A sleep pro weighs in<\/a> [ pagebreak ]Next, a sleep pro weighs in<\/b>
Let there be (less) light<\/b> The first thing the sleep expert notes is that my near-transparent shades dont block out the moonlight—let alone streetlights at night. "Melatonin, a hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle, is secreted at night in response to darkness," explains Samuel L. Krachman, DO, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. "Light interferes with its production, making it harder to fall into a deep, restful sleep." In fact, two new studies suggest that exposure to light at night could affect not only your snooze quality but also your blood pressure, glucose levels, ability to regulate body temperature—even cancer risk. He suggests adding blackout curtains, or any opaque shade, to darken the room.<\/p>\nStop the log-sawing<\/b> My main sleep complaint, though, is my husbands snoring. Can Dr. Krachman help with that? His suggested fix: a sleep positioner—a belt with soft foam attachments that will keep my husband from sleeping on his back, which tends to bring on the snoring. For my part, I can wear earplugs and\/or run a white-noise machine to dampen the sound.<\/p>\n
The green experts take<\/b>
Detox your pillow.<\/b> Horrified. Thats the only word to describe the reaction of environmental-lifestyle expert Danny Seo when he spies my memory-foam pillow. He tells me that the petroleum-based synthetic foam my pillow is made of can emit volatile organic compounds<\/p>\n
electronics-bedside<\/span> [ pagebreak ]Finally, a word from the sexpert<\/b>
Nix mood-killers<\/b> My snuggly flannel comforter is deemed a liability by sex coach Amy Levine. "Cozy is not sexy," she says. Also not sexy: family photos. I can see how the 70s-era picture of me, my sister, and my dad on my nightstand is not exactly libido-boosting. Another major no-no is lack of privacy—we have no locks on our door to keep out the kids!<\/p>\nUp the romance factor<\/b> Levine recommends adding items to my room that make me feel sexually confident and empowered. Though the specifics are different for everyone, she says, some suggestions include an inviting chair to use as an alternate lovemaking spot, fresh flowers, and sensual touching objects (think silk and feathers). We do have night table drawers for stashing "pleasure props." Now if we could just lock the door, resist the siren song of the cozy comforter, and actually use those props!<\/p>\n
only-one-candle<\/span>
<\/p>\nShannon GreerOther tips and tricks for a healthy boudoir<\/b>
• Lose those pillows: Sneeze-proof your bed with hypoallergenic casings on your pillows and mattress. And get rid of throw pillows, which can be a breeding ground for dust mites.<\/p>\n
• Kick off your shoes: Better yet, leave those kicks out of the bedroom altogether. They track in toxins from the outside world.<\/p>\n
• Less is more: Candles cast a sexy glow, but some can also emit irritating VOCs. Stick to just one or two that are 100% soy.<\/p>\n
• Time to unplug: Electronic devices can stress you out, interfere with sleep, and sabotage your sex life. "Unless youre a doctor on call, you dont need a BlackBerry by the bed," says sleep expert Samuel L. Krachman, DO<\/p>\n
So, did the tips help?<\/b>
My first priority after the experts left was to move the electronics off my nightstand. I also cleared away the nostalgic photos and piles of magazines. Since buying new curtains isnt our most urgent home-improvement need, Im exploring what a darker room would feel like by donning a soft sleep mask instead. I actually think it helps me fall asleep faster. (Unfortunately, my husband has resisted trying the anti-snoring sleep positioner.) My new pillow and mattress encasements are making the bed a bit crinkly, but Im hoping theyll have me breathing easier. Finally, weve decided to have that pesky leak repaired for good. Itll be a big hassle (well have to rip out and replace the whole wall) and a major investment, but if it helps keep us healthy, itll be worth it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Shannon GreerWe spend roughly a third of our lives in our bedrooms. So its not surprising that the state of your boudoir can affect not just the quality of your sleep and your sex life (duh), but also your stress levels, your allergy symptoms, even your exposure to toxins. Like a lot of us, I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,93],"tags":[37,94],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4385"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}