Category: news

Bed bugs are present almost everywhere on the planet, ranking them as some of the most common vermin encountered. Their populations saw a significant drop in the last century, to the point of almost being wiped out. However, starting from the 1980s, there’s been a steady incline in their numbers. The resurgence is thought to be linked to the increase in global travel and possibly their developed resistance to the pesticides that used to control them effectively. It appears that a combination of these elements is at play, given that bed bugs excel at adjusting to new surroundings and are exceptionally hard to get rid of.

It would be best to take the proper measures to prevent infestation in the first place, but if you think that bed bugs are already in your home, don’t worry, we have some tips to help you get rid of them effectively.

Biology Of Bed Bugs

When encountered with bed signs of bed bugs, people often ask some questions like: Where do bed bugs come from? or Can you see bed bugs? or What do bed bugs eat? This article will try to help you get answers to those questions.

Bed bug or Cimex lectularius is a member of the Cimicidae family of insects, that feed on human blood. There are other members of that family that feast of the blood of other vertebrate hosts. Bed bugs are temporary ectoparasites, which means that they live outside of their host, where they feed, and then they spend time in between their meals hidden nearby, usually in cracks and crevices.

1. lectularius hatch from eggs and then goes through seven nymph stages before reaching adulthood. Adult bed bugs are usually 6mm long, which is approximately the size of an apple seed. They are red-brownish color, and they can be found anywhere where humans are typically resting, in beds, couches, chairs, but also carpets, curtains, and many other places. They are nocturnal animals, meaning that they are active during the night, and that is when they go out and feed on their hosts. Some people think that leaving a light on will prevent them from doing so, but that is a myth as artificial light doesn’t affect them.

Females can lay up to five eggs per day, and a usual life span of bed bugs is ten months. They can also survive several months without eating, mainly because they can consume as much as seven times their body weight, during the feeding session. That’s why they usually have oval-shaped bodies.

They can survive a wide range of temperatures, starting from freezing to as much as 114 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius). The way they detect hosts is through recognizing body heat and carbon dioxide that we exhale.

How To Detect Bed Bugs?

Detecting them can be pretty tricky due to their small size, but there are a few clues to look for:

• Bites: People first suspect about having unwanted guests when they found bite marks on their body. Usually, the red dots will appear, the area will be itchy, and there can even be a small rash. This is not a perfect indicator for detecting them as you can’t easily distinguish bed bug bites from bites of other insects. Some people don’t experience any reaction, so you should look for other signs as well.
• Fecal spotting: Digested blood appears as small black stains on your mattress, bedding, box springs and other places where bed bugs like to seek shelter.
• Cast skins: Before each stage, bed bugs molt, so you will find small insect-like “shells.”
• Eggs: They are small, white and roughly 1mm long.
• Live bugs: Look under your mattress, in the cracks around your bed, behind your nightstand, pictures hanging on the wall and other small hidden spaces that bed bugs like to invade.

Bed Bug Prevention

A common misconception is that bed bugs seek dirty places and that if your house is clean, there is no chance that you’ll find them there. It is true that if your home is cluttered, they’ll have more places to hide, so regularly tidying up will help. But they are mainly attracted to humans, and most of the times they are brought in by accident. Bed bugs are great hitchhikers, so they’ll cling on to your suitcase, coat or other clothing objects, and hold until they get into your home. That is why you need to take some precaution, especially when you’re traveling.

Bed bugs can be found everywhere:

• Apartments
• Houses
• Hotels and motels
• Hospitals
• Theaters
• Nursing homes and care facilities
• Office buildings
• School
• Taxis, buses and other kinds of public transportation

You can see that they are all around, so early detection is the key before their numbers grow. Look for the signs mentioned before for recognizing the infestation.

You should take the following precautions to prevent the introduction and spread of bed bugs:

• Fix all the cracks in the walls, floors, and all the nearby places where they love to hide
• Make sure to seal the windows, baseboards, and all the small cracks bed bugs may use to get in
• Regularly wash your sheets, pillowcases, and other bed linens. Use the hot setting on your washing and drying machine. Also, make sure to vacuum your carpet and bed surroundings often.
• Tidy up cluttered areas in your home. Avoid storing anything under your bed, if possible.
• While staying in a hotel, make sure you keep your items off the floor. Use luggage rags and closet hangers for all your clothes.
• Use cases for your mattress and pillows to prevent the infestation.

You should also be very cautious when getting used furniture in your home. Inspect it thoroughly, and don’t bring it in your home if you are not 100% sure it’s bug-free. When disposing of furniture infested with bed bugs, make sure to mark it down as infested, so other people don’t use it. You can do so by getting a spray can and writing it on the outside of the disposed piece of furniture.

Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs

If you have detected some of the signs of bed bugs infestation, don’t worry; it’s time to take a deep breath and make a plan on how to fight the little bloodsuckers.

There are several effective techniques to restoring your home to a pest-free zone, so you should refrain from throwing out your mattress, bedding and other household items they may be using as a hiding space. Those items are expensive to replace, so only consider throwing them away if multiple extermination methods have failed.

The first thing you want to do is look around the house to locate where the infestation is highest. Look in the bedroom, couches in the living room and other places where people sleep. The places where bed bugs dwell and breed are called harborage areas, so once you’ve located them, it’s time to take some action.

• Strip your mattress, bed cushions, box springs, and other infested items. Use the brush to scrub off all the bed bugs, eggs, casings and other traces of bed bugs, and then use a vacuum to eradicate them. Take a vacuum cleaner outside and dispose of the bag as soon as you’re done.
• Put all of your sheets, bed linens, pillowcases, clothing, and curtains in a plastic bag and take them to a washing machine. Wash and dry them on the highest possible temperature setting. Warm water won’t kill them as they can survive temperatures of up to 114 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to throw away the bag once you’ve put all the items in the washing machine.
  Freezing temperatures can also be used to eradicate bed bugs. You can place your smaller items in plastic bags, and keep them in a freezer for a week. Chest like freezers can be used for storing larger things as well. Keep in mind that eggs are more resilient to cold temperatures so that they can survive up to 30 days in a freezer.
• Buy encasements for all the mattresses and spring boxes in your home. They are made of plastic, and they fight tightly over your mattress, with a zipper used to close them completely. Encasements are tick enough to prevent the bed bugs from biting you through the material, and the trapped bed bugs die inside after some time. Keep the encasements on for at least a year, as bed bugs can live that long.
• After your secured your mattress, bedding and other items, thoroughly vacuum all the carpets and rugs in your home.
• Alcohol can be pretty useful in dealing with bed bugs, so pour some on a Q-tip, and wipe any other stray bugs you found, after you have cleaned your house.
• If you have decided to throw away the piece of infested furniture, responsibly dispose of it the way we previously mentioned.

If these steps haven’t been successful, it is time to call the pest control specialist, also known as the bed bug exterminator. They will come to your home, inspect it, and then discuss different extermination methods based on your home and the state of infestation. The cost of bed bug extermination goes from $500 to $1500, and there are few methods available. Heat and steam treatments are viewed as the best option, while the fumigation is used as a last resort method.

The heat method is regarded as one of the most effective and non-dangerous solutions for bed bugs. Portable heaters are strategically placed around your house, and the temperature is slowly rising to as much as 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, that temperature is kept for one and a half to three hours depending on the level of infestation and a general clutter in the treated rooms. Heat treatment is a low risk for customers, as well as the environment, because of its minimal use of pesticides. It can also be done in just one day, compared to several weeks some other methods take.

Steam treatment is cross used with pesticides, but it lowers the need for them. Portable units emit steam that draws out bed bugs in the open, making it easier to use pesticides. Steam treatment may not be appropriate for treating all the surfaces because of the moisture that is produced.

Fumigation is used as a last resort method for killing off all the remaining bed bugs. It uses chemicals in the form of gases that penetrate all the items within the fumigation space. Be aware that only professionals should do this method.

There are over 300 chemical product recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) used to treat bed bugs infestations.

Pyrethrins and pyrethroids are pesticides most commonly used to control bed bugs’ populations. They are in the form of a spray, synthesized from plants, and have a quick and long-lasting effect.

Desiccants erode the outer shell, causing bed bugs to die of dehydration. Boric acid and silica gel are one of the most popular desiccants.

Insect growth regulators weaken the outer shell and prevent bed bugs from reaching maturity.

Cold-pressed neem oil is extracted from the seeds of the tropical neem tree and is the only biochemical registered by the EPA. It is proven to be useful for eradicating bed bugs and their eggs.

Neonicotinoids are derived from the tobacco plant. They target the nicotinic receptors, that play an essential role in the signal transduction in the brain, causing the nervous systems of bed bugs to crash. Neonicotinoids are very useful for controlling bed bug populations.

Keep in mind that pesticides may have some harmful effects on humans if not used correctly. That’s why we advise you to contact the pest control specialist as soon as you see the first signs of infestations. They’ll asses the situation objectively, and help you get rid of bed bugs in the most effective way.

Many people hold spring as their favorite season, with its warm, sunny weather, the shift to verdant surroundings, the emergence of flowers, and numerous chances for engaging in outdoor activities. Yet, for others, this period also signifies a struggle with symptoms such as watery eyes, stuffy noses, running noses, coughing, and sneezing.

It is estimated that between 20% and 40% in the United States have allergies or allergic rhinitis. This condition can be seasonal, triggered by pollen in the spring or the fall, and grass pollen and ragweed in the summer. There are also allergens that are around all year long, not just during the particular season, such as pet dander, dust mites, and mold.

The allergy symptoms produce discomfort and make it a lot harder for people suffering from them to relax and fall asleep. Unfortunately, you can never get entirely rid of allergies, but you can try your best to locate the source of your symptoms and to try to get rid of or minimize the presence of allergens in your surroundings.

What Causes Allergies?

Every day you get in touch with millions of outside particles and bacteria, but your immune system is doing its best to locate and destroy them to keep you safe. The immune system can sometimes react abruptly to otherwise harmless particles, causing allergies. Allergies are defined as a hypersensitivity immune system response when the outside particles get in touch with the mucous membranes of your mouth, nose, and eyes.

When the allergens first come in contact with your body, the immune cells destroy it but take the tiny particles with it to the lymph tissue. There, they distribute those particles to other immune cells that produce antibodies, in this case, immunoglobulin E (IgE). IgE is the protein that fights the invasion of foreign particles, so next time the allergen comes in contact with your body, the IgE recognizes it and triggers the defensive response. IgE gets attached to masts cells that then release a lot of chemicals including histamines, making the capillaries in your body more permeable. That is allowing white blood cells to enter the capillaries and destroy the allergen. But, it’s also allowing water to escape, causing congestion, watery eyes and runny nose.

Don’t get mad at your body when the allergies occur; it is just trying to protect you.

Why Do Allergies Exist?

As much as allergies are annoying to us today, scientists say that they played a significant role in helping our ancestors survive. Back in the day, hunter-gatherers were exposed to different pollen-like substances such as different venoms and parasites, and having an alarming reaction would signal them to leave the area. The severe reaction made sure that they went from that dangerous place.

Are allergies genetic?

There is no doubt that genetics play a huge role when it comes to allergies. If one of your parents experience allergies, there is a good chance that you’ll suffer from them too; and the probability increases if both of your parents are prone to them.

The newer studies show that besides genetics, the environment can play a huge role in developing allergies. The Hygiene Hypothesis is well supported and states that exposing your kids to a lot of allergens and germs early in life could help the develop fewer allergies later. Living in a cleaner environment and not getting in contact with allergens and bacteria can make our immune system a “little rusty,” so don’t worry if your kids like to play in the dirt, it can benefit them in the long run.

How Do Allergies Affect Sleep?

Studies have shown that as much as 48% of people with seasonal allergies, and 68% of people with chronic allergic rhinitis (AR) have reported some troubles with sleep. Whether it was challenging to fall asleep or to stay asleep during the night, the quality was affected by the allergy symptoms.

The patients with AR are more likely to suffer from chronic sleep deprivation and insomnia. The nasal congestion also increases the risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and snoring.

A direct link exists between allergies and quality of sleep, and the more severe the symptoms are, the worse your nightly slumber will be.

Sleep deprivation is a big problem among the people, and as much as 25% report that they are not getting enough sleep regularly. But, as much as two-thirds of allergy-sufferers say that they are not getting sufficient sleep. As a result, they don’t feel well-rested when they wake up in the morning, which affects their daytime functioning, worsens their mood and quality of life in general. Chronic sleep deprivation also affects your immune system, making you prone to a lot of different diseases. And what is worse, is that your body won’t get the needed rest, it won’t restore and repair appropriately because of the lack of sleep, so you’ll be less ready to fight off your allergy symptoms the following day.

Sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep-related breathing disorder, where the airways are fully or partially blocked, so the oxygen can not reach the lungs, which leads to the lower oxygen level in your blood. OSA can be caused by the instruction of airways by nasal congestion, relaxations of muscles or tissues of the upper airflow, or some other problem. It is clear how nasal congestion from allergies can increase the risk of OSA. If you suspect that your snoring is a sign of sleep apnea, you should consult a doctor. They will run different tests and determine if you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. If you are, continuous positive air pressure or CPAP therapy is an effective treatment. You’ll wear a face mask while asleep, hooked up to a CPAP machine that will prevent your airways to close while you are sleeping.

How To Sleep Better When You Are Suffering From Allergies?

There are some things you can do to help you relieve your symptoms and enjoy a good night’s sleep without any interruptions. The main thing is to try your best to eliminate all the triggers from your bedroom. Here are some tips:

Vacuum regularly
One of the common allergen, dust mites, are found in pretty much every house. They feed off your dead skin cells, so the perfect environment for them is your carpet, mattress, pillows, and bedding. Be sure to vacuum regularly to get rid of them. And don’t just do the floors, make sure you get a had vacuum and do the furniture also. That way, you won’t only get rid of dust mites, but of other allergens such as pollen and pet dander.

Clean your bedding and mattress often
Be sure to clean your mattress regularly. Also, you should wash your bedding every week using the hot cycle, and dry them using a warm setting as well.

A 2007 study found that washing your laundry in warm water will only a bit more than 6% of dust mites, while hot water kills all of them. Hot water was much more efficient in removing pet dander and pollen as well.

If you don’t want to use the hot setting, the study authors propose a method that showed to be almost as effective. Washing your clothes in the warm water and then rinsing them two times with cold water for three minutes proved to be a great alternative.

Clean your house air
Make sure to regularly clean and change the filters on your central AC in the house. That will prevent it from sucking in dust and allergens and recycling them. You can also consider getting a portable air purifier with a HEPA filter to improve the air quality in your bedroom.

Shut your windows
Opening up your windows can let a lot of pollen inside your house and worsens your allergy symptoms. Instead, keep the windows closed, and use the air conditioning to keep your home fresh. Opening them can be pretty tempting during the warm summer nights, but getting the right pillow and bedding can help you cool down and regulate your body temperature better during the night.

If you use covering for your windows, consider using lighter washable curtains instead of heavy materials that attract dust and are harder to clean.

Watch your bedroom humidity
A humid environment is just perfect for one of the most common allergens, the mold.

If you use a humidifier, be sure to a clean it regularly and replace the water. And be sure not to overuse it, as that creates perfect conditions for mold to grow. Turning on your bathroom fan while showering and bathing can help to prevent moisture from sticking around. Also, consider using a dehumidifier in your bedroom to help remove the excess moisture.

Keep your pets away from the bedroom
Pet dander is a common allergen, but people can also be allergic to fur, and pet’s saliva and urine. Even if you are not allergic to pets specifically  they can carry and transmit outside allergens into your bedroom. Make sure to wipe their paws after walks and time spent outside, and bathe and brush them every week.

Keeping your pets away from the bedroom doesn’t mean doing so only during the night. You won’t accomplish anything if they are in there the whole day, leaving pet dander everywhere, so consider making your bedroom a completely pet-free zone.

Take a shower before going to bed
A shower before bed will wash away all the pollen and allergens from your hair, as well as dead skin cells. Warm water will also help you relax and fall asleep easier, so taking an evening shower can be beneficial in many ways. Also, don’t forget to wear clean pajamas, and leave the clothes you wore outdoor outside of your bedroom.

Open up your nose
Saline nasal flushes can help immediately relieve the symptoms, but the effects may not last long. The way this works is you pour the saline solution in one nostril, and let it drain out from the other.

The other therapies for your congestion can be steroid nasal sprays and decongestants. They can help your immune system from overreacting, and help with your runny nose and other symptoms. But be aware that some medications can make you drowsy such as some antihistamines, so make sure to use them in the evening. Others, such as pseudoephedrine, can keep you awake, so using them in the morning would be better. Keep in mind that they are not recommended to use for a more extended period and that it is best to consult your doctor for the optimal therapy.

Choose a hypoallergenic mattress and bedding
The term hypoallergenic doesn’t mean that the product will eliminate allergens, just that it is tightly woven and that it will prevent allergens from invading them. Consider using mattress and pillow covers to make the infestation even less likely.

The best mattresses for people who suffer from allergies are made of memory foam or latex. Memory foam ones are great at keeping dust mites off, and giving excellent support, but they are not recommended for people who tend to sleep hot. Latex mattresses are more breathable and excellent at keeping dust mites, mold and mildew away, but they can be a problem to the people with latex allergy.

You should look for bedding and pillows made from natural materials. Latex can be an excellent alternative to natural pillows, and it is much more affordable. When searching for sheets, buy the ones made of bamboo, cotton, silk or wool, as they are naturally hypoallergenic, breathable, soft and very comfortable for sleep.

Lastly, be sure to maintain proper sleep hygiene as it will help your body rest properly and prepare to fight allergies the following day. Stick with the regular sleeping schedule and aim to get at least 7 hours of sleep. Stay hydrated and avoid drinking alcohol before bed as it can make your symptoms worse. Make sure to check with your physician about the best allergy treatment, and follow the advice.

It’s truly remarkable to consider the myriad benefits that stem from obtaining adequate sleep every night. In the midst of our hectic professional and social lives, it’s not surprising at all that the Centers for Disease Control reports a minimum of one in three adults face challenges in getting the recommended amount of sleep each night. For adults, getting less than seven hours of sleep can signal potential health issues, such as weakened immune functions or a growing number of sleep-related health conditions.

So what can we do to ensure our sleep is long and restorative enough to keep us in good health and great performance in our day-to-day lives? Most of us aren’t medically trained in any way, and we may not have time for a series of detailed and regular check-ups because of our work or other common obligations. The main method we suggest is sleep tracking. In short, sleep tracking is a process where you collect data about when and how you sleep in order to fix any lifestyle mistakes that could lead to inadequate levels of rest regularly. We will cover the main benefits of sleep tracking, explain how you would go about tracking your sleep patterns and which apps you can use to get the job done without any financial investment. Be sure to consult your doctor about the results of your chosen sleep tracking method.

The Benefits of Sleep Tracking

While there are general guidelines for how much sleep you should be getting and what your sleeping environment should look like, there are minute differences that depend on our individual quirks and details. Not everyone will get optimal sleep in the same conditions. Sleep tracking helps you find out what the ideal sleep conditions are for you specifically, which is crucial if you want to discover problems in your daily routine that may be causing sleeping issues. For example, eating heavy meals right before bedtime (or late in the evening, in general) is likely to disrupt your sleep schedule. This disrupted sleep schedule can then manifest as one or more out of a host of health problems, including low energy levels, headaches, lowered appetite, weakened libido, etc.

The bottom line is, sleep tracking helps you achieve more restorative and better sleep. You get all the information you could need, and you use that information to either take direct action and fix bad habits or consult your doctor or a sleep specialist so they can interpret the results for you. Sleep tracking is especially useful for people who frequently deal with jet lag, or have irregular work shifts that constantly disrupt their sleeping schedule and biological rhythm.

Additionally, most devices and apps that track your sleep are programmed with special alarms that minimize the shock of waking up by detecting when you’re in the lightest stages of sleep. The lighter the sleep, the easier it is to your body to “kickstart” and achieve good performance.

Note: Sleep tracking is at its most accurate when done over a longer period. Don’t panic over the results of one night’s sleep analysis, since those can be caused by any number of external factors that have nothing to do with how you sleep.

Sleep Tracking Methods

Sleep tracking has existed in one form or another for ages. Ever since people started connecting the dots and diagnosing sleeping problems, there have been methods of tracking exactly how much rest a person gets throughout a given period. In this article, we will look at the most common methods of tracking sleep that are still used today, and how they perform in terms of effectiveness and convenience.

Let’s get into it:

• Visiting a sleep lab is universally considered the best option if you have the time to spare for it. Sleep labs have the most accurate and advanced equipment when it comes to monitoring your sleeping pattern, and regular check-ups are almost guaranteed to result in an accurate diagnosis. However, this is also the most time-consuming approach to tracking sleep, and as such, it may not appeal to some people. Sleep labs and specialists can be recommended by your PCP (primary care physician) if they are unable to diagnose your problem. Alternatively, they may have a theory or hunch that their tools simply aren’t adequate to effectively prove or disprove. If this happens, you will often get redirected towards a sleep lab for more detailed analysis. The typical procedure at a sleep lab begins with an interview with a sleep specialist. Be as descriptive and accurate as possible while answering questions. After this, you will often get treated to a polysomnogram, which is just a fancy name for a sleep observation. These specialists monitor your body overnight in a variety of planned sleeping positions and patterns, ready to spot any signs of sleeping disorders. It’s also possible to have this observation take place during the day, but it’s less likely (typically only done if they’re looking for symptoms of narcolepsy).
• Sleep journals (also known as sleep diaries) are a simple and low-tech way of tracking sleep. This method is often recommended by your PCP or a sleep specialist, in cases of extended observation or therapy. You may be asked by your doctor to write down information that includes when you go to sleep, how long it takes to fall asleep, when you typically wake up, whether and how often you wake up during the night, etc. While this is simple to do, a tired and drowsy person may not be able to remember all this information accurately, and their responses can be too subjective to get concrete value out of. If your doctor suggests maintaining a sleep journal, you should definitely do it, but don’t treat it as a fail-safe method.
• Sleep tracking devices are everywhere on the market, with wearable and non-wearable versions that can track the amount of movement you make in your bed, as well as your heart rate. More advanced models track more things, but the core functionality stays the same. The less you move, the more the devices register you as being asleep. Non-wearable versions often come with respiration tracking that adds to the accuracy and helps you get a complete picture of what’s going on while you’re trying to sleep.
• Sleep apps are currently trending, and not without a good reason. They’re by far the most convenient and easily accessible method of sleep tracking since a majority of sleep apps are completely free in your smartphone’s app store. Once installed, they are intuitive and easy to put to use. A lot of sleep apps rely on your microphone’s ability to pick up subtle movement noises and vibration, meaning your phone should be placed roughly 30cm away from you. Some apps can even notice when you enter REM sleep (the most restorative period during sleep), or they offer special alarm systems that wake you up when your sleep is at its lightest, so you don’t feel like you got shocked into being awake.

Pro Tip: As a rule, take the results presented by a sleep tracking device or app with a grain of salt. It’s so easy to panic and trick yourself into thinking you’ve got a serious condition. If you’re worried, do yourself a favor and see your doctor. They’re much more capable of making an accurate diagnosis than you are, even with the findings from your device or app. Claims are circulating around the internet about how sleeping apps aren’t always accurate since there’s still room for human error in the placement of the device and the microphones may not be delicate enough to pick up on subtle movement sounds, making the diagnosis spotty. If you’re ever unsure, consult a medical professional.

The Best Sleep Apps on the Market

Because of their accessibility, we’ve decided to isolate a handful of top-notch apps for sleep tracking. Some of these are available on more than one platform; others are system-specific, so you have to be mindful of which operating system you’re using on your smartphone.

Pillow

Pillow is an iPhone-exclusive sleep tracking app that doubles as an alarm clock. By connecting to Apple’s Health App, it has access to your heart rate, blood pressure, caffeine consumption, and other metrics normally used for fitness purposes. It is able to monitor your sleep by detecting motion and sound vibration patterns. Pillow creates a whole comprehensive diagram detailing how long you spent in each sleep phase, which can be crucial information when presented to a specialist, or even just your PCP. Because the app keeps track of your weight, blood pressure and similar metrics, you can use it to plan changes in your schedule and compare the sleep statistics before and after the change. Thankfully, this application is completely free in Apple’s app store, so you don’t have to worry about subscriptions or anything like that.

Sleep Time

Sleep Time monitors the movements you make while sleeping by detecting sounds and vibrations you create anytime you move. Using this data, it creates detailed data on your sleep cycle that you can customize in the settings. This data is presented using intuitive charts and graphs that clearly lay out everything you need to know about your sleeping patterns. Additionally, this app comes with an alarm that is designed to wake you up during the lightest phase of your sleep. The main benefit of this alarm is that you very rarely have those groggy mornings that make work difficult to perform or make you less patient with your child. If you are forced to wake up during the deeper phases of sleep, your body takes much longer to “recover,” often as much as one full hour. If you have a busy schedule, this can spell disaster. This app is free on both Android phones and iPhones, which is extra-convenient.

Sleep Cycle

It’s good that the developers chose an alarm clock as the icon for this app. It features probably the best alarm system out of any sleep tracking app we’ve seen, with lots of options for alarm ringtones and soothing sounds. This alarm will wake you up at some point within a 30 minute period you specify. Using your microphone, the app detects movement and concludes which sleep phase you’re currently in. Whenever possible, it will wake you up during the lightest phase it can select, to ensure you wake up smoothly, without needing an hour or more to become fully operational. If you snore in your sleep, Sleep Cycle can monitor and track the snoring, helping you get rid of it through various means. Sleep Cycle is free on the Android and Apple app stores, making it an easy application to try if you’re looking to track your sleep.

SleepScore

This application is the closest thing to having regular consultation with a sleep expert. It tracks everything you would want it to and creates detailed data about your sleep cycle and habits. This alone would make it similar to most other sleep apps, but SleepScore doesn’t stop there. It gives you direct advice on how to fix your sleeping problems, as though you asked a knowledgeable friend. It can be easy to get a bunch of information presented and not know what to do with it. SleepScore makes sure you’re able to plan how you’re going to deal with the problems that the app detected. The smart alarm the app comes with does much of what you’d expect from a sleep app – it helps you wake up feeling more rested and less groggy. The free version offers data for periods of one week at a time, which is often enough to get informed enough to take action. The app works on newer Android phones or iPhones, making it relatively easy to obtain for free.

Leading airlines understand the importance of feeling refreshed upon arrival: the last thing anyone wants is to disembark feeling utterly drained. They have significantly elevated their offerings, introducing luxurious first-class suites that resemble small living spaces and beds designed for full stretching. Additionally, business class now features seats that transform into snug recliners at the touch of a button. It’s all part of ensuring travelers land rejuvenated and eager to begin their adventures.

Luxury seats come luxurious offerings such as gourmet meals, television, and champagne – although we recommend avoiding heavy meals and alcohol if you plan to sleep. Apart from the mentioned, the best airlines offer various sleep-promoting products that can ensure restful sleep, such as sleep headphones, luxurious bedding, pajama sets with slippers, toiletry kits (eye masks and moisturizing creams) and turndown services. As you can see, air travel doesn’t have to be exhausting. However, all of this stuff comes with a price. If you are able to spend thousands of dollars for a first or business class suite, you will definitely sleep like a baby.

In this article, we will take a closer look at some of the very best airlines for sleep, and review first class, business class, and coach. In our ranking is included the number of sleep-focused amenities the airline offered. Extra points were given to airlines that took care of providing their customers different bed lengths, privacy doors and similar.

The Best Airlines for Sleeping in First Class

Etihad Airways: First Apartment

Features:

•    Separate bed up to 80 inches long + bedding
•    Privacy doors
•    Do not disturb function
•    Television
•    Sleeping headphones
•    Mood lighting
•    Turn down service
•    Luxury toiletry kit
•    Sleepwear set

The Etihad Airways First Apartment won the first place for an apparent reason – the first class suit looks like a room at a spa and contains one of the most enormous bed found when traveling via plan, 82 inches long. The suite also has a do not disturb button, separate doors for privacy, and small seating area.

During turndown service, the flight attendant can make your bed and leave a sweet note on your pillow. Toiletries contain luxury skincare and pillow mist. First class customers can also enjoy a shower upon waking up. The suits are, so there are only nine of them available. If this is not enough luxury for you, you can opt for The Residence – a three-room suite with a private bathroom, shower, and bedroom.

JetBlue: Mint

Features:

•    Lie-flat seats up to 80-inch long with adjustable firmness + bedding
•    Seats with massage functions
•    Privacy door or partitions
•    Television
•    Turndown service
•    Luxury toiletry kit

Sleeping seats are typically offered on international or transatlantic flights. However, JetBlue stands out from its competitors by providing it on domestic flights traveling coast-to-coast or to the Caribbean. Travelers can either opt for a lie-flat seat or a suite with a window and privacy door. The firmness level can be adjusted, and you can even get a massage while snoozing.

Cathay Pacific: First Class

Features:

•    Lie-flat seats up to 81 inches long with massage function + bedding
•    Privacy partitions
•    Television
•    Sleeping headphones
•    Turndown service
•    Luxury toiletry kit
•    Sleepwear set

This airline is roomier than its competitors. In the business class, there are only three seats per row. A comfortable seat with built-in massage function makes it easy to relax, while a personal sleepwear set which contains an eye mask and slippers provides added comfort. Turndown service includes a sweet treat for your pillow.

When it comes to honorable mentions, we have to opt for the Emirates, Japan Airlines, Air France, Singapore Airlines and Swiss Air.

Emirates airlines feature everything we have mentioned in the first three examples, plus a mini bar. The mood lighting in the first class is specially designed to create an illusion you are sleeping under the stars. First class travelers also won’t have to deal with dry air during travel and will enjoy moisturizing toiletries, as well as the Hydra Active Microcapsule Technology sleepwear. The best thing is that you can take this sleepwear kit home with you after the flight is over. A shower spa facility is also available.

Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines feature a lie-flat seat that is almost the size of the bed, and all the other features we have mentioned in the first three examples. What makes them stand out is that they offer reversible mattress pads with a softer and a firmer side.

Air France

Air France first class has a comfortable lie flat size that is up to 78 inches long. Other features we mentioned before, such as mood lighting, television, luxury toiletry kits and so on, are also included. Their first class suite resembles a hotel room – it’s cozy with floor-to-ceiling curtains, and even has a small nightstand table with a lamp.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines first class have private suites that are perfect for cozy sleeping. Apart from the usual features, their suits have their own door, armchair and a separate bed. The bed is a bit shorter than most (only 76 inches) but since it’s a real bed, it provides more comfortable sleep.

Swiss Air

Swiss Air first class, apart from the mentioned typical features, offers adjustable firmness level for their recliners, privacy partitions, and luxurious bedding.

The Best Airlines for Sleeping in Business Class

Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways again won the first place due to their numerous sleep-promoting offerings on the flight. The lie-flat seats are one of the longest beds in the business class (80 inches), and for added comfort passengers can also enjoy mood lighting and reversible blanket with a cooling or warming side.

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways qsuite business class have a convertible arrangement. These seats are perfect for families who want to chat or travelers who need to conduct a business meeting. When the passengers want to sleep, they can simply pull their privacy partitions up to separate themselves from other travelers.

Virgin Australia

If you are flying with Virgin Australia, you will be able to enjoy plush leather seats that recline up to 80-inches, mood lighting, comfortable memory foam pads, sleeping headphones, and turndown service.

When it comes to our honorable mentions, we have to mention Delta Air Lines, United: Polaris Business Class, Air France, Japan Airlines, Air New Zealand, British Airways, and Cathay Pacific.

Delta Air Lines

Delta Airlines have a lot to offer to their business class travelers. All seats have access to a window and come with privacy doors that entirely shut out noise and views of other nearby passengers. The bedding includes memory foam cushions, and the suite consists of a TV and a bedside table. Delta One business class service is available on domestic flights.

United: Polaris Business Class

United has pretty large business class cabins with lie-flat seats. In the service is included a toiletry kit, a comfortable memory foam pillow, and a pajama set with cozy slippers. Onboard shower facilities are also available.

Air France

Air France seats in the business class are focused on providing privacy and peace during flight. The seats are designed in such a way to keep the passenger isolated from the shiny window light that might disturb their sleep. The seats can fully recline, as well as the armrests. The only downside is that their partitions are significantly smaller compared to other airlines. For a better sleep experience, headphones for sleep, mood lighting, and duvets are also included.

Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines offer a Sky Suite with fully partitioned seats, and a special Airweave mattress and pillow designed for cool sleep. The only downside is that the seats are only 74 inches long which may be uncomfortable for taller travelers.

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand Business Premier seats use a herringbone configuration, meaning the seats are reversible. One side is made from memory foam, and the other contains a leather seat. For added comfort, toppers and duvets are at your disposal.

British Airways

Most airlines offer herringbone configuration, but British Airways Club World stands out with a yin-yang arrangement of seats, where travelers are facing toward each other and have a screen in between for privacy. This particular arrangement saves space, allowing British Airways to cram a lot of seats in a small area. Unfortunately, this makes things a bit noisy and no so peaceful for sleep. The beds are also very short for business class, only 72 inches which may be a problem for taller travelers.

Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific business class features the reverse herringbone configuration – the seats fully recline, together with the armrests for the passengers have a wider sleep surface to snooze on. Besides standard sleep-promoting products such as skin care items and toiletry kit, you also get a pair of socks.

The Best Airlines for Sleeping in Coach

Unfortunately, there are no private suits or fully reclinable seats in coach. However, many airlines are working hard this and make flying experience as sleep-friendly as possible. To sleep better in coach, it is best to look for a seat pitch or the distance between seats in different rows. The seat pitch may help you calculate how much legroom you will get while on the flight. Many airlines reduce legroom in order to squeeze in more rows and seats.

Tips for Sleeping Well on a Plane

No matter how great your seat or flying suit is, sleeping on a plane is never easy, especially because you are thousands of feet in the air, and surrounded by strangers. Here are some tips for sleeping better while flying.

Prepare for Jet Lag

If you are traveling long distances and changing time zones, you should prepare for jet lag in time. Preparing yourself in advance is actually the only proper way to avoid it. A few days before your trip, you should slowly adjust yourself to the new time zone. For example, depending on the time zone of your destination, you should adapt your sleep, wake, and eating schedule. It is best to adjust your schedule up or down by 1 hour each day. The night before the trip, go to bed early to ensure you travel well rested.

In case you still experience symptoms of jet lag when you arrive, melatonin supplements can help you to adjust faster.

Stay Hydrated and Eat Well

Again, if you are traveling long distances, no matter how uncomfortable it may seem to you, you have to eat and drink plenty of water. Fluid intake is particularly important because the air in the airplane cabins is very low. If you plan to sleep while on a flight, avoid drinking alcohol and eating heavy meals or sugary foods. Best snacks when flying are cheese, nuts, and dried fruit.

Choose Your Seat Wisely

Unfortunately, not all of us have a budget to afford first class or business class seats with luxurious treats and sleep-promoting settings. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t choose a better seat in the economic class. If you are traveling in coach, pick a seat with more legroom so you can stretch your legs as much as possible. Also, select a window seat, because in case you have an aisle seat, some passengers may have to wake you up in order to go to the bathroom.

Sleep Smart

Sleeping smart can also help you reduce the symptoms of jet lag. So, if you are traveling overnight, try to fall asleep once you are on the flight. If you are traveling during the day, avoid sleep, and try to nap only 20 to 30 minutes. Doing otherwise may disrupt your sleep schedule too much. If you have a first class seat, choose the Do Not Disturb option when you go to bed. If you don’t want the flight attendant to disturb you, keep your seatbelt buckled while you nap or sleep.

Pack Sleep Supplies

If you have a seat in the first or business class, make sure you take advantage of any sleepwear items and toiletries the airline offers. In case they don’t provide them for you, bring your own. To sleep better, you need loose and comfortable clothing, a travel pillow, earplugs, and a sleep mask. In case you want to isolate yourself from noisy passengers, download a white noise smartphone app to play on your headphones while you drift off to the dreamland.

Sleeping Position – Uncross Your Legs

Crossing your legs while flying and trying to get some rest is not a good idea because it restricts blood flow and increases the chances of a blood clot if your flight is longer than four hours. Crossing your legs is also bad for your back, and it can lead to torque. If you fall asleep that way, you will probably wake up and subconsciously cross the legs the other way to even out the additional stress you are putting on your lower back.

The best sleep position to sleep in while on a flight is to keep your legs straight or to bend your knees slightly. If possible, shifting your entire body to the side and leaning your shoulder into your seat should be comfortable for sleeping.

When You Land

Once you have landed, it is essential to stay up until it’s really time for sleep. We understand that you are tired, but sleeping all day will only make it even harder to fall asleep during the night. If you need to rest, take short naps that don’t last more than half an hour. It may take a few days to shift your circadian rhythm and adjust to the new time zone, so don’t worry if you are feeling a bit groggy, hungry at odd times and similar. It’s just your body adjusting, and soon you will be back to your regular sleep schedule.

Modern times have offered us many commodities, from spectacular technology to the useful tools that make our daily lives easier. Unfortunately, to keep up with everything, our everyday tempo gets faster and faster. Due to numerous family, social and job obligations, many people don’t have enough time to sleep, and as a consequence, develop sleep disorders. One of the most common sleep disorders is insomnia. At least 35 percent of people experience it frequently, and for some, it even became chronic. However, even if you are dealing with chronic insomnia, it doesn’t mean you cannot at least alleviate some of the symptoms and sleep better.  

Insomnia doesn’t always have to be triggered by psychological issues. It is true that stress is one of the leading causes, but there are also other factors like chronic pain, some medical conditions, and medications.  In most cases, insomnia is triggered by bad sleeping and lifestyle habits. 

Depending on the cause of insomnia, we have to opt for the corresponding treatment. Insomnia must always be diagnosed and treated by a professional. Taking melatonin supplements or sleeping pills on your own is not a good idea, especially if you don’t know what is causing your sleep issues. The wrong treatment will have little or no effect, or it may result in even more severe sleep problems.  

This article is dedicated to explaining a new treatment that is addiction free – the CBT-I program or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia. 

What is CBT? 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a form of a psycho-social intervention that aims to improve mental health. It focuses on improving emotional regulation, and the development of coping strategies that help solve their current problem. In most cases, the therapist helps to change the perception of a particular situation from a negative to a positive pattern, and promote positive thoughts.  

The CBT-I is based on the idea that our habits are developed when our brain frequently reacts to certain stimuli be it negative or positive. That means if the patient changes the train of thought or emotions in a positive and upbuilding direction, a healthy pattern (which turns into a habit over time) will be created. 

A therapist that specializes in CBT-I will help the patient to understand what is the cause of their insomnia, whether it’s caused by psychological issues or something else, and help them to create healthier sleeping habits that will either alleviate the symptoms or completely eliminate them. Unfortunately, there are only 75 licensed therapists in the US, as reported by the National Sleep Foundation. To meet the increasing need, some companies decided to create online CBT-I programs. 

Online CBT-I programs function in a similar way. Even though you won’t have a live therapist at your disposal, the app will track your sleep pattern, ask questions to help you identify the cause, and provide you with relaxing exercises that promote better sleep. 

The Best CBT-I Programs Online 

Based on our research we have created a list of online CBT-I programs that many found helpful. We have categorized them into peer review researched ones, and unverified programs. 

Peer Reviewed Online CBT-I Programs 

RESTORE by Cobalt Therapeutics 

About: RESTORE program was launched in 2006 and is available in Spanish and English. 

Cobalt Therapeutics is a leading company in the provision of state-of-the-art CBT/CCBT solutions, continuously aiming to improve the customer experience. The organization has achieved widespread recognition, having been prominently featured in esteemed outlets such as Times Magazine and the New York Times, among others.

How it works:  It is a seven-session program designed to be finished in five weeks. You get materials that you can download, including Sleep Diary to help you understand your sleep habits and useful exercises for better sleep. Worksheets and reminder emails are also available. 

Reviews:  Based on their claims, 80 percent of consumers saw impressive results after the five-week program. A study in 2009 observed 118 people who had a problem with chronic insomnia. After using the RESTORE program, 81 percent of people said they had noticed at least some improvement while 30 percent said they could’ve slept full 1h longer. Other studies researched by PhD Vincent Norah show results that are similar to the previous study. 

Cost:  RESTORE program has three type of tiers – The Silver, The Gold, and The Platinum.  The prices depend on the chosen program. The Gold contains support from the clinician and a session of 60 minutes with a coach. The platinum program includes everything that other ones have, plus additional material to cope with depression, OCD, phobias and more. 

SHUTi  

About: Created by Morin Charles and Ritterband Lee PhD after years of CBT research and finally launched in 2012. This program is suggested by more than 135 clinics that are related to sleep. 

How it works: When you purchase the program, you get six lessons that are active for about six weeks including a personalized sleep schedule, a sleep diary, integration of Fitbit, homework and many more. What makes SHUTi stand out from the rest is how interactive it is, and you can customize it according to your needs and preferences. 

According to reviews, people who use this program sleep more than six hours on a weekly basis, 55 percent say that they spend less time awake during the night, and 43 percent say that it takes them less time to fall asleep. 

Cost: You have four levels of pricing – Basic ones are The SHUTi Self Help (149 dollars) and The SHUTi Professional (174 dollars) that include the access to a clinician and last twenty-six weeks. If you want to use them for a year, prices are 215 dollars and 249 dollars. 

Sleepio 

About: Espie Collin created Sleepio program, and it is supported by the research of 30 years. If you are not satisfied, you will get a full refund. 

How it works: Sleepio offers a customized program based on the questions you fill out previously. You will get an interactive animated character called The Prof that will be your therapist. Every week you log in for a 20-minute session with your therapist The Prof, fill out your sleep diary and practice some useful techniques. In addition to your purchase, you will get helpful materials to learn from, email reminders, relaxation mp3 and much more.  

Reviews: Based on their claims, 62 percent of people who have used this say that they no longer have frequent sleep disruptions, 58 percent say that say have noticed a focus boost, and 54 percent claim that they don’t have difficulty falling asleep as often as before. The studies that support these claims can be found on their website. 

Cost: One year is 400 dollars, but there are ways you can get it for free. For example, you can agree to be a part of the research or if your employee insurance covers it. 

CBT- Coach 

About: This free mobile app was launched in 2013 by the National Center for PTSD, and it was designed for people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. 

How it works: It contains an interactive sleep diary, relaxation exercises and a sleep hygiene practice with customizable reminders. 

Reviews: Based on the study made by the US Department for VA, 60 percent of users say it improved homework adherence and outcome. 

Cost: Free for Android and iOS 

Unverified CBT-I Programs 

Free CBT-I 

About: Founded by MD Maurer Rachel this website offers a free pdf guide to CBT-I. 

How it works: Since this is a guide, it can be used in addition to the traditional method of CBT-I or completed alone. You get a thirty-day guide to help you finish it, and you can repeat it the next month. Also, this guide of 12 pages contains information about sleep hygiene, quizzes, and worksheets regarding sleep thoughts, behavior, etc. 

Reviews: Dr. Maurer Rachel does not provide information about studies regarding this program. 

Cost: Free 

Conquering Insomnia Program 

About: Since it was released in 2005, it is one of the oldest CBT-I programs available made by Dr. Jacobs D. G., PhD who has over thirty years of experience in sleep medicine. 

How it works: The Conquering Insomnia Program contains pdf materials and is made to last about five weeks, one session each week. The website also contains Dr. Jacobs’s blog about his work and research. 

Reviews: Based on the results of his research in 2004  85 percent of people who participate in his program reported that they noticed an improvement in their sleep, 80 percent said they used sleeping pills less, 70 percent said they had experienced increased duration of sleep up to one full hour. 

Cost: You can get the Basic (49.95 dollars), Plus (54.95 dollars) and Premium (69.95 dollars). All package deals have the pdf, but The Plus package includes 20-minute relaxation techniques in audio form and The Premium has all of that plus Q&A session with Dr. Jacobs and a 60-minute audio program with training manuals. 

Insomnia-Free.com 

About: This website is designed by a former insomniac and provides a tutorial. It contains detailed information about the creator as well as her personal experience and treatment. 

How it works: This tutorial lasts ten days with activity list intended for each day. It is excellent for people who want to learn more about CBT-I from a fellow insomniac’s point of view. 

Reviews: She openly says that she is not a licensed practitioner and that the purpose of the blog is to help others based on her experience and research. You can read it in detail in her Disclaimer. 

Cost: Free

Conclusion 

Traditional CBT-I program and Online CBT-I programs don’t vary much from one another when it comes to results. The choice is all yours, depending on your preferences. You can decide what will make you progress better and keep your motivation high. Most CBT-I treatments include the following techniques: 

1. Restriction of sleep – You’ll get assigned schedule of sleep which you’ll have to follow.The idea is to train your mind to connect bed with sleep and get used to a new sleeping pattern. 
2. Control of the stimulus – You will practice sleep hygiene that involves making the bedroom environment suitable for sleep by optimizing temperature and darkness, making it quiet which will enhance the production of melatonin. Sleep hygiene also includes our before-bed routine. 
3. Relaxation training – If you tend to get stressed easily or you’re prone to anxiety, this method will help you relax before bedtime. It includes breathing exercises, relaxing music, and practicing to relax the muscles.  
4. Paradoxical intention – This is a method followed by good sleep hygiene. It promotes passive lying in the bed awake until you stop thinking about things that prevent you from falling asleep. 
5. Biofeedback – It is used to track changes in heart rate, increased tension in muscles, emotions, and anxiety before sleep,and it can help you regulate your responses.

Usually, when someone is in the market for a new mattress, their first instinct is to head over to the nearest shop, select one without giving it much deliberation, and proceed with the purchase. This behavior is typically seen as meeting a fundamental requirement, with the price often taking a backseat. If the mattress seems comfortable enough and within their budgetary constraints, that’s generally all it takes for people to decide to buy it. Nevertheless, it’s not commonly known that the pricing of mattresses can fluctuate substantially throughout the year due to seasonal discounts or particular promotions offered by stores. It’s a well-known fact that mattresses undergo a significant markup from their base price to the retail price. Therefore, if you’re looking to buy a new mattress, being mindful of these factors could lead to considerable savings.

When Should You Change Your Old Mattress?

When your  mattress is around ten years old, it is probably nearing the end of its life, and it may be a good time to start looking for a new one.

Pain in your neck or back can also be a telltale sign that your mattress is causing you problems and that you should find a model that will help you resolve this.

Brick and Mortar Stores or Online Stores?

If you are determined to buy a mattress, the question of how to purchase comes first. There are two options: going to a brick and mortar store or ordering online. Both have their benefits and downsides. Furthermore, choosing one will influence when you should make a purchase and get the most out of discounts.

Brick and mortar stores are still a traditional way to obtain a mattress. The main reasons are safety and convenience that come with going to a store personally and being able to test the product. Getting to feel the texture or even lie on it and see if it is right for you is typically a deal breaker. On the other hand, the major disadvantage of a retail store is a much higher price of products due to expenses they have to bear, such as rent and utilities.

The modern age and the internet brought with them the ease of online shopping. An increasing number of people choose to buy things they need from the convenience of their home. With both the number of online customers and sellers growing, competition is fiercer than ever. This has resulted in prices going down considerably. Second, there are more types and designs of mattresses to choose from than ever.

Moreover, the ease of bed-in-a-box or White Glove delivery with little to no cost is an important advantage. Even though you can’t test the mattress in person, most of the online stores provide a trial period in which you can get a refund if you are not satisfied. There is a wide variety of online deals available, so it is vital to keep track of them as some are there for only an hour or so ( so-called “lightning deals” or “flash deals”).

Key Factors

Several factors affect prices for both the brick and mortar and online stores. When you choose one of these options, you should consider when, where, and how you make your purchase. Changes in supply and demand, an increase in competition, particular holiday or celebration all tend to bring prices up or down. Researching the market and comparing prices can be very cost-effective.

Brick and Mortar Stores

May Discounts

Every year, as seasons change, stores cycle through their inventory. New mattresses come in, so they have to sell as many of the old ones as they can. It leads to a notable drop in prices of last seasons’ models. Usually, new stock of merchandise arrives in June, so the best time to watch out for discounts is in May. If you are lucky, you may find models that are up to 60% off. Even if they didn’t lower their prices officially, by knowing when the new supply comes in, you should be able to negotiate a better deal. If you want to be sure, as there is a chance some retails do this in a different time, you can ask the manager when the store plans to turn over its inventory.

Holidays

There is no better time to go shopping for mattresses than holiday weekends. Celebrations of Labor Day, Columbus Day, Martin Luther King Jr., etc., can bring prices down from 10% to as much as 50%.  If the inventory is being turned over concurrently, like Memorial Day, which falls on the last Monday of May, discounts may be even higher. So, why not celebrate your favorite holiday by buying yourself a new mattress and saving some money at the same time?

Overstock Sales

When the excessive manufacturing of products happens, stores try to discard them in various ways. Because the demand is surpassed, they return it to the manufacturing company or the original distributor, liquidate it to other corporation or sell to salvage companies. Additionally, they will try to sell as many as they can by reducing the prices substantially. Although these sales might not be advertised, a potential customer should search online or ask around if anyone has heard anything about overstock sales. There is a chance of being rewarded with a luxury mattress for a portion of the price.

Store Closures

Keep an eye out for brick and mortar stores that are about to shut down. Some retails can go out of business due to not selling well, or going bankrupt and not being able to pay the rent. This will force them to sell their products at prices that are just low enough so they can cover their expenses. There will often be a sign that says, “Going Out of Business Sale: All Things Must Go.” Potential customers can either search online or check the local newspaper for any store closures happening within the area.

Negotiation

As a rule, when you are shopping online, the price is always set, and it is final. On the contrary, while buying at a brick and mortar store, negotiating is expected, and by avoiding it, you will probably overpay. In the mattress industry, haggling for a better price is something of a tradition. Here are some tricks and advice you should follow to get the lowest price possible.

First of all, you should research prior sales and deals. This way, by knowing what discounts were offered, you will get a sense of what price you should go for. It may happen that the salesperson will honor previous price cut, or at least you will be informed and know what amount you should expect.

Showing confidence is one of the most essential aspects of negotiation. If you don’t consider yourself this type of person, try psyching up before going, because just emitting self-esteem will often get you what you want.

There are other ways of getting your money’s worth. If you don’t get any discounts, try asking for other items to be included, either for free or with the reduced price. For instance, getting some pillows, sheets, or even free delivery and sleep trial could prove beneficial.

Before coming to a retail store and starting negotiation, you need to decide on a walk-away price. By doing this, you will appear more confident and know if you should accept a particular offer or give up. If it seems that the other side won’t budge, there is no shame in walking away and visiting another store. Coming back some other day and trying again is also an option. Chances are, someone else will be working, and you might have more success.

Online Stores

When it comes to discounts, there are more options and deals, price cuts happen more often, but can also be there for a limited amount of time. Aside from traditional holiday sales, online companies can reduce prices for their anniversary celebrations or to raise interest in their brand. So always keeping an eye out for these sales is essential for online shoppers. Not every product will be discounted at the same time, and price cuts can last for days for one product, and only a couple of hours for the other.

Because expenses for online stores are lower than those for brick and mortar ones, their products are also cheaper. Therefore, buying a mattress online can save you a noteworthy sum of money. Even though you are unable to test it right away, most of the stores offer a trial period in which you can see if it’s right for you.

On some particular days of the year, like Cyber Monday, there are deals all over the internet, specific to products that are bought online. Typically, mattresses are included in these deals.

Cyber Monday

Perhaps the biggest day when it comes to exclusive discounts for online purchases, this event happens on a first Monday that comes after Thanksgiving. Retailers have confirmed that their sales are increased significantly during this period, so lowering prices is beneficial to both the customer and the seller. Big-ticket items often have massive discounts, mattresses included. In the last few years, many online stores extended this occasion to last throughout the week, so make sure to keep an eye out for deals following the days after Cyber Monday.

Amazon Prime Day

Amazon Prime is a service provided by this famous company for members who choose to pay an annual subscription fee. Included in this membership are exclusive deals, discounts, and coupons available only to those who join Prime. Amazon Prime Day was introduced in 2015 to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary. Receiving feedback from customers who weren’t satisfied with deals and discounts offered, Amazon decided to do better next year, starting this artificial holiday. It usually falls in the second week of July and may even extend to 2-3 days. Since then, this day is bigger than ever and attracts more subscribers. The number of products offered with discount keeps growing, many different models of mattresses included. So, if you are an Amazon Prime member or plan on becoming one, don’t miss this special day, as you are sure to find something great.

Singles’ Day

This Chinese holiday created by college students in the early 1990s is fairly new to the US. In China, it represents a celebration of singledom, but in the United States, it is considered a day to praise self-love and self-care. Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has transformed this day into an online shopping holiday, offering heavily discounted products. It quickly spread to the US, giving retailers another opportunity to increase their sales by providing discounts. Singles’ day falls on 11th of November and has even eclipsed Black Friday in China, due to its immense popularity.

Major Holidays

Black Friday

Black Friday is considered to be the start of the holiday shopping season. Every year, on a first Friday after Thanksgiving, retail stores throughout the United States offer huge discounts on a wide variety of products. When it comes to gross sales, this is one of the biggest days of the year. At first, only brick and mortar stores had Black Friday deals, but it has rapidly spread online. Today, it would be hard to find an online seller not providing at least some discounts. As with most deals, more expensive products tend to have more substantial price cuts, so this is a perfect opportunity to get a new mattress.

4th of July

Most retail stores in America have discounts featuring the majority of products since this day is one of their most significant holidays. This is an excellent opportunity to find a great deal if there are any mattresses left from the last season. Also, new models that have arrived in June have their prices cut for the first time, so if you had your eyes on some high-quality new product, this is a perfect occasion.

Labor Day

Occurring on the first Monday of September, this holiday is when most of brick and mortar mattress stores offer the best deals. Moreover, it coincides with the seasonal transition from spring to winter models, so the ones from the previous season have additional discounts. In order to keep up with the competition on this day, online stores have started lowering prices as well. These price cuts can last up to three days, so if you plan on changing your mattress, pick one, and find the best deal.

Columbus Day

This holiday, which takes place on a second Monday in October, is usually a slower period for mattress retailers. In the interest of boosting their sales, many stores will have discounts available, so you can use this to your advantage and save some money if you are shopping for a bed.

Veterans Day

Just like Columbus Day, this holiday also falls in-between Labor Day and Black Friday, so stores don’t expect much, and lower prices so they can boost their sales. If there is a particular mattress you want, this may be a good chance to get it, before it is sold out during Black Friday.

New Year’s Day

New Year’s Day marks the end of the holiday shopping season. Therefore, most mattress stores will offer discounts on leftover models to make room for new ones. You can use this opportunity to surprise someone dear to you or treat yourself and sleep soundly in the following year.

Other Holidays

There are a few more holidays that may have mattress stores offering discounts. Look out for good deals on Martin Luther King Jr. Day,  President’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, and Thanksgiving. Any of these days may result in a new luxury model at an affordable price!

Other Ways to Save Money Online

If you need to buy a mattress right away and are unable to wait for any of these sales, or you just want to try and lower the price further, here are some ways to make that happen.

Pop-up Promotions

When you visit an online direct-to-consumer store, an advertisement offering a discount may appear. This should take you to mattresses that you can buy with their price reduced. In case there are no pop-up promotions, there may be an option to initiate a chat with an online salesperson and ask if there are any deals available.

Coupons

Before you decide on a specific mattress, you can try searching the web for coupons. Even though there are no official deals or discounts, browsing for a while and finding a coupon will probably get you at least 50$ price reduction. Some websites have referrals that will take you to a particular mattress and lower its price.

Conclusion

Buying a mattress should not be done hastily. Sleeping well is essential both for your health and energy, and a right mattress is crucial. So, when planning a purchase, do thorough research and make a pros and cons list. Weigh your options with brick and mortar and online stores, keeping an eye out for discounts, additional deals, guarantees, and sellers reputation. Once you have done all of this, you will unquestionably sleep like a baby!

The primary goal of any hotel, motel, or inn is to provide a warm and welcoming place for travelers to rest. Their foremost priority is to make sure that their guests are content and enjoy a restful night. Usually, their clientele consists of people on lengthy trips who are awake for most of the day. Thus, finding a hotel that offers excellent accommodations is a critical concern for these travelers. In pursuit of guest satisfaction, numerous establishments invest in high-quality mattresses and luxurious linens. Some go above and beyond by hiring sleep specialists to help create the perfect environment for sleep for their visitors.

People have various needs and desires when it comes to where and how they like to sleep. Having the needs and preferences of sleepers in mind, we have ranked the best hotels for sleep in the United States, and our guide also provides other useful info. Hotels will be reviewed based on their popularity, price, or if they are family friendly. You can also find some boutique hotels, spas, and resorts on this list. Hopefully, this guide will help you choose the best accommodation for your next trip.

Benefits of Staying at a Hotel

Staying at a hotel has many advantages. First of all, you will be well taken care of. Your food will be ready whenever you want it; service will be provided when you ask for it, and you can leave knowing you don’t need to clean everything and can focus on other things instead.

Hotels also provide a sense of safety and security. You won’t have to worry about your valuables and lose sleep because of this as your room will be tightly secured. Many hotel rooms also have safes, where you can keep your belongings. Another option is to leave your valuables with the staff. 

Many people use hotels when on a vacation, and basic requirements that they have is to stay in a clean and comfortable room. No one wants to stay in a dirty place, and comfort is also vital as people want to rest and get enough sleep after spending the entire day outside. The satisfaction of customers largely depends on the level of comfort, among other things. That’s why many hotels go out of their way to make sure that their customers leave happy and satisfied, and to provide an unforgettable experience.

Downsides of Staying at a Hotel

Staying at a hotel also comes with some downsides, and the main one is price. Hotels are more expensive than other types of accommodation, but they also offer more. The higher the quality of housing, the higher the cost. So, if you are on a budget, try finding a balance between how much you are willing to pay, and how comfortable you want to be. 

Next, when a hotel is very popular, it can be fully booked months in advance. If you have decided where to stay, make sure to call early and book a room, to avoid unpleasant surprises. However, you can often just arrive at a hotel in the middle of the night and find an available room. 

Some famous hotels can be crowded and loud, and if you are looking for peace and quiet, you may consider avoiding these. It is the best idea to check online customer reviews and find out more about the experiences of travelers who stayed at a particular hotel before booking a room there.

Best Hotels in the U.S.

Boutique Hotels

Boutique hotels are usually smaller buildings featuring between 10 and 100 rooms, and often have unique, themed styles. They were quite popular during the 80s and 90s. Today, hotel chains also own boutique hotels in larger cities, to meet the needs of customers who prefer something different and more budget-friendly.

Miami Washington Park Hotel, Miami, FL

Located in one of the most active parts of Miami, this hotel offers rest from the lively city outside. The design of this hotel is a combination of traditional and modern, and you will surely enjoy it.

Rooms look luxurious and hip at the same time. There are some rather interesting additions waiting for you like The Most Boring Book Ever Written. All rooms are equipped with premium linen, down comforters and foam or feather pillows. Miami Washington Park Hotel has various types of rooms available, and you will surely find something suitable, whether alone or with your family.

Saint Cecilia Hotel, Austin, TX

This hotel has a fantastic vintage look. Every room is furnished with old-looking turntables and paintings, and some even have fake fireplaces. You can rent vinyl records to listen to in your room, or ask for some light reading.

But the main stars of Saint Cecilia Hotel are the organic Hastens beds. They are unique, luxurious, and very expensive. Imported from Sweden, these eccentric beds are stuffed with horsehair to provide a unique sense of comfort. Each of these costs around ten thousand dollars!

The Hermitage Hotel, Nashville, TN

If you want to get a proper rest while in Nashville, this hotel is an excellent option. Rooms contain quality mattresses that are made locally, 600 thread count linens, down duvets, and comfortable pillows. When it comes to pillows, you have a variety of options available, including buckwheat, memory foam, and latex models, you just need to take a look at the closet. You can also ask for additional pillows free of charges, such as body and neck pillows. 

WestHouse Hotel, New York, NY

Elegant and luxurious, this hotel evokes the feel of 1920s New York. Its interior is filled with mirrors and images of Hollywood and Broadway, and you can choose a room with a view of Central Park and Times Square that will take your breath away. 

Rooms meet the highest standards, and they are very inviting. Each one has a tablet that you can use to control the room temperature, play music, turn on the TV, and more. Quality mattresses will adapt to any body type and sleep position, and they come with 400 TC linens. They have partnered with Sleep | Studio and provide relaxing treatments in their Terrace Suites. If you want to enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy, relax thanks to aromatic candles, and take your mind off worries, this is something for you.

Hotel Chains

Hotel chains are enterprises that entirely or partially own a number of hotels that are located in different areas. Marketing, administration, and promotion are all managed by this enterprise. The global industry today is mostly represented by hotel chains. Almost 4 million hotels are in the hands of top ten hotel chains!

JW Marriott

Named after the founder of the corporation J.W. Marriott, this hotel chain offers higher-end services compared to traditional Marriott hotels. It is also more luxurious and expensive. The first one was opened in Washington, D.C., in 1984.

JW Marriott is all about providing the best possible sleeping experience. With sleep research involved, their turndown service is one of the best you can find. Every room has a so-called Dream Bar that contains items that will improve your sleep, and you can also find essential oils in the shower. 

Rooms are soundproof, to ensure that guests get enough quality rest without being woken up by potential noise. Outstanding Marriott beds offer unmatched comfort and support. Thanks to the breathability of pocketed coils and open-cell polyfoam, you will sleep cool. Beautiful duvets, down comforters, and high-quality cotton linens add elegance to bedrooms.

Westin Hotels

This hotel chain, owned by Marriott International, holds around 300 hotels worldwide. They are known for their excellent customer care, and they focus on providing excellent sleeping experience by equipping their rooms with some of the most comfortable beds you can find.

These special beds are called The Westin Heavenly beds, and they live up to their name. Mattresses with a pocketed coil system offer proper support and comfort while you sleep. Each bed comes with plush pillow tops and five Westins’ signature pillows. Linens are made of 300 thread count Egyptian cotton. If you are a dog owner, you can also ask for a Heavenly bed for your beloved pet. Your pet will also receive its own turndown service. 

The in-room dining service has a special “Sleep Well” menu that is designed to improve sleep. Westin hotels have partnered with SuperFoodsRx team to bring you this amenity. This menu features bedtime snacks, herbal teas, or even full meals that will help you rest peacefully. Chamomile or lavender-infused essential balm oils that will help you fall asleep are also included.

Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, TX

Owned by The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, a subsidiary of Marriott International, this world-famous high-end hotel chain has 91 hotels and resorts. Although it is not a lot by hotel chain standards, each one is a prime example of luxury and quality. We will be writing about their establishment in Dallas, Texas.

Made by Stearns & Foster, Ritz Carlton beds feature mattresses with cooling gel memory foam. They provide a cool and comfortable sleep and respond to sleepers’ body shape. The cover of these mattresses is made primarily of wool and silk, and it is very breathable.

Rooms are equipped with products that will help you sleep soundly, including eye masks, noise-canceling earplugs, herbal teas, cooling pillows, and even relaxing music for sleep. If you want to relax even more, you can order a spa package called Drift to Sleep, which includes a body massage, aromatherapy bath, treatment with essential oils, and a 30-minute long power nap.

Ritz-Carlton’s branch in Dallas has unique Suite Sleep accommodation that comes with a personal sleep therapist who will advise you on how to sleep better. A professional will tell you what the optimal sleep temperature is, offer white noise apps, recommend sleep hygiene techniques, and you will learn more about the importance of turning off electronic devices before going to bed and sleeping in a dark room.

Library Hotel, New York, NY

Library Hotel is one of the most interesting hotel chains, with four buildings located in New York. It is a thematic hotel, and each one of ten guest floors is designed with unique themes. For example, one level is dedicated to language and has subcategories that include books about Slavic language, Middle Eastern language, etc. Other floors feature Science, History, Art, or Technology. If you are a book lover, or just like to learn new things, you should visit this hotel.

Besides literature, this hotel promotes a peaceful sleeping experience. Library Hotel has an exclusive Escape to Serenity program, and every room comes with everything you need for a good night’s rest, including earplugs, herbal teas, and white noise machines. Two types of noise canceling headphones called SleepPhones and CozyPhones are also available. They produce white noise or relaxing sounds that will help you fall asleep quickly. Additionally, you will receive a traditional turndown service, which includes Belgian chocolate and bottled water.

Beds are everything you could ask for when it comes to comfort. Both mattress toppers and pillows are made of memory foam, and their pillows are hypoallergenic. Fans and space heaters are available if you need to regulate the room temperature. Of course, a wide range of books is available, both in paper and electronic form.

The Four Seasons

If you are looking for a hotel that will give you quiet but also comfortable sleep, then this is a place for you. All rooms are soundproof so that nothing can disturb you. Abstract art with specific themes has been put up, featuring designs that will help you relax. The rooms are also equipped with products that will induce sleep, like eye pillows and aromatherapy diffusers. The control of temperature, lighting, and privacy is in your hands.  This can all be set by hotels’ staff as well. 

When it comes to beds, the Four Seasons Hotel has exceptional models made by Simmons. Beds feature innerspring mattresses made of foam comfort layers that can absorb heat. If you are staying with a partner, its support core has pocketed coils that reduce motion transfer. Linens are made of 300-thread-count cotton, and you can choose between hypoallergenic and feather pillows and duvet as well as between three different toppers, adjusting firmness level this way.

MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV

This is one of the most famous hotels in the world. It is the single largest hotel in the entire U.S. Also, it is the third largest hotel in the world when it comes to the number of rooms. It has 6,852 rooms for guests. It is located in one of the most popular places in the United States, Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.

The rooms, named “Stay Well,” are designed to provide a unique experience for its guests. Everything about them is made to provide you with exceptional sleep. Even the smallest things, like lighting, are there to make you sleep longer, and wake up refreshed. At night, the lights will change to longer, red wavelengths which enhance sleep quality (this is scientifically proven). Instead of setting the alarm that will wake you with a sudden noise, a light will be set to wake you naturally whenever you want. Even the mirrors have special light therapy bulbs that will increase your morning energy. Enjoying your stay doesn’t end here. For added freshness, showers are infused with vitamin C, and for anyone having trouble with allergies, every room has an air purification system. To make the room even fresher and cleaner, there are aromatic diffusers and odor-resistant bedding. As a part of the “Stay Well” experience, there is a unique food menu designed by professional nutritionists.

MGM Grand Hotel & Casino has extraordinary signature MGM beds with plant-based memory mattresses.

AKA Hotels

This hotel chain consists of extended stay hotels that are small or medium-sized. Unlike traditional hotels, they offer long-term services. They usually charge weekly, or monthly as opposed to regular hotels that charge daily. AKA hotels are most prominent in New York but are also present in other big cities.

As these are extended stay hotels, suites are different. Usually, the beds are in separate rooms. This means guests can have different space for work and sleep, making it feel more like home. Beds have mattresses with high-density foam so that they can last longer and provide quality support for your body. They are also gel-infused, for added cooling. Each room has light therapy boxes and curtains with blackout effect.

There are many activities to make your hotel stay more fun. You can try aerial arts, photography, comedy and much more. Just like any high-end hotel, there are features that will improve your sleep. This particular hotel chain offers AKA Sleep School, where you will learn all you need to know about better sleep. This program was developed by New York University and the New York Sleep Institute researchers. For an additional fee, you can sign up for sleep screenings performed by experts.

Budget-Friendly Hotels

If you are just passing through or you don’t want to spend a lot of money for a night or two, take a look at our list of budget-friendly hotels.

Hilton Garden Inns

These hotels, owned by Hilton Worldwide, offer mid-priced, focused service. Each hotel has a special program called The Garden Sleep System. Standard Hilton Beds available in other Hilton establishments are replaced with beds made of recyclable materials. All mattresses come with adjustable firmness, and there is an option to manually set the firmness level of the bed by using a dial. To further improve your sleeping experience, beds are equipped with mattress toppers made of wool, which have increased breathability, helping you to sleep cool. In Hilton Garden Inns, you will sleep undisturbed throughout the night, as the rooms have blackout curtains and hypoallergenic duvets and pillows.

Sleep Inn Hotels

Sleep Inn chain offers luxurious rest at an affordable price. Their “Designed to Dream” rooms are all about delivering a sleep experience that will leave you refreshed and energized. From unique, gentle LED mood lighting to warm color palette of the room, it’s all designed to help you sleep soundly. You can even find tips on improving your sleep throughout the hotel.

Resort Spas

These hotels are for those who want more out of their stay. Spas will not only help you fully rest physically but also re-energize your whole body and recover mentally.

Carmel Valley Ranch, Carmel, CA

Besides the usual aromatherapy kits, comfortable beds, massages, and facial treatments, Carmel Valley Ranch offers something unique. This resort comes with a treatment called “Hypno-health: Wellness for Mind & Spirit.” The treatment involves a hypnotherapy session aimed at reducing stress, thus enabling more restful sleep. Each guest will also be given some tips on self-hypnosis so that they can continue sleeping better. They will also receive a recording of the session they participated in, making their practice at home more comfortable.

Lorien Hotel & Spa, Alexandria, VA

This spa, which is adequately named after the goddess of dreams, will help you sleep like a baby with its various services. While you are in your room, you can contact, whenever you wish, your personal sleep concierge. Every room in the Lorien Hotel & Spa comes with the option of asking for sleep masks, white noise machines, or several different pillows. There are four bath choices, each made to relieve you of unnecessary stress. Spas also have several options to choose from. Other than traditional therapies, special “Dream” baths include aromatherapy massages.

Canyon Ranch, Tucson, AZ

This resort can change your entire life. The staff of Canyon Ranch consists of certified experts schooled in sleep medicine and sleep technology. You can participate in sleep improving sessions that last about 50 minutes. During this session, they will assess your sleep hygiene habits and advise you on how to improve them. If you choose to, you can sign up for overnight sleep study, in which they can diagnose if you suffer from any sleep disorders. The following day, a sleep expert will go over the results with you and help you deal with any sleep-related problems you might have.

Their rooms are just perfect for sleep. Beds are exceptionally comfortable with mattresses made of Italian linens. There are over 20 pillow options, so every type of sleeper is covered. Each room has a sound machine that will ensure you rest undisturbed. Using your phone is forbidden anywhere outside your private room. This emphasizes how important it is to reduce the influence of electronics on sleep.

Miraval Resort, Tucson, AZ

As blue light is proven to be harmful to good sleep, Miraval Resort has equipped its rooms with Definity Digital Good Night LED light bulbs that decrease blue light emission and provide a more peaceful sleep. Beige and lavender are dominant colors in all rooms, as they create a more relaxing atmosphere. To further reduce stress, you can participate in yoga classes. All bedding is feather-based with high-quality Italian linens, but if you prefer down ones, you can ask for a replacement.

Sandpearl Resort, Clearwater, FL

Sandpearl Resort is best known for providing a unique napping experience. You can sign up for a spa treatment session called Nap Therapy. Here, you will be able to lie in a hydraulic bed that creates a feeling of zero-gravity. While in there, therapy experts will treat you with aromatherapy, massages, or reflexology. Even the gym has special exercises that involve napping after a workout.

Kid-Friendly Hotels

When you travel with your entire family, it’s hard to find a place to stay where every member needs will be fully satisfied. For adults, it is vital to stay in a place that is safe, comfortable, and affordable. When it comes to kids, things are straightforward, they are just looking for a place they could have fun. Here are a couple of examples of hotels that are great to stay in if you have children.

The Benjamin, New York, NY

The Benjamin hotel takes care of both its older and younger guests. 

For adults, a medicine specialist has developed a Rest & Renew program, exclusive to this hotel. The staff of sleep consultants is always present and ready to help. Rooms have phones on which you can listen to two different meditation session. To further help with the rest, there are white noise machines, sleep masks, ear plugs, blackout curtains, and soundproof windows. You can order a work-down call, which is the opposite of wake-up call, as it reminds you to stop working and have a rest. 

As for the kids, there is a library of lullaby music to help them fall asleep quickly. There is also a special children’s club, that holds educational programs, teaching kids more about sleep and how to improve it.

Playa Largo Resort & Spa, Key Largo, FL

As this resort belongs to Marriott, it is equipped with its exceptional Marriott signature beds. What makes Playa Largo Resort & Spa stand out is their special treatment for younger guests. Each room comes with a phone that has various bedtime stories your kids can listen to.

How to Make Your Room More Hotel-Like

If you have experienced what the best hotels have to offer, you could reorganize your bedroom to make more hotel-like and sleep-friendly. Here are some tips that may be useful for replicating the feeling of having your own hotel room at home.

The central piece of any bedroom is a bed. So, to make your bedroom feel as it belongs to a hotel, the first thing you should do is purchase a hotel bed. Since many people are interested in these kinds of things, popular hotel chains have started selling beds with their name branded on them. Beds from chains like Hilton, The Marriott, The Four Seasons, Miraval, The Ritz-Carlton, etc. can be purchased online. They also sell additional equipment like bedding, pillows, or sheets. Have in mind that these products are branded with world famous names, and therefore tend to be expensive.

Buying an all white, high-quality bedding will complete the hotel-like look of your bed. Nothing says luxury and comfort like pristine white bed covers and pillows that are always tempting you to take a nap.

The main difference between regular sheets that most people use and those at the hotel is the inclusion of flat sheet and middle sheet that goes over the usual fitted one. This is the secret of the extraordinary comfort of beds in high-end hotels. To enhance the luxurious look, you can get rid of the fitted sheet and add another flat one instead. Just make sure you learn how to tuck it in as they do it in popular hotels. You can find tutorials for that online. 

Have you noticed that when you stay at a hotel, there is never just one pillow in the bed? Even though extra pillows don’t have any practical purpose, they do add to that fantastic look. Buy one pillow that you will use for sleeping and make sure it’s comfortable. The best options are memory foam, feather pillows, or buckwheat models. Get several more pillows according to your aesthetic preferences. These don’t have to be good for sleeping. They just need to look nice on your bed.

Next, you need to buy an excellent mattress. This is essential not only for the hotel-like look but also for your health and good rest. A quality mattress can positively affect your health, especially if you suffer from back and neck pain. 

All that is left for you to do is turn down the lights, put on your pajamas, and enjoy your stay!

Struggle to hit the hay because of blaring car horns or can’t breathe easy at night? You’ve got company. **Sleep quality** gets tangled up with everything, from your mood swings to your zip code. Ok, maybe a grumpy day or a runny nose doesn’t stick around, but trying to ignore the roar of traffic or choking on dirty air? Now that’s a hard nut to crack. Imagine living in a city that whispers goodnight, perfect for allergy sufferers to drift off without a care. Wondering how your town stacks up in the sleep-easy stakes? Don’t stop wondering! We went all in, dedicating 120 hours and picking the brains of **three sleep gurus** to pin down the best and worst US cities for catching those precious Z’s. Who’ll hit the jackpot with this? If you’re on the hunt for dreamier nights, you’re in the right spot. So, why keep on scrolling? The secret to blissful slumber might just be a move away!

How to Find You Best Cities for Sleep?

In order to determine the best and worst cities for sleep in the US, we researched how cities rank on different factors related to sleep, such as sleep deprivation, obesity rates, commute time, air quality, light pollution, noise pollution, and similar. Here is why we consider each factor important for determining whether or not a particular city is good for sleep.

Sleep deprivation: As you undoubtedly know, the average adult requires seven to eight hours of sleep in order to function optimally. Unfortunately, most citizens of the US don’t achieve that and sleep around 6 hours per night. Most Americans don’t have enough time to catch their precious ZZZs due to poor health, increased family and work obligations, and emotional factors such as depression and anxiety.  Sleep deprivation has severe effects on our health, ranging from irritability, poor memory, and weight gain, to increased chances of getting diabetes and heart disease.

It is critical to keep in mind that according to CDC, more than a third of Americans don’t get sufficient sleep every night. The state of Hawaii reported the lowest levels of adequate sleep at 56%, while South Dakota got the most rest at 72%. Residents from Appalachia get the lowest amounts of sleep, which may also be influenced by higher obesity rates and poor health in the regions.

Obesity rates: Researchers had a long time ago established a connection between obesity and increased chances of getting heart disease, diabetes, and sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. Being in good physical condition and health is vital to sleeping better at night. In order to improve your sleep, you should exercise more, and try to health healthy. It is especially important to avoid overly fatty or sugary foods as much as you can. According to studies conducted by the CDC, more than a third of Americans are obese.

Unemployment rate: Emotional health is equally essential for sleep as physical health. Depression and anxiety are linked with insomnia and other sleep disorders. Workaholics typically suffer from sleep disorders. On the flip side, having job security helps to reduce stress (that contributes to insomnia) which may improve sleep.

Commute time: An average citizen of the US spends 26.3 minutes each way commuting to work. How this impacts sleep? Employees with short commute times are typically more productive and satisfied with their job than workers with long commute times. Commuting time is also one of the most important factors people consider when choosing a place to live in. Lower commute times are also linked with better health, especially lower risks of diabetes and depression.

Air quality: Poor air quality is linked to higher rates of heart disease, asthma, allergies, and lung cancer. When it comes to sleep disorders, poor air quality is linked with obstructive sleep apnea, which can also contribute to heart failure. It is also worth mentioning that air pollution makes it harder for people to exercise outside, which can reduce the physical fitness levels in the city and lead to other health problems that interfere with sleep.

Light pollution: light pollution doesn’t seem like a very important factor for quality sleep; however, it can interfere with your circadian rhythms, and confuse your brain about when is the right time to release sleep-inducing hormones such as melatonin. This is one of the reasons why using electronic at night can mess up with your sleep. The blue light emitted by your phone, computer and TV can easily trick your brain into thinking it’s still daytime, making you feel alert and stay awake hours after your usual bedtime.

A devastating fact published in the Science Advances in 2016, reveals that 99% of Americans live under light-polluted skies. The sky is so polluted that only 20% of all people in the US can see our nearest galaxy, the Milky Way. Cities in the eastern half of the country are most affected, especially the northeastern seaboard area from Washington D.C. to Boston. The West Coast is less air polluted, except metropolitan areas such as San Francisco and LA.

Some cities in the US decided to address this problem by creating so-called Dark Sky Communities. The International Dark-Sky Association manages these cities, and the focus is to use more quality outdoor lighting and educate residents about the effects of light pollution that not only cause poor sleep but also lead to species extinction. American Dark Sky cities are currently located in Indiana, Arizona, California, Texas, Illinois, and Colorado.

Ongoing construction: Many US cities are in a period of constant growth. While this is excellent news for the economy, it’s not such great news for sleep. The noise from heavy and ongoing construction can easily interfere with our sleep. Also, construction creates traffic congestion during the daytime, which may lead to longer commutes and significantly higher stress levels. We already discussed why commute time is essential for sleep, and we also mentioned that stress and anxiety could easily lead to the development of insomnia.

Best Cities for Sleep – Our Top Picks

Since we had to limit our list to top 5, our honorable mentions are Austin, Portland, and Overland Park.

Austin, TX

The city of Austin has excellent air quality, and it also very low sleep deprivation rates. Two dark cities are within this metropolitan area – Dripping Springs and Horseshoe Bay. However, Austin is not in our top five because it has high obesity rates and commute times.

Portland, OR

Portland is considered one of the best cities for sleep. However, due to its ongoing construction boom, increase commute times, and high unemployment rates, it didn’t manage to get in our top 5. However, since it has one of the lowest deprivation rates in the US, as well as low obesity rates, it is an honorable mention.

Overland Park, KS

Overland Park has the lowest sleep deprivation rate in the US. It’s also worth mentioning that their obesity rates and unemployment rates have significantly decreased over the course of the last few years.

Madison, WI

Madison is a city with the lowest unemployment rates in the US and only 21 minutes of average commute time. According to statistical research, only 30% of residents don’t get enough sleep.

Lincoln, NE

The capital of Nebraska is in our top 5 best cities for sleep because it is considered very clean, has very short commute time (only 19 minutes per person), and pretty low unemployment rates. Unemployment rates are only 2.8%! When it comes to obesity rates, they slight went up this year. Similar to Madison, WI, around 30% of residents don’t get less than recommended 7 hours of sleep per night.

Boise, ID

Boise is considered the third best city in the US for sleep. It’s unemployment rates are only 2.9, and obesity rates are also low – 27.4%. Each year, their obesity and unemployment rates slightly improve.

Sioux Falls, SD

Sioux Falls won second place on our best cities for sleep top list. The unemployment and obesity rates in the state are average and continue to drop each year. The city is considered one of the cleanest in the US, and it also has a very low commute time – only 18.5 minutes per citizen. When it comes to sleep deprivation rates, a bit more than 27% of residents aren’t getting more than recommended 7 hours a sleep per night.

Colorado Springs, CO

Our winner for the best city for sleep is Colorado Springs, CO. This city won the first place because it has low sleep deprivation and obesity rates, as well as unemployment rates significantly below the national average. Colorado Springs is considered one of cleanest cities in America, and another plus is that it’s located near the Dark City of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff.

Worst Cities for Sleep

One of the worst cities for sleep are New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Birmingham, Cleveland, Newark, and Detroit. Let’s see why.

New York, NY

The Big Apple is considered one of the worst cities for sleep because it’s continuously undergoing construction, it’s considered one of the most polluted cities in America, and also has one of the worst average commute time – almost 36 minutes per resident. A full quarter of New Yorkers are considered obese. When it comes to unemployment rates, they are a bit above average. So, we can say with confidence that New York indeed is “the city that never sleeps. “

Baltimore, MD

Baltimore is not in our top worst cities for sleep, but it’s very close. The city is considered one of the most polluted in America; the obesity rates grow each year; the average commute time is a full 30 minutes… Do you need to hear more? It’s no wonder over 44% of its residents are sleep deprived.

Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia won fifth place due to its high unemployment rates (almost 5%), severe air pollution, and high obesity rates (30%). More than 44% of its residents are sleep deprived. When you combine this with ongoing construction and long commute times, you can quickly realize why this city made it to our list.

Birmingham, AL

Birmingham can be found both on the Most Polluted and the Cleanest Cities lists. When it comes to making the cleanest cities list, it won that spot for short-term particle pollution. However, it’s considered one of the most polluted towns in the US when it comes to year-round particle pollution. Unemployment rates are slightly above average, and it has one of the highest rates of obesity in the nation – almost 36%. It is also considered one of the worst cities for sleep because around 47% of its residents suffer from sleep deprivation.

Cleveland, OH

Comparing to last year’s research, Cleveland’s obesity rate worsened by almost 2%, and their commute times also increased. Although the unemployment rates are good, it still slightly above the national average. The city is also considered very polluted, and 45% of its residents don’t get the recommended 7 hours of sleep per night.

Newark, NJ

Newark won our second place on the list of worst cities for sleep. Although it’s an hour away from the Big Apple, it’s air quality is very low. The light pollution is also severe. When it comes to commuting times, the average citizen travels more than 35 minutes to work each way. NJ’s unemployment rate is just above average, but their obesity and sleep deprivation rates are very high – 48% meaning almost half of the residents are obese and get less than seven hours of sleep per night.

Detroit, MI

Our winner for the worst city for sleep in the US is Detroit, MI. Over 50% of adults in this town are sleep deprived. As this isn’t enough, the city constantly experiences high levels of construction, which worsens traffic congestion, increase noise pollution, commute times, and kind of ruins everyone’s mood. Apart from being the city with significantly decreased air quality, Detroit is also one of the cities with the highest obesity rates. Nearly one-third of the citizens are considered obese.

Is your city on the list? How would you rank your hometown by using these criteria? Let us know in the comments below!

The feeling of nostalgia that comes from reminiscing about childhood instances, snuggled under a blanket as your mother or father read to you your favorite bedtime stories, is unparalleled. In those moments, through your dreams, you were transported to far-off lands filled with mysterious creatures, in a universe where anything seemed possible.

This simple act can really make the bond between parents and children stronger. But does it have any other positive effects?      

Studies have shown that reading before sleep has an impact on their cognitive abilities as well as on their sleep routine. In addition, it helps them to develop an emotional kind of connection to the reading as well as higher literacy ability.   

These days we have age restrictions for things like movies TV shows etc. But, reading bedtime stories to kids isn’t one of them. That means there is no such thing as too old or young for bedtime reading. Many psychologists highly recommend to parents to read to their newborns, even though they don’t understand the meaning of the words they will recognize the rhythm and the sound that can reflect the emotion behind the word you pronounce not to mention the exposure of colorful visuals that they will be able to recognize as they grow. The sooner you begin, the more positive impact it will have on your child. Naturally, choose an age-appropriate book is necessary to achieve that.   

For young kids to kindergarteners, it will be more useful to read books that contain more illustrations and simple sentence vocabulary, and as they advance from preschool to elementary level and are able to read themselves, chapters books will be more practical and effective.   

You can also try these helpful tips.

• Pay attention to your speed – It is really important to read slowly, especially if children are young and don’t forget to explain the unknown words during reading.
• Be interactive – Feel free to engage your child while you’re reading. You can do that by changing the name of the character with your child’s name, to make them feel like they are a part of the bedtime story. Also, it is very useful to draw comparisons between the situation in the story and day to day life to help them learn valuable life lessons in a fun way.
• Dramatic reading is more than welcome – Being dramatic in everyday life can’t do you any good, but in case of reading, it actually can. When you use different voices for each character and tones to accentuate the situations, you will boost your child’s imagination and their importance in the story.
• Explain the roles of the characters in the story – When you set a clear difference between heroes and villains, your kids will understand what it means to do right or wrong. This will help them develop powers of discernment.
• Re-read the story – Just as adults need to read more than one time to remember or understand something better, children function in the same way. It might be hard for them to remember everything during the start of the bedtime reading session, maybe the story has many details, so it might be a good idea to read the story on continuously.
• Change stories from time to time – Although it’s recommended to re-read the story, I would not be a good idea always to read the same story. After a while, the child will already remember the story by heart, so their imaginative skills will not continue to improve since there is no challenge, nothing new to spice it up. Usually, kids have their favorite one that they want to hear all the time, so this might be a challenge. Here is an idea that you can try out if they persist. Suggest that this night you will read something new and the night after you will read the one that is preferred.   
• Improvise – That might sound scary, I know, but you don’t have to make up the whole story. You can add some new details to existing one, to make your child more involved. If you need help, just search effective story starters in your search engines to get you more motivated.

Now that we covered the technique topic, let’s check out reviews about the most cherished tales of all times. It includes a list aimed for different age groups and stories that you can find printed or online.

The first list is print only.   

From Birth to Age 4

Keth Baker’s Big Fat Hen story – is a very cheerful and fun nursery rhyme containing bright and colorful illustrations that are designed to help your young ones count in no time with the help of hen and her eggs-soon-to-be-chicks.   

Denise Fleming’s The Everything storybook – is a fun jumble of basic concepts like color, shape, numbers, poems but the real star of the book is the hand-cut stencils that are filled with cotton fiber that is colored. What is unique about it is that the structure is sparse, so readers have space to create their own stories. The words are simple, and the illustrations are big and colorful, your kids will love it. Even you as a parent would love to frame those pictures.   

Bill Martin Junior’s and John Archambault’s Chicka Chicka Boom Boom – is focused on helping your kids learn the alphabet. It is an interesting story from 1989 that is about lower-case letters who, in alphabetical order, climb a coconut tree until it bends too much, causing all letters to tumble down the tree and it also describes injuries in alphabetical order with illustrations made by Lois Ehlert, making it very easy and fun for kids to learn.   

Todd Parr’s Otto goes to bed story – It’s bedtime, but your kids don’t want to sleep? Tale of Otto might be interesting for them. It’s about a dog, Otto, who can’t seem to go to sleep but he has to even if he doesn’t want to. It has been a favorite among toddlers with its funky and colorful illustrations.   

Sandra Boynton’s Pajama Time! – is a witty classic that both kids and adults love, here is why. This book shows the importance of bedtime in a fun way with the help of pig that’s on a swing and a chicken that jumps the rope. Don’t forget to sing along to Jamma Jamma PJ, because it’s time to go bed with style.   

Vera Williams’s More More More Said the Baby Story – depicts three adorable toddlers and a day in their life. You and your kids will rejoice when you see adorable drawings of kids running around and giggling while parents scoop them and shower them with hugs and kisses preparing them for bedtime. Besides the irresistible illustrations, it also sends a friendly ethnical diversity message.   

Sam McBratney’s and Anita Jeram’s Guess How Much I Love You book – contains four sequels and is about a small hare that is brown and his daddy, hopping and showing their love for each other. It will give you so much ‘aww’ feelings.   

P.D. Eastman’s Are you my mother? – is an all-time favorite for bedtime since 1960. It is a story of a young baby bird in quest of finding his mama who went to search for food thinking the egg won’t hatch so soon. The book is filled with humorous adventure that kids enjoy.   

Peggy Rathmann’s Good Night, Gorilla – is a funny story of one gorilla that decided to sneak along with zookeeper. It contains verses that are easy to remember and cheerful illustrations. So, join him to see who will have the last laugh in this goodnight escapade.   

Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon – is a children’s classic, about a bunny who says goodnight to everything in his little room. The perfect book to end the day, with its soothing narrative and illustrations. It also contains a 3D interpretation on YouTube.    

Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar – is book loved generation after generation, since 1969. It is about a hungry caterpillar that eats its way to the time until he becomes a handsome butterfly. The reason it is an all-time favorite is that the illustrations are made of collage with cutouts that give readers opportunity to be involved and the simple text that teaches kids butterflies life stages, counting, foods and days of the week.   

Dr. Seuss’s One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish – is a book that has been teaching kids counting and colors for over 50 years and they love it. It is a simple rhyme book following a girl and a boy that make friendships with interesting creatures and pets.    

Don Freeman’s Corduroy – is a story loved by youngsters about a teddy bear in search of a button. Why? A girl named Lisa saw him in the department store and wanted to buy him, but her mother refused to pay for a toy that is even missing a button. So, the little teddy Corduroy decides to take a trip around the store to search for his button and finds himself in places he has never seen before. What happens next? Read it to find out.   

Eric Hill’s Where’s Spot? – is a picture flap book that engages readers to find the Spot as he hides around in the house. Kids will encounter familiar situations, environments, and objects as they search for this adorable dog. The favorite story since its first publishing in 1980 later turned into animation in 1987-2000.   

Ezra Jack Keats’s The Snowy Day – A book where everything is possible. The adorable old fashioned illustrations are about a little boy and his adventures on a snowy day in the city. It perfectly depicts the wonders and pleasures that await kids as they enter the world covered in snow.   

H.A. Rey and Margret Rey’s The Complete Adventures of Curious George – is a story about one monkey and Yellow Hat Man, his keeper. The classic but unique character illustrations and the cheerful storyline keeps youngster entertained. It contains seven sequels.    

Susan Marie Swanson’s The House in the Night – is a book that features B&W illustrations with verses that are dreamy, to emphasize how a house at night turns to a real home exploring the nighttime things that are comforting and interesting to kids, making them sleepy quickly.   

Michael Bond’s A Bear Called Paddington series – The chronicle of 20 books follows a story of a teddy that was abandoned on a station and his adventures as he takes trips all around the world. His first stop is London platform where he meets the lovely couple, Mr. and Mrs. Brown. A classic that will keep your kids entertained for a long time.   

Laura Joffe Numeroff’s If You Give a Mouse a Cookie – This clever and cute illustrations follow the legendary ’what if’ situations especially when you feed and uninvited guest. Delightful storytelling will keep smiling faces on your youngest readers.   

Arnold Lobel’s The Frog and Toad volumes –  are great stories about what true friendship is about. Also, each book contains fun adventures of two little amphibians that teach kids about self-discipline, the importance of diligence, sharing etc. With vibrant illustrations.    

Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham – This book is a perfect introduction to the peculiar world of legendary Dr. Seuss. It follows the adventures of Sam-I-am as he discovers where and with who he should enjoy this treat and every time the list gets longer. Kids will enjoy simple words and interesting illustrations that give hints of their meaning.   

Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat – Also one of legendary Dr. Seuss books, that follows a story of two kids who encounter a peculiar cat with even more peculiar hat. Ever since 1957, it was and still is a hit among kids, printed around 10 million copies and translated to many different languages, changing the way they learn how to read.   

Thomas Aquinas Maguire’s Three Little Dreams – is about a fantastic trio of a boy on top of a dragon a star that is magical and a birdy flying paper plane. With his unique illustrations, your kids will enter a special kind of fantasy.   

Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever – Wonderful affirmation of how much parents love their kids with adorable pastel that complement the sentimentality of this kind of story. It won’t leave you indifferent.   

Shelley Moore Thomas’s Good Night, Good Knight – this story follows the adventure of a knight that is on his watch when he discovers three dragons getting ready for bed. Youngsters will fall under Good Knights spell as much as the dragons did. After this one, other tales of knights slaying dragons will fall flat.   

Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas – Let’s make the holiday spirit even jollier with our favorite Dr. Seuss story that teaches valuable lessons about feeling like you belonging somewhere, how important family is and community. Kids will fear and adore this kind of interesting character.   

For Readers Ages 4 to 6

 A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner – are the all-time favorite classic for kids and adults ever since their first publishing in the 1920s. The story follows Christopher Robin, the cutest, Winnie the Pooh, bear who is always craving for honey and the rest of the animal gang as they go on their adventures.   

Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree – is a touching story about a boy, his tree and the flow of their relationship. Since 1964, it teaches kids (and adults) the value of the wonderful gift called -giving- and acceptance of other person capacities to, in return, show love.   

Shaun Tan’s The arrival – is a touching and heartbreaking story of an old man saying goodbye to his family as he sets off to create a better future for them across the ocean. Readers will be able to experience his joy and solitude through the story followed up by mesmerizing yet clear illustrations. Since the main character can’t speak the book refrains from using words as well. Great for teaching kids about tolerance.   

Marc Brown’s Arthur Adventure Book Series – Entertaining kids since the middle of the 70s, with the tales of young Arthur, an aardvark with glasses, that attends school and his friends too. These chronicles depict the struggle that kids face nowadays with it’s fun and cheerful illustrations.    

Joanna Cole’s The Magic School Bus Book series – are innovative and playful book series that follow Ms. Frizzle, the teacher of science, that has a teaching style you’ve never seen before, and her students on wild and educational adventures. One of the most memorable trips was the one deep down the core of the earth and one where they explored how the human body works. Ms. Frizzle will become your kids’ favorite teacher.   

Berenstain’s The Berenstain Bears book series – Since 1960s kids enjoyed reading about the family of Berenstain bears as they go on various adventures and facing ordinary, kind of funny, family problems along the way. Kids will learn how to solve issues in a very friendly way with the help of interesting plotlines and adorable illustrations.   

Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are – is an exciting story about a boy named Max who was one night sent to his bed without his dinner because he made trouble. That night strange things started to happen, a forest began to grow in his room with ocean waves bringing a boat to take him where the wild things are. He begins to meet interesting creatures. A very imaginative story that will awake imagination in kids dreams.   

Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who! –  is a lovely story about an elephant who hears a who, that is an odd noise coming from a tiny speck of dust. The story teaches kids how important it is to be kind, empathic and emphasizes the concept of community.   

Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax – is a book that emphasizes the dangers of urbanization and deforestation. The small mustache creature called Lorax invites kids to join him as he warns people about the dangers of destroying natural beauty. Kids will learn the importance of the environment around them and how to treasure it.   

Dr. Seuss’s Oh the Places You’ll Go – is a story loved by both kids and adults because it explains a journey of adulthood. With its pictures and verses filled with humor, it talks about the ups and downs that life itself present to us but more importantly it encourages us never to give up and to find the success that has been inside of us the whole time.   

For Readers Ages 7 and Up   

Shel Silverstein’s peculiar poetry is a great delight for kids because it’s profound and extremely funny at the same time including the creative drawings to support it.   

Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows – The classic series follows adventures, or we might say misadventures of Mr. Mole, Ratty and Toad and other residents of Thames Valley. This book depicts the real value of friendship, and the pictures will warm kids’ hearts (yours too, because we always stay kids in our hearts) as they grow. The Wind in the Willows book also inspired a few stage and movie adaptations.   

Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass – Our beloved Alice and her encounters with the White rabbit, Mad Hatter and the rest of the peculiar gang has been capturing attention and inspiring kids to dream and use their imagination for over 100 years and memorable illustrations to make those stories come to life. These series show that with imagination nothing is impossible.   

Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach – is a story of a young James and mishap magic crystals and the peach tree. As the peach tree, influenced by the crystals, start to grow and grow even stranger things begin to happen, but the real adventure begins when he finds a secret entrance inside of the tree. Kids will love the wild imagination that this book brings.   

Judith Viorst’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – is a very funny and charming story of a young boy who experiences a very hard day, nothing seemed right from the moment when he woke up finding gum in his hair. However, the book ends on a positive note, teaching kids and reminding adults that it is never good to dwell on bad things that happen, rather than that to be happy with what you already have.   

Harry Allard’s Miss Nelson is Missing! – is a quirky classic that teaches kids what happens when you misbehave. The class 207 was always up to trouble so one day when a strict substitute teacher came instead of their Miss Nelson, they begin to realize that their ways were not very good and they start to regret it. The full colored cartoon-style like illustrations and interesting yet serious storyline gives kids a good laugh while teaching them the importance of good behavior.   

Roald Dahl’s Matilda – is a story of a girl that’s anything but ordinary. We might even say that she is a prodigy child since she is five and a half and already reading Dickens. Even though everyone loves her, is far from perfect. Since her parents neglect her and scold her all the time, she decides to do prank jokes. In the meantime, she discovers that she has a superpower. Kids of all ages because of unexpected plot twists full of imagination.   

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Follows five lucky winners to the famous Chocolate Factory.  Charlie, our hero of the story, will teach kids the importance of kindness, diligence, and honesty as he goes through enchanting Wonka Land with an enigmatic and peculiar host. You might want to save some sweet treats for the kids after you finish reading it.   

E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web – is a touching tale of love, friendship, and death for all generations. It tells the story of a friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte. The story gets interesting when Wilber realizes he is being raised to get slaughtered, so Charlotte promises him that she will help him. Brace yourself for a lot of feelings and few tissues will be involved as well.   

Johanna Spyri’s Heidi – tells a story of a young orphan girl from Switzerland who has to live with her cranky grandfather, because of the evident intelligence she was sent to Frankfurt to work in a wealthy family as a companion of a girl who has a disability. This story will help your kids understand how to love and show love, also how to make strong friendships.   

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women – is a memorable and all-time favorite of both males and females. It is a story of March sisters and how they struggle to survive the Civil War in New England. So many characters that are unique it is hard not to love them. Since this does contain prose that is old fashioned it will be a bit hard for younger readers, we recommend it to readers who are eight and up.   

Beverly Cleary’s Ramona – is a fantastic story of a little girl Ramona and her older sister Beezus. Ramona is not a typical four-year-old. She is always up to trouble, like secretly inviting other kids to her party or taking one bite from each apple in the box. Anyone who has siblings will relate to this, and it teaches kids of the unbreakable and special bond that siblings have.   

Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie – is a cherished classic that follows a girl called Opal and how she made an unusual friendship with a dog with a great sense of humor that she named Winn Dixie. Together with Winn Dixie, she meets interesting people, and it’s all because of Winn Dixie. Why? Read to find out.   

Judy Blume’s Fudge book series – tell a tale of a four-year-old Fudge who always gets his big brother Peter in trouble. Peter is sick of it, and he wants to bring attention to his parents about that, but how?   

Adorable Classics that Will Make You Laugh and Think at the Same Time 

Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty – is a touching story of a beautiful horse in search of his home. It is written in the point of view of a horse who has seen riches and poverty, hardships and friendships. When will he ever find a place that he will call home? This novel inspires readers to think about animal welfare and how much that is important.   

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Little House on the Prairie book series – is about a family who travels in a wagon in search of a perfect place to build their home. This 19th-century tale enchants everyone who reads it due to the stories that are depicted so vividly almost like you are with them on their quest. It is an excellent opportunity for parents to draw resemblance of the past events and the present ones.   

 Donald J. Sobol’s The Encyclopedia Brown book series – is about a boy detective with computer-like brain that is trying to solve cases of missing roller skates, an eyewitness that was blind and other ridiculous stuff. Each chapter will provide an answer that is hidden, so it is a great chance to test your thinking ability and join him to crack these neighborhood cases.   

Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting – is about a family that accidentally drinks water from magic spring and then on their luck or not that big of luck they become immortal, so they are trying their best to live their life as unsuspiciously as possible until they meet Winnie Foster. A tale about acceptance and secrets your kids will find magical.   

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden – a longer tale of mysteries that one encounters as she moves in with her uncle who will take care of her, after the tragic death of her parents who were not very good people, to begin with. After a while she that the house along with a secret garden contains many mysteries. A charming story that teaches kids of kindness and compassion. 

Madeleine L’Engle’s  A Wrinkle in Time Quartet – a sci-fi chronicles of a girl and her brother in search of their father after he is gone missing due to experiments with time travel. It will make your kids look at the world through different eyes.   

Online Stories for Kids

Some of them are text only, and others are made as an animation.   

For Newborns to Age 3   

Joshua Morgan, Nathalie Koenig, and Lee-Ann Knowles’s Clever Pig – follows a small clever pig that is searching for its favorite bedtime snack – carrot. Your little ones will love the illustrations that depict a fun story.   

Kevin Henkes’s Kitten’s First Full Moon – Adorable pencil shade character illustrations will make you watch this video over and over again. Available on YouTube.   

Lauren Holliday and Nathalie Koenig’s Londi the Dreaming Girl – is an imaginative tale of family and friendship featuring a little girl named London that wonders about strange things of the universe while she is on her way to get water.   

Melissa Fagan, Lauren Nel and Stefania Origgi’s The Best Thing Ever – is a charming story illustrating a cute boy who is determined to create something that would be amazing, he will steal your heart away.   

Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea – a beloved classic made in Denmark about one prince who is trying to find a real princess to marry.   

Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling – inspiring story that will teach little ones the importance of acceptance and self-confidence. It follows one poor duckling that is tormented for being different but naturally, there is a plot twist to this story.   

Lili Probart, Jon Keevy, and Chani Coetzee’s Little Sock and the Tiny Creatures – This illustrated adventure tells a story of one little sock that gets lost and tries to find its way to the laundry box with some help.   

The Story of an Owl and a Lion – is about a lion that is mean to everyone in the jungle and an owl that decides to do something about it. Kids will learn what it means to be kind and tolerant.   

The Story of the Giant Turnip – is about one farmer and his family, who is trying hard to grow a huge turnip and then the effort to pull it out.   

The Story of Nighty Night Circus – popular night time story followed cute animals that are preparing for bed. Kids will love this video that is lively and without text.   

For Readers Ages from Four to Six   

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Escape at Bedtime – tells a story of kids who decide to escape bedtime and find a mysterious and world filled with magic in the backyard garden.   

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Three Golden Apples – Greek mythology inspired kids’ version of Hercules on a quest to get to the garden of Hesperides and save three golden apples.   

The Story of Three Little Pigs – is just about that. Three little pigs try their best to be independent and to build the best house and a mean wolf that wants to destroy it and eat them.   

Charles Perrault’s Riquet with the Tuft – Originally a French tale, this adapted version is about beauty and wit, with the help of magic to make everything possible.   

The Story of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp – is an Arabian night’s collection classic that follows the life of a young man who is a beggar and how his luck overturned when he finds a lamp that is everything but ordinary.   

The Story of Pied Piper of Hamelin – is an iconic tale of a man with the magic flute who helps people of Hamlin to resolve their mice problem.   

The Story of Little Red Riding Hood – is one of the famous classics that teach about survival. A young girl on her way to grandma’s house and a wolf that is cunning and hungry. Who will outsmart who?   

Noni’s The Moon and the Cap – a fun tale of a boy in search of his cap and finding it in places he would never expect to see.   

Searching for the Spirit of Spring Story – An African tale inspired, hopes to move its readers to show generosity and kindness.   

The Brothers Grimm’s The Fisherman and His Wife – teaches kids what happens when you’re greedy like the fisherman and wife were after they find a talking fish.   

Uma Bala Devarakonda’s Down the Memory Lane with Nash – is a beautiful tale of tradition and family as a young boy and dog discover the childhood of his grandma.   

Sam Wilson’s The Elephant in the Room – is a story with striking visuals that follows Lindi and her friend, a huge elephant that is real. Or is it?    

Shelley Duvall’s stories for bedtime – Ever since 1992 it has been charming her audience of all ages.   

Arthur Scott Bailey’s The Nestlings – is about Jolly Robin who has to leave the nest. This is a story that will warm your heart and teach you about love and survival. Featuring some illustrations from original 1917 edition.    

For Readers 7 and Up   

Edward Lear’s A Book of Nonsense – is a collection of absurd yet brilliant drawings and poetry made solely by Edward Lear. It will inspire kids to let their imagination run wild.   

The Story of East of the Sun and West of the Moon – is inspired by Norwegian tale where princesses, talking bears, and trolls exist. The best way for kids to experience a new culture.   

Aesop’s The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse – Classic fable that follows the lives of two mice in a city and the experiences they have. This adaptation has a colorful twist to it.   

Stephan Smith’s Dreamlands Bedtime Book – inspires readers to enter a magical dreamland where even oranges need to go to bed to sleep and flowers are so tall almost like skyscrapers.   

Melissa Fagan’s  Graça’s Dream – is about Graça who is living in a little village in Mozambique and trying to bring literacy there. It’s a story of hard work and tolerance.   

Katharine Pyle’s The Stones of Plouvenic – is also an adaptation from French traditional tale that teaches kids to seek treasures in the unexpected places.   

Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit – is a classic critter story that dates back to 1902 with interesting illustrations to go with.   

Hamilton Wright Mabie, Edward Everett Hale and William Byron Forbush’s The White Stone Canoe – Is a story of a Native American man who is a chief in search of his love in the afterlife.   

Gordon Dioxide’s Children’s Bedtime Stories – is a unique collection that Only G. Dioxide can create. They cannot be summarized they have to be read.   

Ashish Kothari’s Wildlife in a City Pond – is an eco-conscious tale about a boy who is exploring fauna and flora in a nearby park.   

Jade Matre’s The Dragon’s Eggs – is a story that follows a little boy who searches through a castle that is abandoned for an egg of a dragon and in prosses learn a lesson about the importance of preservation.   

Edith Nesbit’s Island of the Nine Whirlpools – famous children author never fails, with her fairytale that has everything from wicked witches to heroes rescuing a damsel in distress, preferably in a magic castle.   

We hope that these recommendations made your bedtime or nap time more enjoyable and dreamier with your little ones!   

Those who’ve experienced college life know all too well the struggle of securing enough rest nightly. The combination of academic obligations, tests, classes, cohabiting with roommates, and an active social life often makes it difficult for students to allocate sufficient time for sleep.

College students need 8 hours of sleep in order to deal with the demands of academic life; however, fewer than a third of them are ZZZs regularly. Is there any way to make students’ sleep better? Fortunately, several colleges across the US are changing things and rising to the challenge.

In this article, you will learn more about the sleep issues affecting college students, and also find what the best colleges for sleep are. Lastly, we will offer some sleep tips for students to ensure you don’t feel all tired and groggy when attending your next morning lecture.

Sleep Deprivation and College Students

According to the CDC, one-third of the American population is sleep deprived. However, most of those people are young adults aged 18 to 29. According to multiple studies and surveys, most young adults get 6 hours of sleep regularly. Many participants say they would feel better if they had more time to sleep.

Sleep deprivation often starts in high school. During adolescence, teenagers’ circadian rhythm shifts and they begin to feel naturally sleepy later than usual – around 10-11pm and not around 8-9pm as before puberty. This is also the time when teens start taking tougher classes and even start working in order to prepare financially and mentally for college. Meanwhile, 85% of schools begin at 8:30 am or earlier, leaving students with very little time to get the amount of sleep they need.

Once young adults reach college, the sleep deprivation trend continues. According to some studies, first-year college students go to sleep on average 75 minutes later than they did in high school. Also, the difference between their weekdays and weekend schedules creates a kind of a social jetlag effect.

Another study shows that 20% of students are unable to sleep at night due to stress about school and that only one-third of students get their essential 8 hours of sleep per night.

Due to sleep deprivation, many students drink a lot of caffeinated beverages and energy stimulants to stay awake. Those who struggle with insomnia, turn to sleeping pills, sedatives, and even alcohol. Over time, this leads to addiction, dependence and more sleep and health issues. The most common health issues experienced by students are depression. Sleep deprivation is also linked to weight gain, and in case sleep issues are not adequately managed, students may develop delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS).

How Sleep Impacts Academic Performance

According to certain research, 50% of students experience daytime sleepiness, and 70% aren’t getting enough sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation of college students significantly puts the health, overall wellbeing and academic performance at risk. Due to sleep deprivation, many students have lower GPAs, fail out of school, get in a car accident, or develop depression and anxiety.

Sleep-deprived students have a harder time to focus during study session and exams and memorize the things they learn. Sleep deprivation also weakens your immune system, making you more prone to catching a sickness. Lastly, energy drinks and caffeine combined with stress and anxiety will skyrocket your adrenaline levels and make it impossible to fall asleep when you should. Although you feel fine after pulling an all-nighter, your reaction time will be worse. Over time, you will feel more irritable, significantly less focused, and just plain exhausted.

Now when you know all the facts, see how some colleges try to fight this problem and help students to sleep better.

The Best Colleges for Sleep

Jawbone, a fitness wearable products company, conducted a study in 2016. and analyzed three years of data from 18,500 college students at 137 schools across the US.  In the study was noticed that the more prestigious the school, the later the students went to sleep. According to the research, the worse colleges for sleep were University of Notre Dame, Case Western Reserve University, Columbia University, the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard and the Air Force Academy. Students attending these schools slept only around 6.5 hours per night.

Now let’s take a look at the winners.

Top Ten Colleges for Sleep in the US

Apart from average sleep time, additional information such as the health of the college’s location, such as obesity rates and sleep deprivation, air quality, and average commute times in the city were also factored in. Some of these colleges or cities they are located in also have a sleep center or a wellness program to promote better sleep for its students.

University of New Hampshire

The UHN, with 7.3 hours slept per night, is considered the best college for sleep. Also, it offers a sleep wellness program, and the state has a lower than average obesity rate.

Cambridge College

Cambridge College took second place with 7.25 hours slept per night. The city has a low sleep deprivation rate, and a low obesity rate as well.

University of Oregon

Students from the University of Oregon manage to fit in 7.23 hours of sleep per night. Those with sleep problems can participate in the university’s wellness program or sleep center. The state has a much lower sleep deprivation rate than other countries in the US.

University of San Diego

Like Oregon, USD students, although living in a very polluted city, manage to get more than 7 hours of sleep per night. California is also considered a pretty fit state, and only 24.2% of residents qualify as obese.

University of Colorado

The city has a low sleep deprivation rate, and state obesity rates are also very low. Due to this, students don’t have any problems fitting sleep in their overall healthy lifestyle

University of Nevada Reno

UNR students get 7.2 hours of sleep per night. The city is low sleep-deprived on average, and all students suffering from sleep issues may find relief through the school’s student health centers.

Tulane University

Students of Tulane University, apart from sleeping well, also enjoy living in one of the cleanest cities in America. They also have access to sleep research centers.

University of Vermont

Similar to Tulane, Vermont students get more than 7 hours of sleep per night and enjoy living in one of the cleanest cities in America. The state also has low sleep deprivation and obesity rates.

DePaul University

Chicago is not an ideal city for sleep, and according to research, they have above-average sleep deprivation rates and commute times. Also, Illinois residents tend to be more obese than the national average. However, DePaul University students manage to get more than 7 hours of sleep per night.

Auburn University

Auburn University is also located in one of the cities in America that are considered to have the best air quality. Students enjoy more than 7 hours of sleep per night, and in case they struggle with sleep issues, they can visit a local sleep disorder center.

How to Find Your Best College for Sleep?

When researchers consider the best college or city for sleep, they usually consider factors such as air quality, sleep deprivation and obesity rates in the state, and similar. However, determining the best college for sleep in an individual choice and depends on a variety of factors. To evaluate a particular school, keep the following things in mind.

College Location

Simply think if the environment is conducive to sleep. Is the school located in a noisy area, or a quiet one? Is air quality good? Do people follow an active lifestyle there?

College Major

According to certain surveys, sleeping better as a student is as simple as choosing the right major. Some majors may be prone to better sleep more than others. Top 3 majors with best sleep rate are public relations, urban planning, and physical education. When it comes to three worst majors for sleep, winners are advertising, foreign languages, and animal science.

Napping Facilities on Campus

This may sound a bit strange, but in response to the epidemic of poor sleep, many colleges decided to create nap rooms on campus. Nap rooms ban the use of all electronics and offer comfortable recliners and other comfy places for sleep. Some of the students with napping facilities are James Madison University and the University of Michigan.

Other schools such as Savannah College of Art and Design, Texas A&M University, Saint Leo University, University of Miami, Washington State University and many others have decided to invest in specialized Nap Pods.

Sleep Centers

Many universities perform sleep research on their own or have on-campus sleep laboratories and research centers managed by faculty and graduate students. If you attend such a school, you will definitely have better access to sleep doctors and specialists in case you need any help.

Sleep-Focused Wellness Programs

If your school doesn’t have a sleep center, maybe they have a sleep-focused wellness program, or at least offer counseling for sleep issues through a mental health center. For example, the University of Alabama has an educational program called Sleep More that involves teaching students about healthy sleep habits and stress management techniques.

Tips for Sleeping Better in College

If your struggle with insomnia and sleep deprivation, finding a sleep-healthy college won’t magically solve all your snoozing problems. You also need to learn how to sleep better once you get there. Here are some essential tips to follow.

Stick to your sleep schedule: Having a strict sleeping schedule is essential for healthy sleep. Create a snooze/wake schedule that works for you, and stick to it even on weekends, during finals, and despite hangovers. So, you have to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

According to a study conducted in 2017, there is a strong link between sleep consistency and better grades. On the flip side, researchers also noticed that students with poor sleep don’t only have worse grades, but also struggle with delayed melatonin production, which is very similar to a jet lag effect. Lastly, the researchers also found out that sleep consistency was more important to sleep than bedtime. For example, if a student was a night owl, it didn’t affect his or her grades as long as they were consistent and still got sufficient sleep.

Avoid all nighters and naps: All-nighters simply destroy your focus and sleep. Napping is okay when limited to 20 or 30 minutes. If you nap longer than 30 minutes, you will enter the deep sleep stage and potentially wake up feeling drowsier than before.

Make your bedroom comdortable: Your bedroom must be perfect for sleep. It should be dark, quiet and reasonably cool. Your bed must be comfortable and able to satisfy certain personal needs and preferences, such as your preferred sleeping position, weight, and health considerations like back pain.

Create a short bedtime routine: Bedtime routines don’t work only on kids, but they are also great for adults. Before going to sleep, you can read a book or take a shower. Doing the same every evening will help your brain associate these activities with sleep.

Eat and drink healthy: If you are limited to the dorm cafeteria menu, still try to do your best to eat healthy. Limit your caffeine intake and avoid sugary and fatty junk foods.

It is also important to limit your alcohol intake it negatively affects sleep. Although alcohol initially makes you drowsy and helps you fall asleep, it causes interrupted sleep, vivid dreaming, snoring and night sweats. It won’t help you get quality rest.

Exercise more: If you can, try to fit exercise into your daily schedule. Even taking a 20-minute walk in the morning is enough to boost your energy levels and make you feel a bit more tired when it’s time to go to bed.

Practice smart time management: Do your best to organize your schedule in such a way that you have enough time to sleep. Prioritize your school work and assignments, and spend less time watching TV or using your phone. Always start studying in time, and not just a few days before.

Prioritize sleep: Instead of bragging how you pulled an all-nighter writing your latest paper, start valuing sleep a bit more and start prioritizing it. Rest is vital for your health and academic performance. The sooner you recognize its importance; the faster you will be able to enjoy all its benefits.