Healthy Bed Checklist

1. Are you using 100% natural fiber and 'untreated', breathable bed sheets?
2. Is your mattress what it's cracked up to be?
3. Is your bed frame providing you with good support?
4. How to care for natural bedding.
5. Understanding the value of wool in your sleeping environment.
6. Is the air quality in your room the best it can be?
7. Is your bedroom nontoxic and bacteria-free?
8. Is your bedroom your sanctuary?

The Healthy Bed Checklist
How about investigating what we sleep in?

Most of us relish the thought of slipping in between the sheets to surrender our wakefulness to the tranquility of a good nights sleep. So how about making sure that it's the best it can be.

1. Are you using 100% natural fiber and untreated, breathable bed sheets?

Natural fibers, when they are not treated with toxic chemicals, allow your skin to breathe while you sleep. Synthetic materials block this very important natural body process. Be aware - most 100% cotton sheets on the market are treated with formaldehyde. This not only exposes you to toxic chemicals while you sleep, putting a strain on your immune system, it also blocks air flow.

This toxic treatment was introduced in the 1950's to increase wrinkle resistance in cotton percale sheets and cannot be washed out. I recommend cotton flannel sheets for the simple reason that they are not treated because they do not tend to wrinkle. You must assume that all 100% cotton sheets (other than flannel) have been treated with formaldehyde, unless specifically labelled untreated on the packaging. European made sheets are generally not treated this way. We now have a California company that makes organic and untreated all cotton sheeting.

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2. Is your mattress what it's cracked up to be?

For the past two generations, most Americans have been sleeping on the boxspring/innerspring combo mattress. This heavily marketed concept never caught on in Europe to any great degree, nor in Japan, nor any of the other industrialized nations. Perhaps the reason for this, is that these industrialized cultures had deeper roots in dependable and simple design, based on natural materials and more natural principles.

Older, deeper cultures were not as willing to throw out the old for the new, as was the tendency in the industrialization of North America. Synthetic fibers and coil mattresses were all the rage, and well funded American industries presented these new ideas to the American public with well funded marketing campaigns, who were soon buying these bigger, better and softer American dream beds.

During the industrialization of America and its beds, it was thought to be a good idea to use metal coils for buoyancy. However, it turns out upon closer scrutiny, that metal coils are clearly detrimental to our health. Besides providing an unnatural form of support, they disturb the natural electromagnetic field around our bodies causing physical, mental and emotional stress of a subtle and profound nature.

Baubiologie, a European institute that studies the holistic interaction between human life and our environment, considers disturbances to our natural human electro-magnetic fields to be of fundamental importance in assessing the human health standards of any given environment. See Baubiologie's Easy Tips to Avoid Electro Stress and Turn Your Bedroom into a Healthy Sleeping Space.

Now, after several generations of sleeping on spring beds (with increasingly sagging postures), we are looking for healthier mattresses. So, what are the alternatives, and what are the beds of an enlightened standard?

A number of alternatives exist. Namely, *natural fiber futons, *foam, *latex, water beds, air beds, and some more high tech combinations of some or all of the above. Although we confirm the health value of a non metal spring bed, we at Shepherd’s Dream after 22 years of prototyping, depend on two foundational principles which go unheeded in all of the above mattress options.

These principles are the foundation for creating the healthiest possible sleeping environment:

• PRINCIPLE #1 - TOTAL BREATHABILITY THROUGHOUT!
• PRINCIPLE #2 - THE USE OF PURE WOOL - the most appropriate natural fiber for the sleeping environment.

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The Shepherd’s Dream ALL WOOL MATTRESS:

Since September of 1999, we at Shepherd’s Dream have been prototyping this optimal mattress. We now offer the ALL WOOL MATTRESS.

Pure wool batting is placed inside a wool encasement. The wool batting is compressed by a well designed pattern of tightly tied tufts to create a 5” thick mattress of reasonable weight. The mattress is placed on a slatted frame for optimal airflow. The wool fiber is extremely efficient at self neutralizing, which, with good airflow, ensures a dry and clean mattress. Wool’s innate mildew resistance ensures that this mattress will not mildew (cotton has a tendency to mildew, as do most other natural plant fibers.)

These are FIRM beds, and we make the general statement of regarding it to be the healthiest kind of support there is. This naturally firm mattress seems to encourage the body structure to assume its naturally correct posture and alignment.

Many individuals are beginning to recognize their need for a naturally firm sleeping surface, and their body quickly learns to sleep in correct postures again when switching to a naturally supportive, healthy and breathable mattress. Shepherd’s Dream now offers latex padded slats which adds longlasting resilience without compromising airflow.

As a transitional measure, you can do a lot to improve your sleeping environment simply by using the WOOL SURROUND together with your existing mattress.

*The all cotton futon mattress - without any synthetic, 'non breathing fibers' (verify
that both the cover and the fill is strictly cotton - any synthetic fiber content will reduce its breathability ). Be aware that cotton has a low resistance to mildew and therefore it needs the protection of the WOOL SURROUND.

*Synthetic foam mattress- although this product is synthetic (will offgas toxic vapors) and non breathing (therefore a tendency to overheat), it is coil-less, widely available and inexpensive. Use in conjunction with the WOOL SURROUND to give yourself a more optimal sleeping environment.

*The natural latex mattress - made with the milk of a rubber tree. Longer lasting than poly foam. Not a breathable surface and therefore the sleeper tends to overheat and feel moisture buildup. Also outgasses solvents used in the process. This can be partly remedied by adding the WOOL SURROUND and creating breathability and dryness right next to your sleeping body.

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3. Is your bed frame providing you with good support?

The most reliable way to get good support is to begin with a quality slatted, all-wood frame. Avoid using bed frames that utilize wood by-products such as plywood or pressboard - these usually contain toxic glues and formaldehyde - putting a strain on your immune system.

Check out the selection of all wood slatted bed frames and custom box inserts from Shepherd’s Dream. Suggestions for building your own slatted frame are also available from Shepherd’s Dream.

4. How to care for natural bedding.

Natural fibers breathe. This interacts with your need to breathe. When you sleep, while you rest and dream, your body continues to fulfill many functions to maintain your health. One of the most important functions is continual body detoxification. The body temperature fluctuates as it detoxifies. Higher body temperature causes the skin to release toxins in the form of perspiration.

The moisture is absorbed by the mattress and underlying bedding. This is fine as long as the moisture absorbed by the mattress evaporates from night to night. If moisture lingers too long in your mattress, it is a potential breeding ground for mildew and mites. In Europe, airing the bedding is a common practice. See Product Care for more information. This is so, because they have always maintained a strong link to natural fibers in their bedding. Sunning and airing neutralizes odors and stains.

The routine of airing and sunning is adjusted according to need. In moister climates, or with higher than average perspiration, more airing is needed. The dryer the bed, the better. The appropriate amount of sunning and airing enhances the natural fibers' capacity to respond optimally to our needs.

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5. Understanding the value of wool in your sleeping environment.

"Wool solved every major problem we had encountered in developing healthy, natural sleep environments." Eliana Jantz - founder of Shepherd's Dream.

"...compared to polyester, synthetics and other commonly used bedding fibers such as cotton and down, WOOL as a fill fiber, resulted in:

• calmer heart rates
• lower humidity next to the skin
• better maintenance of the optimal skin temperature for sleep of 91 degrees.

And, wool-fill handles body moisture better than any synthetic fiber, cotton, or down." Scientific studies conducted at Polytechnic institute of Wales.

Some of Wool’s important qualities:

• Wool has the ability to deal effectively with moisture - it does not mildew and quickly expels moisture, providing lower and more comfortable humidity conditions to the sleeper.
• Wool is an effective temperature regulator - overheating does not occur with wool - this makes it suitable for all seasons and climates, as well as varying needs for partner sleeping.
• Wool maintains a level of resilience, even when compressed (felted) with use.
• Wool is naturally flame resistant - it will not sustain fire on its own accord. Safe for the home and family.

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6. Is the air quality in your room the best it can be?

Compare the quality of air in your bedroom to the best possible scenario - sleeping under the stars in a natural setting. The quality of air you breathe plays an important role in the quality of your sleep. Open your windows wide and let the oxygen-rich air in. If winter temperatures dip too low, add wool blankets and keep the window open just a crack. You will wake up feeling much more refreshed, especially if you live where the air is relatively clean. If you live where the air is polluted, you may want to consider an air purifier.

7. Is your bedroom nontoxic and bacteria-free?

One of the most important things to check for is mildew. Mildew drains the immune system. Your present mattress is probably a high potential site for mildew to form and live on, particularly in humid and warm climate environments. The sleeping body creates its own little micro-climate. As your body detoxifies, your body temperature will rise and fall, allowing your body to release moisture in the form of perspiration.

This moisture is absorbed by the mattress, and if the conditions do not allow this moisture to dry fully from night to night, it becomes the ideal breeding ground for mildew. Sometimes mildew isn't that easy to detect in its milder forms. See Mildew Detection for helpful information. Wool is a tremendous aid in preventing mildew because of its inherent mildew-resistance and its ability to dry quickly.

Even when continually moist, wool will not allow mildew to form within itself. Shepherd’s Dream recommends using the WOOL SURROUND which will continuously and effectively adjust the humidity level next to you, while protecting the underlying mattress from absorbing moisture. In cases of high perspiration, as during illness, menopause or periods of greater detoxification, the WOOL SURROUND should be aired out more often.

8. Is your bedroom your personal healing sanctuary?

Make your bedroom your chamber of rejuvenation - in body and spirit. It’s the place where you rest, sleep, dream and heal. Remove unnecessary clutter and distractions and only bring into your bedroom sanctuary that which enhances your wellbeing.

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