What if mattresses could talk? Actually, now that I think about it, the idea's pretty terrifying,. Imagine you've just put down your book or your computer and are on your way to dreamland when, WHAM! Your bed gets chatty. Because, now that I think about it, your mattress would be awake when you sleep. I mean, I couldn't sleep with something lying on top of me--it would be too distracting. So clearly the mattress would be talking while you're trying to sleep. And, AND, if a mattress could speak would it have a MOUTH? A big old mouth flapping around under the sheets?
Talking mattresses would be horrible...
But I digress. The point is, if a mattress could talk, what would it say? I've supplied some pictures, let's see if you can supply the captions!
In a world... where not everything was as it seems... one blog writer... and by association, one mattress company, dared to ask the questions that no one else would ask.
"I need answers!”
"You can't handle my answers!"
"AAhhh, copyright infringement!"
I don't know who that guy I was confronting was, but I couldn't get him to crack... Also, the title could be misconstrued as a group of people who just really love pillows... So, let's move on to something different.
Get ready for winter with our wonderfully cozy handmade comforters filled with fluffy Pacific Northwest Wool or soft organic cotton. And what goes better with an organic comforter than a silky soft organic cotton sateen duvet cover? Nothing as far as we can tell, so they're 10% off too!
Look forward to winter this year, with a Soaring Heart comforter!
Goodness, how long has it been since we've done a pillow fact? Well, I say it's been too long! Therefore, let's roll out Extremely Important Pillow Fact 4.
Fact: Although there are numerous varieties of down pillows, there are no - and I've looked - up pillows.
Now you're probably doing exactly what I did: scratching your head, questioning why--questioning a lot of things. I want to look further into this Da Vinci Code-like mystery. This can only be a conspiracy of the highest level, a secret buried so deep only insanely thin strings of logic and massive leaps of inference will uncover them. Who doesn't want up pillows getting out? What is it about up pillows that makes them so dangerous? Why can they not be released to the public?
I don't know about you, folks, but I can already hear the theme music playing and I'm just itching to throw on my Deer Stalker--the world deserves answers and I will get to the bottom of this. I'm delving into that shadowy underworld the truth calls home., Cloaked figures and overcoat-wearing shadow dwellers, beware.
Tune in next week for the dramatic conclusion... or possibly for a completely unrelated post!
What's in a name? It's a question I hear thrown around a lot. A few days ago, I asked myself that very question: What is in a name? At the time of my musings, we were photographing our zoned latex mattress, called the Madrona. Now, I'm not one to dwell in the realm of the abstract, so I decided to apply my musings to the physical and narrowed my sights on said Madrona.
Staring at the word Madrona, I pondered for, literally, minutes. What is in a name... Well, in Madrona, I found: mad, and, on, rad, dam, ram, androm (I probably made that word up), and Mr. I can now see why the question is such a popular one. There is a lot to find in a name, and it is pretty fun trying to find it.
What I think made it most difficult for me was that Madrona lacks an "e." As I said, I enjoyed myself, and not being the type of guy to hog all the fun, I’ve decided to throw one your way: Tamarack
There you go, no “e” there either, but I believe in you guys. Let's see who finds the most!
Dear Soaring Heart,
Every morning I wake up with back pain. How can I make it stop?
~Sore Back in Saskatchewan
Dear Sore Back,
Unfortunately, this is not a simple problem although it is a pervasive one. According to The Better Sleep Council, 81% of Americans report waking up with back pain. So, you're not alone. The Better Sleep Council recommends getting a new mattress.
"According to Dr. Jacobson's study, published in the Journal of Applied Ergonomics, sleeping on a new mattress can significantly improve sleep quality during the night and reduce physical pain during the day."
That's their opinion. What I suggest is fully removing your spine and replacing it with organic Dunlop Latex.
First of all, you have removed the offending body part; that will stop the current pain. Replacing it with Dunlop latex will prevent pain from reoccurring. I've worked with this material for a while now and people never have sore bones when they sleep on it, so having it as your bones should be even better.
In fact, replace all your bones with organic Dunlop latex. Latex is supple and supportive, so you'll never have stiff bones again!
A few weeks ago I found an article in the Huffington Post about the odd sleep habits of celebrities. It seems they all haven't touched upon a secret formula yet...
Kudos to Consumer Reports (August 2012 print issue, July 2012 on line) for reviewing what makes great sleep - and great mattress shopping. We agree that mattress shopping is confusing--and many price matching or sales promotions are meaningless. We also got a laugh out of their recommendation to lie on any mattress you want to buy for "at least 10 minutes" in the store. 10 minutes? Heck, we'd argue that you should lie around for more than hour - take a nap, bring a book when you shop. I know it takes me more than 10 minutes to kick back and relax, regardless of where I am.
Interestingly, the first 3 pages of this 5 page article are all about what makes great sleep. After surveying more than 26,000 readers all sorts of insightful data comes up - including something we've suspected all along: more than 60% of us have problems falling asleep or walking up feeling relaxed more than 3 nights a week! Wow - that's sure a huge impact on our lives.
Without repeating all the data in the article, CR's "5 Shopping Strategies" are worth noting:
While Soaring Heart didn't expect to be reviewed along with the Sealy's, Serta's, Sleep Train's and Ikea's of the world, we are confident that our hand-made products rank right up there in comfort. durability and craftsmanship. Plus you get our added commitment to all natural, organic bedding that the rest of the market is still trying to figure out. One Consumer Report recommendation worth repeating: "Price guarantees really don't guarantee much. If you prefer not to play those games, buy from a retailer that sells its own mattress brands."
For 30 years we've been ahead of the market by focusing on what makes great sleep, and how our craftsmanship and attention to detail are going to provide enduring quality in ways the big box stores have yet to discover. We thank you for your business and welcome your comments on Consumer Report's findings.
Being that I work for a mattress company, it stands to reason that I spend a good deal of time researching all things sleep. There are articles on insomnia, sleep apnea, how your environment affects your sleep, what you can do to improve your sleep, what you're doing wrong while you sleep, and much, much more.
Buried in this multitude of information, every once in a while one finds a little nugget. A small, twinkling golden fact that catches your eye as you quickly scan the text. It is for these moments, that I, like the early prospectors, live for. After panhandling through small, dense type for what can seem like days, there it is: a perfectly strange, little known, fact about sleep.
Don't get me wrong, these articles are and can be great, but they are pretty dense and... well... not exactly a ripping good read. So, here are seven of my favorites.
Before the advent of television and movies, people dreamed in color. Then, in the first half of the 20th century, as popular culture was introduced to black and white film and TV, our dreams shifted to monochrome. With the advent of Technicolor technology in the 60s, people started dreaming in color again. Now, only one-in-eight people dream in black-and-white—and they are mostly over the age of 55 (old enough to have grown up watching those old, black-and-white TV shows).
In this edition of Very Important Pillow Facts, we delve into the fascinating and frightening world of math!
Today's fact; two pillows do make a right. Unlike wrongs or lefts, two pillows are not only right, but oftentimes better than just one. They are very similar in that way to heads, which I guess makes sense since the two spend so much time together.
Demand examples all you want--I've got plenty. Side-sleepers love double pillows because they need to fill in the gap between their shoulders and their head; walruses prefer two pillows so they can have a tusk guard while they sleep.
Think of it this way: which is better, two cool sides of the pillow or four cool sides of the pillow?
Exactly.
Okay, Folks, it's time for the reader participation portion of the blog. Gear up for a little Q & A.
Dear Soaring Heart,
For days now I have been feeling exhausted. Every morning when I wake up, I feel like I haven't slept a wink. What can I do about this?
- Sleepy in Seattle
Dear Sleepy in Seattle,
It is during times like this that I like to reflect on the words of philosophers. Jim Morrison once said, “I'll never wake up in a good mood again. I'm tired of these stinky boots.” Now, I'm not entirely certain how this relates, but I find the sentiment to be powerful. Have you purchased new boots recently or conversely, have you not bought a pair of boots recently enough?
I used to own a pair of winter boots and never realized those liners came out. That knowledge could have been of real use to me, and probably would have made the boots last much longer. I can't recall how moody I was back then in the mornings, but I bet they didn't help.
I would suggest taking a stern look in the closet to get the skinny on your boot situation, and then make proper arrangements. If that still doesn't work, you could always try some of these organic pillows or mattresses.
If you have a question, please email it to us at soaringheart@soaringheart.com or post below or on Facebook.
Recently there have been many articles and numerous websites cropping up about the use of fire retardants in the mattress industry Unfortunately, most of these articles and websites are untrue or misinformed. We have always been big proponents of openness and clarity at Soaring Heart, so we’d like to set a few things straight. common misconception is that the government requires mattress manufacturers to use chemicals in their mattresses. This is completely untrue. What they require is that every mattress passes two separate burn tests, one with a lit cigarette, and one with a blow torch. That is it. They don't care what is used to make it pass, as long as it passes. In fact, the main restrictions they have are on certain chemicals that are not allowed to be used.
All of our mattresses use 100% natural and organic material fire barriers such as wool and special cotton blends. A few sites have claimed, however, that wool cannot pass the burn test. This is also false. We use a very dense felted wool, with almost no fuel load, which requires no additional chemicals. So, to be clear: Soaring Heart Natural Bed Company doesn't use any synthetic or PBDE fire retardants. No synthetics, no nasty chemicals. Pure. Simple. Comfort
For more information about fire retardant laws and our mattresses, feel free to give us a call anytime.
Yes, we do care where our wool comes from and we are fortunate to be able to support (through our wool supplier) family ranchers across the west coast. We also do our best to get out there each spring to meet the lambs, have fun with the kids and enjoy some sunshine out in the pasture. This year our thank-you's go to Catherine Foote at her place on Washington's Whidbey Island. Sure looks like a fine place to be a sheep (or a kid!).
If you, or a rancher you know wants to become part of our wool network, please drop me an email - mike@ soaringheart.com and we'll start introducing you around our family!
