Sleep Healthy

Organic on a budget? Start with your child's room

Guest Blogger: Jennifer Thibodeau 07/11/09

Want to go organic in your home but, much like the rest of us these days, are facing a budget crunch? Take it slow and start with one room at a time. Here's where I decided to start: my son's room.

Besides the air purifier and shredded rubber pillow I told you about last week, we also got him an amazing set of COYUCHI Organic Jersey Sheets. And I mean amazing. The quality is fantastic. They've been washed and dried many times over and are still in perfect shape - no stretching or threads hanging. The softness is incredible. It feels like you're slipping into your favorite old t-shirt each time you sink into bed. They're made of 100% organic cotton and colored with low-impact dyes (the natural are undyed).

All good stuff for my little guy.

So, if you're looking for a place to start, and you want to start small, I recommend your child's room. Green up their sleeping environment and you'll no doubt sleep a bit more peacefully yourself. If you need additional ideas, visit our Healthy Kid's Room or Organic Nursery.

Sleep well,

Jennifer

Want to green up your student's dorm room?

Our Healthy Dorm Room section just went live with lots of new items. We usually feature this section right after graduation so parents/students can get a jump on their decorating before the stores are out of stock.

We've added some wonderful new organic blankets and a whole new organic bath section. Those of you challenged by the TwinXL size of dorm room mattresses, wil be glad to know we've got plenty of TwinXL sheet sets to choose. If you want to replace the dorm mattress with your very own, non-toxic, TwinXL organic mattress, we have the best brands. 

News update on our partnership with TeensTurningGreen.org and their "Project Green Dorm Room": Yesterday's photo shoot for of the boy's and girl's dorm rooms went super well. We're anxiously awaiting the candids. Saturday afternoon they realized they had not placed their order for Coyuchi sheets and duvet covers. One of the teens drove to Point Reyes to shop the Coyuchi store and saved the day. We were told everyone wanted to go; Point Reyes is one special spot.

Falling in love with my new alpaca wool comforter

Is it possible to actually love a comforter? I’m not sure whether I’ve taken a particular liking to our new alpaca wool comforter from Crescent Moon because I adore those little alpaca animals, or the alpaca wool fiber actually does help me sleep better. Probably both. My night sweats have subsided and I’m sleeping through the night with only a few exceptions, night after night. A real blessing since once I wake up in the middle of the night, it takes hours for me to get back to sleep.

This new alpaca comforter is on the thin side, yet it keeps my body at just the right temperature whether the air conditioning is on, or the window is open. And, this is summer. It’s about half the fluffiness of our Natura wool comforter, which we also love but have decided will become our winter comforter.

I’m experiencing first hand the benefits of wool in regulating body temperature. It prevents overheating so you toss and turn less and stay in deep REM sleep longer. M-m-m-m, deliciously cozy sleep, I might add.

If you’re thinking about buying a wool comforter, give alpaca a try. You may never have to count sheep to get back to sleep again. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Great new bed linens

I’ve been amazed at all the new organic bedding lines that are popping up in stores like ABC Carpet and online. Bright colors and contemporary designs, finally! For a long time the only organic sheets we could offer our customers came in ivory or white, not so today.

Looking for some new contemporary designs? Here are some manufacturers who really deliver sophisticated looks in earth-friendly or organic materials:
Indika Organics – environmental sheeting, hemp and silk blend bedding

High Desert Naturals – I love their nursery bedding because it doesn’t have a single duck, monkey, or lamb on it. Very fun and contemporary.

Coyuchi color sateen sheets and duvet covers. Also, my personal favorite is the Birch duvet cover.

Amenity – the most sophisticated pure virgin cotton bed linens I’ve ever seen. Very interesting color ways and designs.

Say good-bye to crunchy granola designs. Today, natural and organic bed linens are coming out in bold new ways. All I can say is, thank goodness.

Suffering from night sweats? Wool bedding can help

I was skeptical when I first heard wool bedding could actually help with night sweats. Then, I started getting feedback from customers who claimed they were no longer waking up in a pool of sweat because of their new wool topper, pillow, or comforter.

It was worth a test so I started sleeping with a wool comforter. It’s lighter than down, the insides don’t shift to the bottom and piles of filling don’t wander over to my side like down. It’s cozy without making me clammy.

Now I’m spreading the word, wool is not what you think it is.

My latest article for Organic.org spells out the true virtues of the wool fleece gathered from sheep and alpaca. While doing my research I learned that wool has been making human beings comfortable for over 12,000 years.

I found wool works like a natural HVAC system, keeping you warm in winter and cool in summer. It wicks moisture away from your body to create a thin layer of dry air next to your skin that locks in body heat in winter, cools your skin in summer.

Wool is also hypoallergenic because dust mites, the major cause of allergy and asthma suffering, don’t like wool. They’d rather live in down or other materials.

Wool is a natural flame retardant because it cannot catch fire; it basically smolders and extinguishes itself. That’s why fire fighters wear wool uniforms and natural bedding manufacturers use wool in their products to meet federal and state fire codes. Think of all those disaster movies where they roll flaming humans in wool blankets, and you’ll get the idea.

Using wool products supports local farmers throughout the U.S., especially those letting their sheep or alpaca graze on pesticide free pastures. Who wouldn’t want to support raising little lambs to maturity for their fleece rather than food and, have you ever seen the face of an alpaca you couldn’t love?

If you sleep with wool bedding, give me your thoughts.

"Sleeping with Wool – Nature’s Natural Air Conditioning"