Sleep Advice

Humans and dogs have been sleeping together for centuries. In fact, Australian Aborigines used this common occurrence as a rough gauge of temperature. A “one-dog night” meant sleeping with one dog in bed for a little extra warmth, and a “three-dog night” meant you needed three pups with you to get a good night’s sleep and stay warm in freezing temperatures.

A good night's sleep is crucial to living a healthy life, and the mattress you sleep on every night is a significant factor in your sleep quality. Mattresses have come a long way over the past few decades, changing the way we snooze. New technology, fabrics, and materials have led to the creation of more comfortable beds, designed to suit the needs of all types of sleepers.

One of the best parts of staying in a hotel is diving into a perfectly made bed that’s inviting, clean, and beautifully dressed. Professionally-made beds boast flawlessly tucked sheets, thoughtful blanket layers, and cozy cloud-like pillows—a kind of dream you don’t ever want to wake up from. It can be a disappointment to come home and see a lackluster bed setup waiting for you: messy sheets, sad pillows, thin sheets, a sagging mattress, and a comforter that’s seen better days.

There are many different types of mattresses circulating throughout the mattress world today. There’s the traditional innerspring mattress, the plush memory foam mattress, the iconic waterbed from the 70s, soft pillow top mattresses, and many more.

Naps are a serious siren call to those of us who are sleep deprived. If you often fall victim to one of those “What year is it?” naps where you accidentally pass out for hours, you know that terrible groggy feeling and regret that follows when you wake up. Now it’s 11 pm and you can’t go to sleep at your normal bedtime. Where did you go wrong?

You’re in a college classroom, sitting at a desk, staring down impossible test questions. Panic sets in. You haven’t attended this class the entire semester and your grade on this exam determines if you pass or fail. The clock ticks down the minutes you have left while everyone around you feverishly writes. You look down at your paper again, powerless - wait a second, where are your pants?

If you’re tossing and turning every night, begging with your Supreme Being who looks down on you for some shut-eye, you may have poor sleep hygiene. Simply put, sleep hygiene consists of the nighttime rituals you practice every night. These behaviors either help you doze off or result in interrupted sleep and trouble falling asleep.

After a night of too little sleep, you’re likely not feeling your best. You’re probably grumpy, tired, and looking a bit worse for wear. You might even experience some brain fog, a lack of motivation, and poor focus resulting in dips in your performance at work or school.

Have you ever noticed how you get thirstier at night, especially when it’s time to go to sleep? Without even realizing it, it’s become a nightly routine for you to grab a glass of water and guzzle it down before you hop into bed. If this is you, you’re not alone.

If you own a dog, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve let them sleep in bed with you. And why wouldn’t you? After all, they’re part of the family and you want them to be comfortable, or maybe you feel safer with them next to you.