The Sleeping Thread

[Beer babe]

Here's a place to discuss all things sleeping related!

I just bought a new bed & pillow which i LOVE, but the only thing i'm missing is a sleeping mask (to keep out light). Do you ladies have any recommendations on where to buy a good one?

Happy sleeping!

[erika]

Teatro Verde has some fun ones. You might be able to find one in a store that sells lingerie and sleepwear; I'm thinking of that one that's in the Beaches and also in Bloor West Village.

I'm seriously thinking of buying a bed - I have actually stayed in hippy/japanese mode with futons for forever...

[Beer babe]

erika - i have to recommend a memory foam bed. and those temperpedic pillows make a heavenly match. I can't tell you the difference i feel in my back and neck...all my pain has gone away!

and thanks for the recommendations on the sleep masks! I'll have to check teatro verde.

[Beer babe]

that's my bed! <3

[girlnextdoor]

instead of a sleep mask, i would invest in heavy curtains/drapes. i have them in my bedroom and it's AMAZING - the light is completely kept out but in the morning i am able to open them up and brighten the whole room.

[rubytuesday]

Yeah I got light blocking drapes for about $20 and it's so good to be able to go to bed at night without light coming in. And it helps for sleeping in too although that is less important to me.

My question is, how much sleep do people get on average? Do you sleep in on weekends? Do you take naps?

I get about 8-9 hours a night and I take 1-2 hour naps when possible.

[Hawk Eye]

I get about 8 hours. I don't really take naps unless I have to get up at a ridiculous hour then i'll take a nap later in the day.

I have pretty dark drapes (chocolate brown) so there is never light coming in my room. It's awesome. I try not to sleep in on the weekends bc I like to hit the gym in the morning.

[geminigirl]

I really don't like the temperpedic pillows.

[NemIsis]

Perfect thread for me tonight. Hitting the bed in 5 minutes!

I love my mask, although it freaks out my roomie if he ever tries to wake me up and sees me with it on. I get it for free as my best friend works for Air Canada and gives me little packages every few months. I would like fun ones though. I don't have heavy drapes and don't really like them. I like to wake up with the light peaking in from under the mask and waking to glorious sunshine. Heavt drapes would just encourage me to stay in bed

I have a great box spring but need a new mattress. The one I have has worn out its time and I can feel it in my back.

Sleep is usually 6 hours on a weekday and 9 on the weekend, but with insomia the last few (4) nights, I've been averaging about 3-4 hours. I'm a little loopy right now.

[the Doctor]

Having averaged 6 hours when in university, sleep is now MY BEST FRIEND.

I love it!! 8 hours is optimal, although 7 works all right for the most part. Lately, I've been trying to get up for a spin class at 6:45 which means I have to be in bed by 11. After a long workday, that's about as late as I want to be up anyways.

[MissBlu]

i used to go to bed at 10:30pm and then i moved in with my boyfriend. now i'm lucky to get into bed at midnight... i'm supposed to be up at 5:45am... i guess i average about six hours during the week, which is NOT optimal for me, and i can feel it. i sleep in on the weekends and yesterday i had a massive nap in the afternoon.

i find when i nap, that i am not up to peak performance for the rest of the day - i'm kinda in a daze so i try not too. maybe it's because i am a super deep sleeper. i need more sleep.

[skyparty]

I prefer 10 hours and I'll nap to get it.

I sleep more with migraines and on "catch up" days, I tend to spend all day in bed. Terrible, but I need sleep to function at an optimal level. When I'm tired, my energy levels are low and my moods are up-down.

When I've had next to no sleep, I actually have meltdowns and cry like a baby.

[smokeyeyes]

I love love love my bed and I love my pillow. It's a Obusforme, medium.

A good mattress and a pillow that is the correct firmness and height for your body and sleeping style is *key* for a good night's sleep.

Right now I'm averaging ~5h/night on weekdays, and one night of about 9h on the weekend.
My own fault. I wake up before 5:30am and I stay up too late at night.

I'll only nap if I really, really need to. Like MissBlu, I find that I'm fuzzy for the rest of the day.

[Bean]

We call our bed The Nest. It is the comfiest, coziest place I can think of: feather duvet, feathered mattress topper, comfortable and supportive mattress, lovely pillows, and my favourite person sleeping beside me.

I got my sleep mask at Europebound and it's a godsend! Seriously, with the sleep mask and ear plugs, I can sleep through construction, noisy neighbours, and cawing birds.

[skyparty]

Originally Posted by smokeyeyes

I love love love my my pillow. It's a Obusforme, medium.

omg! good to know!

i asked for those kind of pillows on my bridal registry

[skyparty]

Originally Posted by Bean

Seriously, with ear plugs, I can sleep through construction, noisy neighbours, and cawing birds.

I wear earplugs most nights too.

I never did until I starting living with guys (one roomate, and now my fiance) but god are they loud! Tv going all night! What's with that? Silence! I need Silence! (aside from typical downtown life heard through the windows)

[sk8]

I get probably about 7 hours a night (bed around 11, up at 6). Sometimes broken up into two smaller chunks thanks to Maya.

I'm not a napper either - I also get fuzzyheaded, unless I'm sick then I can nap okay.

I can't sleep with mask or earplugs - I hate anything on my face while sleeping.

I sleep on my stomach with one super flat pillow. this is probably horrible for me.

[erika]

I try to get at least six hours on nights where I'm working the next day, and sometimes succeed (with earplugs and mask).
About 8 on nights where I don't have to work the next day, but often a bit of a nap on those non-working days - and I love those.

Explain to me why you need a boxspring with a mattress. Pillows, I'm fine.

I also want to remain as low to the ground as possible, because I do like that vibe the best. I think I've found a frame, and possibly a mattress, but if I add a box spring it seems to high to me; so I'm still on the futon.

Perhaps I should transition with the futon on the frame, then go from there?

Oh, and the sleep is rarely (like once every several months) uninterrupted. Sigh...

[grumblegirl]

Pre-Felix, I used to sleep a solid 7-8 hours a night - never woke up until a moment or two before my alarm. (Usually 11pm-6:30ish, 7:30 on weekends.)

Now - lucky to get 6-7 hours, interrupted at least twice and often many more times than that. But I really should be going to bed earlier, so it's partially my fault. It's just really hard to go to bed at 9pm!

I'm happiest with 8 hours, but it turns out I can function on far fewer.
I'm also a naturally early riser - always have been - so I suffer greatly if I go out at night, cuz I've always been up by 8:30am no matter what time I go to bed.

My bed - Fairly new, and mid-range Ikea mattress with memory foam topper, and thick mattress pad. LOVE it. Oh - and a overstuffed down pillow, and dark room. Want it darker though - just have to get around to installing the roll-down blind.

[kirstenmeows]

I would love to get 8 hours of continuous sleep, but I know it will never happen. On a good night, I might get 3-4 hours tops. Naps are therefore crucial to my sanity. I never realized just how wonderful my bed is (Sealy posturepedic) until I slept on a less than comfy mattress Monday and Tuesday. Last night was heaven and then some...

As for the mattress and boxspring thing, I prefer to be higher up. Erika, there are a number of good mattresses on the market that combine the two (perfect for platform beds) so look for one of those.

[sk8]

there's no reason you can't just sleep on a mattress - provided it's supported correctly by either a platform bed frame or in a frame by a flat board or slats (or the floor). This is what I slept on my entire life until Steve and I moved in together and we went with his box-spring involved queen over my cheapo Ikea double on slats. Damn him being tall and not fitting in my bed.

Ideally I'd like a platform bed. Actually I'd like a bed frame in general - I hate our stupid metal basic frame dealie.

[erika]

^
thanks for the tips

[grumblegirl]

I used to have a mattress and boxspring, and I found that it gave a lot less support after a couple of years than just a mattress on a platform. I got rid of the boxspring when I bought my new mattress last year, and got a friend to build me a platform for my existing bedframe. It's super comfy, and I think it'll have a good lifespan - but it's not as bouncy as my old bed was. That's about the only drawback to no boxspring, imo.

[Hawk Eye]

Originally Posted by skyparty

I wear earplugs most nights too.

I never did until I starting living with guys (one roomate, and now my fiance) but god are they loud! Tv going all night! What's with that? Silence! I need Silence! (aside from typical downtown life heard through the windows)

I would go crazy if I was living with someone and their tv was loud. My roommate talks on the phone ALL THE TIME. She talks in her normal outdoor voice so I could hear everything through our walls. I always tell her to keep it down bc im going to bed. I need complete and utter silence. I will wake up if i hear a pin drop. It's so annoying. Thankfully she agreed to not be on the phone after a certain hour compromise..so that's good. I can't wear ear plugs. They fall out of my ears. Ear buds even fall out of my ears.

[erika]

HawkEye don't give up on ear plugs; it took me three attempts before I found a type that squished in right..