After a long hard week in the office and many sleepless nights, many people think that a long lie in on a Saturday will help rejuvenate our worn out bodies.

Scientists, however, have said that having a catch up on your sleep that you loose during the week can often be a pointless task.

Restricted sleep – four hours or less per night – has been found to be cumulative and that little sleep each night is almost as bad for the body as having no sleep at all.

Even if it is just a couple of nights a week can completely affect how the mind works and one single night sleep will not immediately reverse this.

Lead researcher Dr Chiara Cirelli from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said, “There is a huge amount of interest in sleep restriction in the field today.

“Instead of going to bed when they are tired, like they should, people watch TV and want to have an active social life.

“People count on catching up on their sleep on the weekends, but it may not be enough. Even relatively mild sleep restriction for several nights can affect an individuals ability to perform cognitive tasks.

“For instance, recent studies in humans have shown that five days with only four hours of sleep each night result in cumulative deficits in vigilance and cognition, and these deficits do not fully recover after one night of sleep, even if ten hours in bed are allowed.”

Insomnia can also increase the bodies resistance to insulin and further lead to diabetes.

Dr Cirelli’s team studies how sleep deprivation on rats and recorded their slow wave activity (SWA) while they were asleep and awake. SWA indicates when an individual needs to sleep because the longer someone stays awak the higher the level of SWA.

Dr Cirelli explained, “Monitoring SWA levels during waking time is very important in understanding the whole picture.

“High SWA levels during periods of both sleeping and waking signal that you need to go to sleep.”

The research is expected to help scientists understand the harmful effects of sleep disturbance.

If you are looking for comfy bedding to keep you in the perfect slumber each night then visit online bedding store Duvet and Pillow Warehouse. From goose down quilts to memory foam pillows, there is something for everyone to ensure that you get the best sleep right through the night.

Women have been found to wake their sleeping partners up at night because they are jealous of their partners nodding off within moments of hitting the pillow.

Sleep envy – as it is known – can turn a lovely lady into a less than likeable partner.

Figures show that 1 in 4 women admitted to deliberately waking up their partner because they are jealous they aren’t able to fall asleep as easy.

The most common revenge is to simple toss and turn until their sleep-eyed partner wakes up.

The next wake up tactic is the ‘accidental’ poke or prod in the ribs.

Others used less than subtle tactics such as chatting until they got a reply, making a loud noise and even turning on the light or television.

One in ten actually confessed to pinching their partner to wake up.

The sleeping envy confessions came about after a poll was conducted about women and their sleeping habits. Around 25 per cent of the women took up to an hour to drop off, while most men said they fell asleep in under ten minutes.

A third of women said that they felt frustration at watching their partners effortlessly fall asleep while they toss and turn, leading to unnecessary arguments before bed.

“Not being able to sleep can be frustrating enough, bout our survey shows that it is made worse when you are next to someone who is sound asleep,” the Daily Mail quoted for Silentnight, which carried out the poll, as saying.

“However this sleep envy phenomenon is actually doing more harm than good and will only prevent you from getting to sleep longer.

“Sleepless Brits should try tiring themselves out by reading or having a warm drink in another room, so as not to disturb their partners,” he added.

If you are struggling to sleep at night you may want to consider changing your bedding to a more cosier duvet and pillow to ensure you are getting the most out of each night’s sleep. From memory foam pillows to goose down quilts the Duvet and Pillow Warehouse website has some fantastic bedding supplies on their dedicated online store.

If you like to get into the groove before bedtime then the Sound Asleep Pillow is the perfect pillow for you.

The pillow is installed with a tiny speaker which allows you to listen to a few tunes before you go to sleep, a better solution that using headphones. The new pillow is a great idea for hypnotherapy or even to help learn a new language or even as background noise for those afflicted with tinnitus.

The pillow is a soft, round the neck style plush travel pillow with a speaker at either end and a little pouch to hide away a 3.mm jack. That way you can listen to an mp3 or iPod without it annoying the person next to you.

The funky design is the perfect travel accessory to ensure that you get a decent rest whether stuck on a plane, train or in a car or coach.

If you are looking for bedding accessories and furnishings including bed linen and pillows then why not take a trip to Duvet and Pillow Warehouse the online bedding store for all your bedding needs and requirements.

The team specialise in high quality products to suit their customers needs and requirements; and the best thing about it is that their products are all at affordable prices.

For more information and to view all of their products visit www.duvetandpillowwarehouse.co.uk

If you suffer from insomnia then drinking a glass of cherry juice twice daily, is the key to a decent night’s sleep.

The study by researchers at the University of Rochester in New York found that drinking unsweetened cherry juice in the morning and evening regularly helped people enjoy more sleep.

Dr Wilfred Pigeon, the psychiatrist who led the study said that the effect cherry juice has on patients could possibly be down to the fruit’s high content of melatonin – the hormone that regulates the body’s sleep-wake cycle.

In today’s society, insomnia has become one of the biggest health challenges with around one in four adults suffering from it and a fifth regularly getting fewer than five hours’ sleep each night.

The study saw an analysis of participants sleeping patterns on two phases. During the first, the volunteers drank cherry juice every morning and evening and in the second they were given a comparable fruit juice.

The results found that cherry juice led to an average of 17 minutes of more sleep.

Dr Pigeon, said, “Given the side effects of some medications it is encouraging to have a natural alternative.” Dr Russel Reiter, a melatonin expert at the University of Texas said foods like cherries may be a better alternative to boosting the body’s supply than supplements.

The study was published in the Journals of Medicinal Food. 

Whatever sleep problems you are having, why not make sure that it isn’t your bed linen, duvets or pillows and visit Duvet and Pillow Warehouse today for all your bedroom furnishing needs. The online duvet store has thousands of products on sale which will benefit you and your sleeping habits. For more information visit www.duvetandpillowwarehouse.co.uk.  

Zeo sleep coach

A new alarm clock-Zeo- has been developed to track brain waves during a persons sleep to help people learn how much they sleep and whether it is actually enough.

One 30-year-old-girl tested the alarm clock and her results weren’t entirely pleasing.

“You’re sleeping like a 50-year-old,” Michael Breus, a sleep expert on the scientific advisory board for Zeo, told me after reviewing my sleep data.

And according to a recent survey by National Sleep Foundation, half of Americans say they don’t get a good sleep, providing a perfect market for Zeo, the ‘personal sleep coach’ meant to help gauge and manage the quality of your Zs.

Using a sensor strapped to your forehead, Zeo measures brain waves while you sleep and wirelessly transmits the information to a bedside alarm clock, which displays a graph showing your sleep cycle.

When you wake from your slumber, the alarm clock tells you how much time you spent in each of the sleep phases; deep sleep, which is the most physically restorative; REM sleep, which is the best for mental rejuvenation; and light sleep, which fills in most of the rest of the night. The alarm clock tells you how many times you woke during the night, which you might not remember doing. It tells you how long it took for you to fall asleep and how long you slept for. All this information is then combined to produce a sleep quality score, called a ZQ.

The girl’s average ZQ over a seven-day period was 66, well below the average for 30-year-olds, which is meant to be 80. Breus said that it is on par with the average for a 50-year-old, which is 67.

“The biggest thing that my patients get from this is learning how important their bedtime is,” Breus, who runs a clinical sleep practice in Scottsdale, Arizona, and wrote the sleep book, ‘Good Night.’

And the next step for Zeo will be sleep coaching. Through email, a coach may advise you to get more excercise to boost deep sleep to cut back on caffeine and alcohol to improve REM or count back from 300 in threes to quiet a busy mind.

For $199 is Zeo worth it?

We at Duvet and Pillow Warehouse think it is a fantastic idea however we also believe that the right bed linen, duvet as well as mattresses play a massive part in getting a good night’s sleep.

If you are looking for some new duvets or pillows or fancy trying out a memory mattress topper then visit Duvet and Pillow Warehouse today.

You can tell a lot about someone from how they keep their home. From dust-free surfaces to meticulously arranged furniture and crazy custom made duvets or pillows, the telling signs of someone’s personality and lifestyle are often visible in their living space.

Take a look at Lifehacker’s piece on famous offices, for example. It’s amazing how similar people’s working spaces are to the results of their work – Steve Jobs’ minimalist living room, Pixar’s chaotic village-style workspaces, and Al Gore’s ultra-busy cluttered office space each telling us something unique about them.

This time, we’ve looked at something different: the bedrooms of the famous, influential, and historically important. From world leaders to rock stars, these ten beds and bedrooms were all home to some serious ideas – and if recent science is to be believed, some revolutionary creative output.

1.    John and Yoko’s Protest Bed

At the height of the Vietnam War, John Lennon and Yoko Ono decided to fight for peace in a slightly unusual way: by refusing to leave the bed. The well-known ex-Beatle and his avant garde wife encouraged others to do the same, leading to a great deal of media coverage and several ‘bed-ins’ across the globe.

Nowadays, the famous protest bed is housed in Amsterdam’s Hilton Hotel, in a suite reserved for die hard Beatles fans and guests looking for some quirky historical significance to their holiday. While far from cheap, the suite attracts plenty of visitors annually – itself one of the most well-known musical attractions in the city.

 

 2.    Winston Churchill’s Bedroom Bunker

Some claim Winston Churchill won the war while drunk. Others claim he did it from his bed. Whichever is accurate – and those close to the Prime Minister believe both could be accurate – the well-known Prime Minister didn’t exactly value comfort and luxury highly. His private bunker in London housed a relatively Spartan living area, complete with a small single bed for the Prime Minister.

While Churchill lived in numerous residences throughout his term, this London bunker is one of the most famous. Now open to tourists as part of the Churchill Museum, the private bedroom is one of several rooms available to view, including cabinet war rooms and insulated security bunkers.

3.    Van Gogh’s Crooked Bed

Vincent Van Gogh’s portfolio includes some seriously famous pieces, but this first edition of his ‘Bedroom in Arles’ painting is one of the legendary artist’s most celebrated pieces. A perspective painting of his own crooked bed, the 1888 painting was recreated by Van Gogh in three different editions.

Today, there’s little chance of seeing Van Gogh’s own bedroom. However, serious art fans are welcome to view the paintings on their own. The first version is housed in Amsterdam, the second in Chicago, and the third in Paris. All are slightly different – distinguishable by the hanging pictures to the right of Van Gogh’s bed.

 

4.    Jackie Kennedy’s Famous White House Bed

The Kennedy White House was renowned for style, and the young First Lady Jackie certainly didn’t disappoint. Removing every trace of 1950s conservatism from the White House’s interior, Mrs Kennedy turned the formerly stale second bedroom into something a little more interesting.

While clearly a product of the 1960s, Jackie Kennedy’s master bedroom could quite easily find itself in the pages of a design magazine today. From the classy décor to the giant bed itself, it’s difficult to fault this bedroom, especially in a residence known for somewhat stale ‘classical’ decorating.

5.    Evan Williams’ Penthouse Bedroom

The millionaire founder of Twitter, Evan Williams certainly had style on his mind when decorating this San Francisco penthouse. Valued at well over £1 million, the rooftop apartment houses some seriously impressive furniture, including this chic and impressive bed.

Beyond the throw pillows and plush decorating, this bed appears to be home to some serious creativity and business savvy. Williams has founded three successful companies – Pyra Labs, Blogger.com, and the ultra-popular Twitter service.

6.    Elvis Presley’s ‘Hamburger’ Bed

Visitors to Graceland are greeted by halls of Elvis Presley memorabilia, some of the artist’s famous rock songs, and of course, a trip through the King’s house. From the built-in bowling alley to Elvis’s huge personal record collection, there’s plenty to see in the King of Rock and Roll’s lifelong residence.

Including this bizarre hamburger-shaped bed. Designed in the early 1970s – known to some as the decade that style forgot – this circular bed couldn’t exactly be described as stylish. However, it certainly fits in with Elvis’s personal style – the King was known for his eccentric personality and huge appetite.

7.    Sir Elton John’s Neon Bedroom

Sir Elton John’s personal and financial excess has been well documented, both by the mainstream media and the musical press that followed him throughout the 1970s and 80s. His Beverly Hills apartment however, is styled slightly differently from his English mansions and Atlanta home.

Above the glam rock superstar’s bed is a full neon sign, projecting messages onto the room’s many paintings and artistic pieces.

We’d like to think that Elton sleeps with the neon lights switched off, but knowing his reputation for excessive spending, cutting down on the electricity bill probably isn’t a major priority.

 

 8.    Barack Obama’s Guest Bedroom

Before being elected as President of the United States, Barack Obama had expressed disapproval at the inclusion of a large TV in the White House’s famous Lincoln bedroom. Lo and behold, just over three months after his election the TV was removed and replaced with a bookshelf of Lincoln’s favorite texts.

While this isn’t the President’s own bed, it is the bed used for special guests to the White House and visiting international leaders. The classical styling may not be quite as elegant as Jackie Kennedy’s master bedroom, but the Lincoln Bedroom is indeed one of the world’s most important and well-known beds.

Yes, you did just read that correct – a man in Japan has actually married his pillow!

Lee Jin-gyu fell for his ‘dakimakura’ – which is a large, huggable pillow from Japan, these types of pillows often have a picture of a popular animation character printed on the side.

Lee’s pillow had an image of Fate Testarossa, from the animation series Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha – which probably means nothing to us here in the UK, but apparantly she is a popular figure in Japan, i wouldn’t go as far as to marry a pillow with her image on though… that is a little extreme!

Lee is 28 and is known amongst his friends as a obsessive nerd when it comes to the animation series, married his pillow in a special wedding ceremonty in Japan, he even dressed the pillow in a wedding dress which was performed by a local priest?!

‘He is completely obsessed with this pillow and takes it everywhere, they go out to the park or the funfair where it will go on all the rides with him. Then when he goes out to eat he takes it with him and it gets its own seat and its own meal.’ said one of Lee’s close friends.

Now i know people speak about ‘loving’ their bed, duvet and pillows – but this is one step too far!

We all know how important sleep is and how it effects us if we don’t get enough, we struggle with work, and find it hard to focus and life in general just feel like hard work!

Sometimes we wish we could live without sleep, it takes up so much time, and we miss out on so many other things we could be doing whilst we are asleep, but it is still essential that we get 8 hours of rest each night, so staying out clubbing and drinking until 3am and being up at 7am for a lecture isn’t such a great idea, but if you are a student, or have ever been a student you will be very aware that this happens, and for most students very regularly.

And when most sleeping problems occur when alcohol is involved, whether this be from being knocked out and dead to the world whilst sleeping off a monster hangover, or being wide awake due to too much vodka and red bull, the duvet and pillow warehouse will try their best to give you little snippets of information regarding sleep problems to ensure you enjoy the best night sleep, even at the weekends…

If your not completely tired and you have things on your mind you will struggle to drift off into dreamworld naturally, so our advice is that if you have been led awake whilst trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the best thing to actually do it get up… no we haven’t gone mad, we did say, get up!

Try to do something calm and relaxing, such as reading a book or having a nice warm drink, anything that doesn’t cause any mental strain that will make you brain even more active, and make sure the light in your room is low, even just have a candle lit, and after a while you should start to feel tired and drowsy so thats when you should return to your bed and peacefully drift away to the land of nod.

Everyone knows that Goths are into strange things…such as wearing heavy eye make up and all black, but not many would expect them to be into sleeping in coffin’s, as disturbing as it is, some Goth’s are now known to be ordering coffin beds to sleep in, however strange or disturbing most would believe this to be!

It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase of ’sleep when your dead’! And as strange as it seems, these coffin beds are actually meant to be quite comfortable to sleep on and some people who have already used them have said they have actually had a better nights sleep than in most other beds – i think i’ll stick to my lovely big mattress and fluffy duvets and pillows thanks!

So whilst the rest of us ’suckers’ stretch out on our king sized mattresses complete with fluffy feather duvets and pillows cosy and content, some choose to put their head down in a hard wooden box which you cant roll over in or stretch your arms and legs out… which you will probably need to do after being cramped up in there, and you are also risking the fact that the coffin lid could close on you during the night and you could even suffocate to death – at least you would already be ready for burial though?!

Even more so disturbing, you can also purchase extra’s for your coffin bed such as lock and latches and heavier ‘customized’ lids, oh ok thanks for that, please can i also add to effect and have it filled with flesh eating bacteria?

But, there is still hope for all us people who still love a traditional big soft mattress, duvet and pillows, and this hope comes in the form of the Duvet and Pillow warehouse, where you can purchase everything you need for that extra comfortable nights sleep, check out their current pillow sale and duvet sale for all the best offers online, and enjoy an amazing nights sleep in a BED!

Our modern day world is best known for being surrounded by technology, we live and breathe it thoughout our days, even to the point where we now don’t even realise!

We send e-mails instead of letters, we talk over ’skype’ instead of in person, we don’t buy CD’s we listen to ’spotify’ online, everything is changing, and becoming easier and fast paced…. so much so that we are definately going to need a good nights sleep every night to completely ’switch off’ from our high paced days at the office! All sleep experts recommend  to get a good nights sleep you must turn off all technology and completely relax, and to some techno freaks that is enough to give them nightmares!

But, if you cant cope to be without your technology fix even at night time, there are ways…

The recent hype in the technology market is the new iphone, and a company have now introduced iphone bedding, so if the thought of going to bed without your beloved iphone sends shivers down your spine, check out this fantastic iphone theme bedding – so you can sleep soundly knowing your ‘iphone’ is wrapped around you!