Pillow and sheets....

In all the flyers it seems as though it's the time of year to replace your linens in your home.  I googled it and the best time of year to buy them is January/February.

All of this works out well for me, as I have been suffering with chronic neck pain and knew it was time to replace my pillow.  As per this article you should replace your pillow every couple of years.  When I went to look for a pillows I was overwhelmed with the choices, so had to narrow down what I needed in a pillow.  The one I had was this type of pillow:

It wasn't working for me anymore, so I decided to go a different route.  Here is what I needed in a pillow:

• It had to be firm, I like a bit of body in my pillow.
• I suffer from hot flashes, so having the cooling gel in it was a priority
• I did not want to spend over $100 on a pillow

I was shocked to say the least at the price of some of the pillows I was looking at, but couldn't justify paying over $100 for a pillow, despite the fact I am desperate for a decent nights sleep.

After looking around for the past couple of weeks, I stumbled upon this one from Bed, Bath and Beyond and best of all it had 20% off the price:

You can read more about it here.  I woke up after my first night sleeping on it, without neck pain.........YEAH!!  It's a bit stiff but overall I am happy with it.  If you are looking for a pillow with similar features, this one may be worth a try?

I was in Home Hardware of all places the other day and I stumbled upon a display of microfibre sheet sets.  They were only $19.99 a set; so I picked up two sets.

Now I personally think that cotton sheets are the most cooling fabric to sleep on.  Whereas microfibre sheets are a warmer fabric to sleep on; and due to the fact that hubby finds it cold in our bedroom, it's the least I can do is buy the sheets that feel warmer.  

Also the microfibre sheets are easier to look after, and dry faster and don't need ironing!!  Which I think is a major bonus.  We have been using these types of sheets for a few years now and love them for their durability and price.  

I also saw similar sheet sets in Canadian Tire for the same price as well.  The ladies in Home Hardware were saying they had all bought multiple sets, and why not at that price?

Do you prefer cotton sheets over other fabric?

Sleep...........

This article arrived in my inbox the other day all about sleep.

(image credit)

One of my favourite things about my FitBit is the sleep app part of it.  I love how it shows you not only how long you slept for, but what different types of sleep cycles you went through each given night.

You usually move from light sleep to deep sleep, back to light then onto REM.  

You can be awake between 10 - 30 times per night, but most are so short you will not remember them.  

REM typically occurs later at night and has been shown to improve your mood and memory. During this stage your dreams are more vivid, your heartbeat is elevated and your breathing faster.

Light sleep is very important, it makes up most of your night and promotes mental and physical restoration.

Deep sleep helps with physical recovery and helps with memory and learning.  If you wake up feeling refreshed you probably had a good deep sleep.

On an average night I should be awake 12% to 24% of the time.  In REM 15% to 25% of the time. Light sleep 40% to 60% of the time and deep sleep 8% to 16% of the time.

Everyone is different.  Me personally, I do best if I can sleep 9 hours per night.  If I could sleep longer I could and I would!!  I need my sleep.  I average around 8 hours sleep per night.

The other night for instance these were my numbers:

Awake: 9%
REM : 18%
Light Sleep: 56%
Deep Sleep: 17%

I also tend to fall into a deep sleep right away as per my FitBit.

Are you a good sleeper?