5. Take a cool shower right before bed.
6. Sleep on lower levels.


These six tips will help you sleep comfortably in the summer heat. You will find the best way possible for you to sleep, whether it is taking a shower, having lighter sheets or adjusting the fans. Happy sleeping!

How much sleep do you need?

Ever wonder what the magic number is for being able to wake up and feel completely refreshed, ready to start your day? Typically, we'll quote that we need eight hours of sleep every night to get this refreshed, revitalized feeling. However, the amount of sleep you need depends on one thing: you.

Every person is going to feel differently after they get six, eight, ten or another amount of hours of sleep. This is what makes it hard to figure out how much sleep you need. Age, lifestyle and health are just some of the factors that contribute to the amount of sleep you need every night. By understanding sleep and your body you will be able to find that perfect amount so you don't wake up tired or like you overslept.

The average adult sleeps less than seven hours per night, according to the National Institutes of Health. Most healthy adults need between seven and a half to nine hours of sleep every night to function at their best. However, this does depend on your health, age and lifestyle. That's why there is such a large gap between seven and half hours and nine hours of sleep. Some of us might feel that nine hours is perfect, while others might think seven and a half is the perfect amount for them.

So how do you figure out the right amount for you? Take a look at your typical day, where you get up and go to bed around the same time. If you got enough sleep the night before, you should feel alert and ready to go for the entire day. If you're feeling slow and dragging on your day, you didn't get enough sleep.

Take it as a step by step process. Every day consider how much you slept and how tired you feel throughout the day. That night, add more or less time to your sleep, depending on how your day went. Eventually you will find a good number of hours that is optimal for you.

Every person is going to vary with their sleep schedule and amount of sleep they need. Just because someone says that you need eight hours doesn't mean you need eight hours. Take the time to understand your sleep needs and you will find yourself being able to function throughout your entire day.

Memorial Day Fun Facts

Memorial Day is upon us. It's a day where we get together with friends and family, grill out, spend time outside and have a great time. Here are some Memorial Day fun facts for you to impress your family and friends with.

1. It is always celebrated on the last Monday in May.
2. Waterloo, New York is the birthplace of Memorial Day.
3. We celebrate Memorial Day to remember those who died in any war while serving with the United States.
4. Congress passed a law in 2000  for Americans to pause at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day to remember and honor the fallen.
5. Over 35 million Americans will travel over Memorial Day.
6. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day.
7. The American flag is raised to the top of the staff and then lowered to half-staff until noon, where it is the raised full-staff for the rest of the day.

Now when you are bar-b-queuing on Memorial Day, you can think of these Memorial Day fun facts and spend some time remembering those who have fallen and thank the ones that are around you. Happy Memorial Day, have a safe and fun holiday!

Eating Before Bed

You've had those nights where you stay up later than usual and find yourself hungry. So you go to the fridge, grab whatever you have and chow down, then head to bed. You don't think anything of it, but by eating right before bed you are harming your sleep and your health at the same time.

Why does eating before bed hurt your sleep? When you eat before bed you can develop insomnia. Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint among Americans, and often times it is caused because you ate too much before you went to bed.

Eating before bed also causes heartburn. Lying down after you eat causes the acidic contents of what you ate to go back up into your esophagus, creating a burning sensation in your chest.

You might notice weight gain if you continuously eat before bed. Oftentimes what you eat before bed is not healthy and is snack foods such as chips and cookies. It's easy to overeat these snack foods, causing you to gain more weight.

You can avoid these problems not by going to bed hungry. Having a light evening snack that has carbohydrates and protein will help to promote calmness instead of harming your sleep. Avoid highly spicy and garlic-flavored foods later in the day and do not eat highly acidic or fatty foods to avoid heartburn.

Eating before bed does not mean you have to go to bed hungry. By watching what you eat and avoiding certain types of food before bed you will have less of a risk of disrupting your sleep and harming your overall health.