Recipe for a Good Night's Sleep

Did you know that humans spend 1/3 of their lives asleep? That means I've already slept over 11 years - that's some serious time. If 33% of my life is spent in bed, it had better be nice and comfortable. A good night's sleep can mean the difference between a really good or a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. That's why when it comes to my mattress, pillow, and bedding I don't mess around. For some reason this has been a topic of discussion lately with random people, so I thought I'd share my recipe for a good night's sleep (note: I don't have children to wake me up at night, which helps too). 

Let's start from the ground up. It's all about the mattress. And when Dr. B bought a Heavenly Bed while we were dating, it sealed my fate as a mattress snob. There's a reason it's called heavenly...because it is. And no matter how nice the hotel (unless we're staying at a Westin property), I'm always happy to return home to our bed at the end of a trip. We've also got one in our guest room and have received rave reviews from visitors. 

Now for a little pillow talk. We both use an ergonomic pillow. They can take a little time to get accustomed to, but once you do, you'll never go back. And if you have neck, back, or headache issues, I highly recommend one. Dr. B and I recently decided our old ones needed to be replaced. After testing out three options at the Healthy Back Store (just as awkward and hilarious as testing mattresses in a store), we landed on the Technogel Contour Pillow. Not cheap, our "golden pillows," as we call them, were definitely worth the investment. The gel is pleasantly cool and will be awesome during the hot D.C. summers. They've even got different pillows for side and back sleepers. 

And last, but not least, bedding. To me, sheets are like frosting...if the frosting is bad, it doesn't matter how good the cake is. I've owned sets from Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware to Ralph Lauren, and NOTHING holds a candle to Italian bed linens. I was first turned on to them on our Honeymoon. The hotel had Quagliotti bedding and it was like nothing I've ever experienced. 

I even went so far as to inquire about purchasing a new set...needless to say they were cost prohibitive. NO ONE likes to pay luxury Italian prices. Enter One King's Lane or Joss & Main. While I haven't seen Quagliotti on either site, they do have regular sales of Frette and Sferra at HUGE discounts. I've also seen Sferra at Home Goods. Our current set is Sferra, and they are so silky smooth it's nearly impossible to get out of bed every day. They say that sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together...so it had better be good.