b e t t e r HEALTH
4
. A D D A W O R R Y B O O K
Stress causes almost half of us to
lose sleep every month, one survey
shows. Instead of stewing, sit down
before bed with a “worry book” and
write down the problems of the day
as well as potential solutions. They
can be as wild and impractical as
you like. Then put the worry book
by the bedroom door and go to bed.
When fretful thoughts pop into
your mind, tell yourself you’ve done
everything you possibly can
tonight, and there are solutions
waiting by the door to get started on
in the morning. It really works.
5
. S E T Y O U R CLO CK
Make sure it goes off at the same
time all week. Yes, that means
weekends. Sleeping in for an hour
or two on Sunday confuses your
body’s clock and makes your sleep
worse the rest of the week.
“If I had to pick one thing for better
sleep it would be to wake up at the
same time every day,” Esther says.
Also, turn the clock away from you
so its light doesn’t disturb you and
so you aren’t tempted to clock-
watch, which just worsens your
insomnia.
6
. C L O SE T H E P A JA M A D R A W ER
You’ll improve your sleep if you
leave your PJs in the drawer or
dress as lightly as makes you feel
comfortable. It’s easier to adjust
body temperature when you can
toss covers on or off bare legs or
shoulders rather than struggling
with nightwear.
7
. S L E E P AT
6 5
D E G R E E S
Lower temperatures help your
body go into sleep mode for the
night, but there’s no need to hike
the utility bill to keep it at those
levels all day. A programmable
thermostat (many are under $50)
from a home center such as Home
Depot or Lowe’s can automatically
change the temperature. Set it to
adjust to 65 degrees a half-hour
before bed. If you don’t want to cool
the whole house in summer, get a
portable air-conditioning unit, such
as the Sunpentown SPT WA-1230E
12,000-BTU. It has a remote control
so you don’t have to get out of bed
in the middle of the night to adjust
it. About $380;
a m a zo n .co m .
8
. TRY, TRY A G A IN
If you don’t fall asleep within 30
minutes of turning out the light—or
if you wake during the night—get
up and read a novel for a while.
Keep a room dark but still enjoy
fatigue-free reading with the Zelco
“itty-bitty” Book Light, Volume 2.
About $30;
a m a zo n .co m .
The matter of mattresses
Few things are as important to sleep as the right mattress. So we recruited sleepers willing to put their
backs into it. These mattress picks were slept on for 3-6 months. Prices shown are for queen-sizes.
T E M P U R -P E D IC Tempur-Pedic
mattresses are the only ones approved
by the Arthritis Foundation, in part
because of their ability to alleviate
aches. And they come with a 20-year
warranty. If you buy them directly from
the manufacturer, you get a free 90-day
in-home tryout. $1,699 for the
ClassicBed mattress, online at
tem purpedic.com .
B E T T E R H O M ES A N D G A R D E N S ®
H EN BU RY We’re tooting our own horn
here—for good reason.
Better Hom es
and Gardens®
launched its own brand
of mattresses in February with Five Star
Mattress (a sister company of Serta).
We tested the Henbury, available in firm,
plush, or super pillow top. Its latex layer
will also help you sleep cooler. Our
tester gave up a beloved mattress to try
ours but found she liked the Henbury
better. $1,299,
bhgmattress.com.
SO M NIU M O M N IFLEX If you’ve ever
slept on a European-style mattress, you
may have found it harder than its North
American counterparts. For many
people, a firm er mattress is key to a
good night’s rest. The new Somnium
Omniflex is such a mattress. Made in
Austria from a combination of plastic
springs (which don’t wear out)
surrounded by eco-friendly foam, its
novel design provides an astonishingly
comfortable sleep. Available at B&B Italia
stores or direct from the manufacturer.
$2,299,
som nium beds.com .
ISO TO N IC ISO -C O O L M A TTR ESS PAD
If there’s no money in the budget for a
new mattress this year, stretch out the
life of your old one with a good mattress
pad. We liked the Isotonic Iso-Cool pad
from The Company Store, which did an
admirable job increasing the comfort
level of a mattress that had seen better
days. $225,
thecompanystore.com.
M
fca Learn more about better sleep
I
a t B H G .c o m /h e a lt h
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AUGUST 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
