If you can’t sleep and are starting to feel a tad… well, unstable, all it takes to get your sanity back is one therapy sesh, say researchers.

When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, sometimes it can feel like the entire universe is conspiring against you: As soon as your head hits the pillow, that’s when your cat projectile vomits on your comforter. Or your neighbor decides to start a band. Or your mind obsesses over that really annoying thing that happened a million years ago. Sigh.

But don’t fret: A recent study published in the journal Sleep suggests a single therapy sesh might be all you need to get back to your snoozefests of yore. (No, but seriously.) Researchers at Northumbria University attempted to treat insomnia in the acute phase (which is when it’s not considered a legit sleep disorder yet), and found that almost three-quarters of participants saw improvements in sleep quality within three months.

Forty adults were recruited for the study, all of whom had been suffering from insomnia for less than three months, weren’t taking meds to help them sleep, and had never received cognitive behavioral therapy.

Twenty participants underwent a 60-minute cognitive behavioral therapy sesh, while the rest were put on a waitlist for therapy and served as the control group. All participants used sleep diaries to track the quality and duration of their sleep for one week before treatment, and were also asked to complete a questionnaire to help gauge the severity of their insomnia.

The therapy session educated participants on things like sleep restriction, where you only spend the time in bed necessary for sleep. They were then prescribed a specific time to go to bed and wake up based on their individual sleep diaries, and were given a self-help pamphlet to better recognize symptoms of insomnia and how to act on them. Meanwhile, the control group received no additional support.

Within one month of the therapy session, 60 percent of participants reported improvements in sleep quality, and that number increased to 73 percent after three months—compared to only a 15 percent improvement from those in the control group.

Sure, the study was small, and yes, it’s too soon to tell if those who can’t sleep can really be cured by cognitive behavioral therapy, but considering two-thirds of participants sidestepped chronic insomnia because of it, I’d say researchers are on the right track.

“There are numerous advantages to treating insomnia during an acute phase,” Jason Ellis, Director of the Northumbrian Centre for Sleep Research and lead study author said in a statement. “If successful, there’s potential for significant savings in terms of long-term healthcare, lost productivity and accidents. Chronic insomnia is a considerable health burden both on the individual and the economy and has been linked to the development of, or worsening of, a number of physical and psychiatric conditions.”

Long story short: You snooze, you win.

How do you deal when you can’t sleep?

Related on EcoSalon

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Sleep-deprived woman image via Shutterstock

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Our constant use of technology is giving rise to a new disorder known as sleep texting.

Few things can get you into more trouble than sending a text in your sleep. Sleep texting is like having your subconscious thoughts published in the form of a text message, which can get you into some sticky situations.

Sleep texting is becoming increasingly common, especially among younger adults, according to Dr. Michael Gelb, a clinical professor at New York University’s College of Dentistry and founder of The Gelb Center in New York. Sleep texting falls into the same category of parasomnia sleep disorders as sleep walking.

Alex Thielen, a 22 year old sleep texter, felt the pangs of embarrassment when she sent a sleep text to her ex-boyfriend. After months without contact, he had reached out to her, sending her a text before bedtime. She sent him a sleep text back asking him to meet up.

“I never wanted to see him, and still don’t, but I think subconsciously, I still partially do, so my subconscious loved the idea,” Thielen explained to The Atlantic. “I woke up and was embarrassed to tell my friends and mom because deep down, I knew it was a bad idea. I was upset with myself for making it known that I wanted to see him.”

No Spell Check for Sleep Texting

Sleep texts are often riddled with misspellings but the words still have impact, especially when sent to someone outside close family and friends–like a boss or ex-boyfriend. They’re also very difficult to retract because people hesitate to believe that you sent a text in your sleep. But with cell phones on nearly every bedside table, sleep texting isn’t as far-fetched as it might sound.

Sleep texting also disrupts sleep, preventing your body from reaching the REM sleep cycle. What a person had to drink, stress levels, and quality of sleep before the event also have an impact. Workaholics are also prone to sleep texting. According to an article in the Daily Mail, they can’t seem to turn off their work brain.

“People are doing so much during a normal day that it can mean that they feel like they’re ‘on call’ even at night,” said Dr David Cunnington, of Melbourne Sleep Disorder Centre in Australia.

The thought of sending a subconscious text to my boss makes my stomach turn. All the more reason to keep your cell phone out of the bedroom.

Have you ever been caught sleep texting? Tell us about it in a comment.

Related on EcoSalon:
How Sleep Deprivation Affects the Body’s Processes
Tired of Being Tired? Perfect Your Sleep Cycle in 5 Easy Steps
10 Tips for Restful Sleep

Image: Jhaymesisviphotography

The post Yikes! Sleep Texting Could Be The New Sleep Walking appeared first on EcoSalon.

In light of the recent survey finding many of us secure a better night’s sleep in separate cocoons, it might pay to return to the days of twins. You know, lie back and watch a show, roll over for fun, head home to your crib for a snooze so you can get up for work. Just like dating!

Think of the fun of sneaking into the resting chamber of your better half for a “hello stranger” kinda session, while saving all kinds of bucks on the bedding ’cause twin sets are so much cheaper than kings.

Many hotels in Europe feature twins with headboards pushed together to form one chic unit, dressing them in matching finery. I’ve slept best in a twin since summer camp and think in some ways, we were meant to have a compact cot with a narrow margin to feel safe and secure as we garner our much needed zzz’s.

So what are the most stylish ways to produce twins in your own home? Probably the best source for a cool pair is vintage. If you’re more contemporary, you can always customize upholstered headboards or beds with eco fabrics. But that’s another story!

Subtle Vintage Pairings

ebay is undoubtedly the wealthiest source for matching twins, such as these woven Scandinavian beauties from Antique Bedrooms with tapered, capped legs. $1500.

I’m a total sucker for caned furniture, and in fact picked up a set of beds for my daughters at auction when they were small. These precious French guys were harvested by French Finds.

Man, you could have fun with these circa 1970s rattan vintage twin headboards with a decorative diamond insert. Order good green mattresses on frames sans the chemicals and geometric organic bedding. From Objects in the Loft at 1st Dibs.

Pair of curvaceous, French Oak Louis twins, $990 at Abba Antiques.

Main Image: Posh Living

Image one: Rhymehatcher

Image Two: Coco+Kelley

The post Grown Up Twin Beds for the Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em Set appeared first on EcoSalon.

We have very specific needs when it comes to our sleeping pillows. My husband, for example, isn’t a happy camper unless he can mash his pair into pot stickers for supporting his sizable noggin (they don’t call his people the clan of the big heads for nothing). I rest easiest on a medium-fill, standard-size, hypo-allergenic pillow, containing enough loft to support my little grape head but not so dense as to require a neck brace upon rising.

All of these preferences seem crucial in attaining a good night’s sleep, especially during these often fitful nights caused by the market crash (over-the-counter sleep aids are said to be up by 30 percent). Even so, many of us (especially yours truly) are lazy about finding the pillow that fits and then maintaining it to extend its life. Some argue pillow protectors with zipper enclosures should cover every cushion you value to insure sustainability.

Pillows are important investments. After all, we spend a third of our lives hugging our feather- or foam-filled friends. And when those friends cost $100, they should be excellent bedfellows.

I went to Rebecca Litwin, founder of Down Etc. for some hard facts on selecting a soft place to land at night.

Down Etc. is a premier vendor of pillows and bedding purchased by luxury and green hotels and retailers. It has just launched an organic line called DOE (Down on Earth) with natural feathers and 100% organic cotton ticking fabric encasing those feathers. It also sells its brand in its own showroom at 228 Townsend in San Francisco where visitors are basically given a crash course by Rebecca on how to buy a pillow 101.

EcoSalon: The term hypo-allergenic is commonly used to sell us on pillows that don’t cause reactions. Does it mean all allergens are removed from the feathers, and if so, how?

Rebecca: Hypo-allergenic means the way in which a product is washed to remove its residue, impurities and any type of bacteria that can be found in an animal-based product. Our cleaning process is called CentroClean ┞¢ and it removes the allergens from the feathers. We boil the water at an extremely high temperature to kill off any bacteria. The real issue is to look at is the cleanliness of the pillow: by smelling it, and then hitting it to check for dust.

Can synthetic be hypo-allergenic?

When you read that a synthetic product is hypo-allergenic I don’t know how that is done because it is made from plastic, from polyester, which is artificially created. Down, because it is natural, is not what you are allergic to; it’s the dust and the mold. There is an allergy to human and pet hair but it is very rare. It’s usually the chemical the product is washed in or the dust or mold in the air that causes an allergic reaction.

Are there things we can be doing to help extend the lives of our pillows?

You should replace your pillow at least once a year, unless you are taking good care of it. My favorite pillow I have had more than 20 years. But I throw my all white down goose pillows regularly in the dryer, so that the heat opens up the cluster and refluffs my pillow. It’s like brushing your hair where you need volume and loft. I add a tennis ball or tennis shoe so it gets beaten to open up the down cluster. The cluster comes from the inner belly of the goose; it’s a bulb with no feathers. To get a firmness we blend it with the feathers from the back of the bird. Most of our products are a mix of the down with the feathers.

How important is it to use pillow protectors?

You drool at night when you sleep so you should use the protector and wash it once a month or on an as-need basis, but change your cases regularly. If you go home today, take the challenge. Take the case off your pillow and see if it is stained with circles. The circles are the residue coming out of your mouth. Everybody drools. If you have protectors the stains will be absorbed there. All my pillows look brand new because they have protectors. Also, you have residue coming out of your hair. We retail protectors for $8. They’re not expensive.

Does a comfortable pillow make a difference in aiding a good night’s sleep during this stressful time with the economy?

Great brains come from a good night’s sleep. If you can put yourself in a deep, delta sleep, you eat better, you exercise, you are happy. It’s a transformation of your energy when you fully relax your body and wake up revived. It’s the key to growth and success. You think better. Have you hugged your pillow today and had a great pillow day? Finding a great pillow is a big challenge itself but if you find it – there is nothing more relaxing than that.

I hear you are preeminent pillow expert, and its seems you know your stuff – and your fluff! What do you hear from clients about pillows that helps you understand our needs?

Everyone has a pillow story they want to tell me. The issue in finding that “perfect pillow” is that time changes, so does the weather, so does your weight and your mood. Today a soft pillow might be great and tomorrow you might need a firmer pillow. We do a hug test. If you walk into our showroom you hug 7 or 8 pillows and have a conversation about each one. It’s like looking at a painting or plucking rose petals. You love one, you don’t love one, you love one, you don’t love one. We look at the juxtaposition of a person’s body, if they have neck pain and tilt their head to the right. A weight lifter, a bigger person, might need the support of a king. Someone might have a small head, sleep on their side, spoon. We ask people if they sleep naked, with flannel, use a duvet. Each filler and fabric is a fiber that breathes a different way. If you have poly-fiber and I change you to a cotton, you might have a completely different experience.

What efforts is the industry making to go organic?

We have a launched a certified organic collection, called DOE (Down on Earth) and our tag line is from seed to sleep. The price range is $100 to $200, a little bit higher than our regular down pillows, about 20 percent higher, but not overly expensive in today’s market. The most important thing is going down to the farm level to the seed. We are ensuring that the fabric goes from the ginner to the spinner to the weaver. We also are doing a buckwheat pillow with seeds.

We’ve been organic for quite some time, here in California. It’s just that awareness has gotten into the mainstream. There is non-chlorine whitening and formaldehyde-free sizing that is used in producing the down-proof fabric. Other products we use are certified organic wool for the filler on the inside of the organic pillows, or feather and down. You have a choice. We are offering the organic now, and have one hotel using it – Bardessono Inn in Yountville. They are a LEED-certified and organic hotel.

Down Etc. pillow terms to help you get your ducks in a row:

The difference between down and feathers

Down consists of the clusters found on the underside of a goose or a duck (waterfowl). The Clusters are soft, fine strands that stem from a central point and as they interlock they trap air. The air keeps you warm.

Feathers are the outer plumage of a waterfowl. Feathers have a quill and are flatter than a down cluster. They are thicker and do not entrap air to provide the warmth that a down cluster does.

Generally, when there is more down in a product – the pillow or comforter is fluffier and softer and when a product has a higher feather content it is more firm.

Fill Power

Fill power is the standard measure of the number of cubic inches filled by an ounce of down. The more space an ounce of down occupies the more warmth it provides. This is because more space entraps more air. (And it is the air that provides the warmth.)

Dust Mites

Dust Mites are tiny bugs that live in your home. They measure 1/100th of an inch in length and feed off dust. Their waste is a major cause of allergies and asthma. They love warm, humid areas filled with dust. To prevent dust mites in your home it is essential to keep your home free of dust and moisture. Pillow protectors and mattress mads help to keep your pillows and mattresses clean and free of dust mites. Clean the protectors frequently.

Many many more tips can be found on the company’s FAQ site, including proper washing, drying, storage, and ventilation for your down pillows and comforters.

Image: helgasm

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