sleep

Beauty sleep is very real. It's during sleep that skin damage from daily stress and pollution is repaired, dermal layers are rejuvenated, and even facial muscles are relaxed and gravity is shifted so wrinkles become less pronounced. Without enough sleep skin can look sallow and dry with uneven skin tone and more defined wrinkles. Wake up looking your best with these basic tips.

• Get a head start Make a habit of washing your face and getting the rest of your nighttime beauty routine out of the way well before you're actually ready to go to bed, like a couple of hours ahead of time, so when you're really tired later you won't be tempted to blow it off.
• Sleep on your back because laying on your side or stomach can literally press wrinkles into your face as you sleep.

If you live in the NYC area, as I do, you are bombarded with radio and TV ads for Sleepy's, "the mattress professionals." Their never-ending self-promotion and "one-day sales" (until the next one, tomorrow) get on my last nerve. So why am I mentioning them? Because when I walked past a Sleepy's store last week I saw an ad in the window for the Spaldin Soy Bed. A soy bed? Really? I was intrigued.

Turns out that Spaldin, a Spanish company, makes its soy mattresses in four types: Aircell-Soy, Biocell-Soy, Sensitex-Soy, and Memory-Soy. All are made from biodegradable materials that are cultivated without pesticides and processed without harmful chemicals. Read more here.

Quality rest and environmental peace of mind are not inexpensive, however. While prices are not listed on the Spaldin site, this page at, ahem, Sleepy's, gives an idea of the price range of Spaldin beds. Original prices run from $1,400 - $5,000. As of this writing, Sleepy's has all four models on sale. Alas, green costs now but saves the planet for later.

The Crowne Plaza hotel chain knows their business travelers need a decent night's rest and so they have a whole system designed to help. The Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage Program includes comfortable beds, floors with quiet zone areas, a relaxation and sleep CD and sleep amenities such as an eye mask, drape clip, earplugs, lavender spray and nightlight. Their latest innovation for sleep is being tested out in UK hotels. In addition to the traditional wake-up call, they are offering the "Switch-off call" which tells guests it's time to go to bed. According to research from Crowne Plaza released earlier this year, checking emails just before bed halts the production of sleep enhancing melatonin and has the same effect as drinking a double espresso at bedtime.

At check in guests will be asked if they want a "switch off call" and at what time. When the time comes, the guests will get a call telling them to put down their computers and phones and relax before turning in for the night. They will also be offered a fresh mint or ginger tea to follow their "switch off call". If the service is popular it could be introduced at 331 Crowne Plaza hotels across the world.

[via Times Online]

This looks like such an awesome bed! I absolutely love rocking chairs because they're so relaxing, and this Private Cloud bed looks like it would have much the same vibe. Besides the obvious "floating on a cloud" feeling you must get when in the bed, its open and expansive design conveys airy floating elements of the clouds when looking at the bed also. It's sure to make almost any room feel bigger and more open.

I do wonder, though, how easily it rocks. It might be nice to feel a little sway here and there as you reposition during the night, but if you're married do you have to be careful how you get up in the morning? You know, so you don't set it off rocking like crazy and make your poor spouse seasick?


Via Gizmodo

Why is a bed being shown at the 2008 CES? Because the Starry Night Bed from Leggett & Platt contains a lot of technology. The bed has a vibration sensor and load cell technologies that measure how much you toss and turn, and how often you get out of bed at night. it also detects snoring and then slightly raises the snorer to help eliminate the problem. When the snoring stops, the bed goes back down. The bed can also be set to preheat or precool either both or one side of the bed. The bed's comprehensive calculations can be read on a bedside monitor that shows last night's sleep data and can compare it to previous nights.

The bed has a surround sound system with four eight-inch subwoofers and a headboard project that casts a 10-foot screen on the wall. it also has wireless internet connectivity and a wireless keyboard. The internet display can be projected via the screen. It has 1.5 terabytes of disc storage for almost 400,000 songs or up to 2,000 hours of video. The bed will be available in the first half of 2009 and is expected to sell for $20,000 to $50,000 depending on the features ordered.

Think this is the only pricey bed around? Check out our gallery of some of the most expensive beds below!

Is the worst part of traveling trying to get a good night's sleep? It can be tough to sleep like you do at home in even the nicest of hotels, but The Benjamin in NYC has something most places don't: a sleep concierge.

And the sleep concierge is just the beginning. They offer a menu of 12 different pillows, choices of specialized sleep enhancing snacks, and before-bed massages. In fact, The Benjamin is so sure they can give you a good night's sleep that's as good as what you get at home they'll give you a free night's stay if they fail.

Do you think it's worth it? What would you need to make the hotel feel like home?


Via A Luxury Travel Blog

You can spend all kinds of time and energy decorating your bedroom with accessories and accents to get a look that makes a statement, or you could just get a bed like this Dylan Designer Contemporary Bed. Its design leaves it looking like it's floating, supported only by the one side. It's constructed of metal with soft leather upholstery and is available in five colors and two sizes.

It's so simple it will blend well into many different styles of decor, although I think it will look best when not surrounded by a lot of clutter or detail. $5,456


Via Born Rich

This Aitutaki Bamboo Bed is big, bold, and beautiful, but in a completely understated and natural way -- if that makes any sense. The sheer white curtains bring romance to the large bamboo pillars, which are available in 3 stain colors to match your decor. I love almost all 4 post canopy style beds but I think my favorite part about this one is the handmade and completely organic and natural appearance of the bamboo beams, with the end-grain and knuckles clearly visible. Plus it's great that it's made of sustainable materials. $4000

Just float. Doesn't that sound awesome? Especially at the end of a long stressful day when you're getting ready for bed. The Float is a bed from Max Longin furniture design, and it's based on the concept of a "central point of rest to which everything leads in a pliable and soft way." It moves when you move, and no matter where you sleep it balances itself. It's very simple, organic, and peaceful looking, although choice of bedding is critical as it could easily lose its appeal if buried in blankets.

And to make things even better the bed ecologically dismantles and forms its own transportation case. $6,200-$7,600

True Love Always has some really gorgeous bedding that is completely different from anything you'd find in an ordinary line of linens. Their designs are very unique, from bold and colorful splashes to artistic and risque drawings, including Love Honor Obey, Whippy and True Love World (pictured). The pillow cases and duvets are made of Egyptian cotton with the designs screen-printed on top. Organic cotton is available for an additional fee, but a complete set, with pillow cases and a duvet is £199 in black and white and £259 in color. The duvet covers come in double and king sizes.

[via The Cool Hunter]

Studio-dwellers, or others who find that space is at a premium in their home, have a long-standing tradition of relying on futons and other versions of part bed-part couch furniture, either for themselves or for guests if they simply don't have the space to accommodate an extra bed in the long term. The average sleeper sofas are not necessarily unattractive, but neither are they award winning, as is the Pierrot Sofa Sleeper, which won the internationally known Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design. The sofa, by designer Glenn Thomas, has a cutout design that allows the comfortable back to fit flush with the base when unfolded, and a plush surface to keep everyone comfortable. Price: $2,698.

The Hide and Seek bed by And So To Bed is an elegant sleeping platform. It has the understated form of a sleigh bed without the lavish bends. Leather covers its gentle curves and gives it an aged, cultured look that adds a elegant decor to any bedroom with dark or rust-toned walls. If there was ever a bed designed to reside in a cigar room, this would be it. This modern twist to a traditional style bed will cost you about $4,350.