I love my sleep. I am also not a morning person, our principal reason for not offering a cooked breakfast. Our eldest son didn't sleep through the night until he was 6, so we both really appreciate good sleep. It seems to be a bit of a trendy topic at the moment with loads of attention on how good sleep impacts your health in all kinds of ways – but also how each of us is different in how much we do or don’t need.
We have tried to create an environment in all bedrooms in the Steading that will give you a great night’s sleep. To start with the rooms are as dark as possible – once the lights have been turned off. There are shutters on most of the windows, or curtains with black out lining in the Loft and Coop. Even the velux windows have remote controlled black out blinds. This means your melatonin production won’t be affected by any light from outside – the sun sets very late and rises very early here in mid Summer. However there is very little unnatural light so do leave your shutters and curtains open if you would like to wake naturally with the dawn.
Secondly we searched long and hard for comfortable mattresses that don’t produce lots of noxious gases while you sleep. Step forward Abaca Organic – a bed making company in Wales. We chose their Ramsey mattress for all the rooms, which is topped with a brushed cotton protector.
The Ramsey is a certified organic natural latex mattress which moulds to your body shape and is entirely metal free. The mattress is made by wrapping two layers of organic Welsh wool around a 15cm deep latex pad. It is hand tufted and has an organic cotton cover.
Natural latex is made with sap from the Hevea Brasilensis (rubber tree) and is a natural alternative to memory foam. All Abaca Organics’ latex is certified to either FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) or GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standard). For more information about these certification bodies click here.
Abaca Organic also provided the duvets and pillows. The pillows made of an organic cotton quilted outer cover filled with approximately 600g of organic wool balls. The magic of an organic wool duvet is that it allows your body to regulate its own temperature while you get the best night’s sleep! There cover is 100% organic percale cover with organic fleece filling.
Finally temperature. Each room has its own thermostat to regulate the temperature. We would recommend a cooler room for the best night’s sleep and for the environment’s sake.
Sweet dreams
PS If you are interested in the subject of Sleep I would suggest the following:
“Night School” by Richard Wiseman – a scientific and thoroughly engaging insight into the world of sleep.
“Sleep: Redefine your Rest for Success in Work, Sport and Life” by Nick Littlehales. Apparently I am a pm’er and suffer from ‘social jetlag’!
Do you have any to recommend?