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).
Yoga for Hope is this Saturday, July 14th, at the Seattle Center and we here at Soaring Heart are very excited about it. Recently, we had our own yoga classes in the showroom and they were both a great success and a whole lot of fun. Now, I'm not personally much of a yoganista but many of the people who work for us are, so this seemed like it was right up our alley.
Therefore, we're sending a representative, Ian, along on Saturday to take part in the yoga festivities and also to talk with people about some of our products--mostly pillows used for yoga, such as our bolsters, zabutons, and half-body pillows.
We--or rather, Ian--will be at the Seattle Center bright and early, and he hopes to see you there, too. It should be fun for all fans of yoga and the profits are going to a really great cause, City of Hope. The shindig kicks off at 9:00am and goes until 1:00pm, so there'll still be plenty of time for errands and such after a bracing morning of getting your downward dog on.
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!
Somehow we figured we couldn't go wrong by inviting Mom's to come on down and celebrate Mother's Day with their kids, our beds and some fun photo opportunities. And judging from our photos - I think we were right - there's lots of family fun to be had curled up in our beds! Life's simple pleasures seem to win out again.
Our thanks also go the great band we had on site for the afternoon - it's always fun to spice up our shopping experience with live music. While we didn't record their summertime jazz for "web broadcast" you can rest assured that our afternoon was lively. Heck, it's sort of fun to dance your way around the shop while trying out our hand made mattresses, pillows and comforters! Certainly we're doing our best to demonstrate that shopping in our store can't compare with anywhere else on your list.
Stay tuned for future events. And feel free to send along ideas, comments or testimonials on any of our products. We are thankful for your support, and it's always a pleasure to share our gratitude with our on-line friends (and moms!) anyway we can.
Mike Schaefer, Owner, Soaring Heart Natural Bed Company
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Leave it to the "Little Lemon Drops & Children Helping Children's" Junior Guilds at Seattle Children's Hospital to turn pillow building into a heck of alot of fun! As Soaring Heart volunteers they spent an afternoon building our top quality all natural shredded latex pillows as gifts for Children's 2012 Nurse Appreciation Week (May 6-12). Tasked with assuring each of our organic cotton cases had exactly 3 pounds of soft, fluffy latex it quickly became clear that each pillow was packed to overflowing with love, laughter and joy. By the end of the day our truck was packed full of smiles destined to be shared with every nurse lucky enough to cuddle up with one of these great pillows.
Thank you Children's for all the work you do for our community. It makes our hearts soar to support your team.
Mike Schaefer, Owner, Soaring Heart
Our beds are built in layers. Each mattress is a collection of layers specially designed to create the perfect night's sleep, such as a latex mattress, Deluxe Wool Topper and cotton mattress pad. This concept can be a bit abstract--it certainly isn't the bedding world's norm. Often times we are asked about this, something along the lines of "why the layer system?" (we have always prided ourselves on the directness of our patrons).
This is our answer...
Layers work.
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