Do You Fluff Your Pillow? A Guide to Better Sleep Through Proper Pillow Care

Posted on February 23, 2015February 23, 2015 by Joey Donovan-Guido

Pillows come in all shapes and sizes. The good ones, like the Natural Comfort Pillow, can help you sleep better, reduce neck and shoulder pain, and even help with recovery after athletic activity.

We depend on our pillows to take care of us, night after night. The question is, are we taking proper care of our pillows so they can effectively take care of us? To follow is a list of easy, fun and effective ways to improve the performance of our pillows so they can help us sleep better consistently …

These tips are most effective with supportive pillows like the Natural Comfort Pillow, which is made from feathers and down, a 230 thread count cotton cover and a versatile bolster system.

Fluff Your Pillow!

We’re not talking any ordinary fluffing, here. To fully fluff the feathers and down in your pillow, we suggest putting it in the dryer before its first use (by itself) for 20 minutes on a warm or hot setting. When you do this, an amazing thing happens — the pillow puffs up, much like a kernel of corn when it becomes popcorn! It becomes so full and puffy that it can more than double in height! Don’t worry though, once you begin resting on the pillow it will immediately begin to contour to your body.

We recommend hand-fluffing your pillow 2-3 times per week to keep the feathers and the down properly spaced. We like to call this “active pillow care,” and it’s an important component in making sure your pillow gives you optimal results.

Break Your Pillow In

Because of the unique qualities of your neck, your Natural Comfort Pillow may need a week or two to adjust to your neck and create a custom fit. During the adjustment period, it’s OK to switch back and forth between your old pillow and your Natural Comfort Pillow, or simply fluff your new pillow before you go to bed each night.

During the break-in period, you may want to experiment with the different bolsters in our pillow. One side is for people with smaller shoulders, while the other side is for people with broader shoulders. Depending on your physiology, one side may prove more comfortable than the other.

Flip, as Necessary

So, this tip addresses proper use more than it does proper care. Since one side of the pillow is for side-lying and the other for back-lying, it’s important to make sure you’re using the appropriate side so you are supporting your head, neck and spine in an optimal manner.

How to Clean Your Pillow

Never wash your Natural Comfort Pillow. If it is in need of a cleaning, please dry clean only! Typically, all you’ll need to do is change your pillow case regularly to keep your pillow clean. One of the unique benefits of our 230 thread count cover is that it keeps the feather and down filling in while blocking out allergins (which have a tendency to build up in lesser-made pillows).

Learn more about the Natural Comfort Pillow, and how it can help you sleep better, reduce pain and live well!

And remember, if you take care of your pillow, it will take care of you!

Thank you for visiting Natural Comfort Pillow, and sleep well!

The Connection Between Goals & Better Sleep, Part 4: Implementing a Step-by-Step Plan of Action

Posted on February 19, 2015February 19, 2015 by Joey Donovan-Guido

Now that we have a clear understanding of what our goals are, it’s time to set a plan of action to attain them. Often times, once someone’s clarified their goals, it becomes apparent that there is a huge chasm between where they are and where they want to be. And that’s OK.

Bite-sized Steps

The problem arises when we start to look at leaping across this chasm in one fell swoop — which is typically impossible, unless your goal is very small. Instead, let’s look at breaking down your goal attainment into bite-sized steps that will have you consistently moving forward without getting frustrated.

What we’re really talking about is keeping each step in the process manageable. Sure, outside forces may cause obstacles, setbacks and frustration. But setting steps that are manageable helps diminish these things.

Let’s be clear about something before we move forward. Manageable does not mean comfortable, so don’t be surprised if your bite-sized steps make you feel uneasy. Discomfort is not necessarily an indication that you’re trying to do too much, it just means you’ve left your comfort zone — which is good. This is the only way you will fulfill your potential in life. The key ingredient here is to give yourself a step-by-step plan of action that you can handle. If it turns out to be too much, or too little, make the necessary adjustments.

Everybody has different limits, so don’t get caught up in comparing yourself to others. Instead, learn what works for you and what doesn’t, and do your best every day. Remember, most people can’t eat an entire pizza in one bite. We all eat pizza by the slice, one bite at a time — but we all take different sized bites, right?

How to Create a Step-by-Step Plan of Action

Although everybody’s plan is different, there are some high-level strategies everybody can do to get a clear plan in place. We learned these strategies from a man named Zig Ziglar, and they work whether you’re looking to reduce neck and shoulder pain, create an incredibly supportive pillow, or grow your business. Mr. Ziglar was an expert on goals, and this process has worked for thousands of people.

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

First, identify EXACTLY what you desire. We talked about this in Part 3 of this series.
Spell out the exact reason(s) why you’d like to reach these goals. In other words what’s driving you to accomplish them?
Identify the obstacles you need to overcome in order to get there. These can include actual current obstacles, as well as potential obstacles that may arise.
Identify the people, groups and organizations you need to work with to get there. For example, do you need to go back to school, or join local networking groups? Or maybe you just need to find a good physical therapist?
Identify what you need to know (learn) in order to reach these goals.
Once you have steps 1 through 5 answered, write down your plan of action. First do it on a global level (the big steps), then begin to break down each big step into several bite-sized steps. This is your road map, and no detial is too small.
Finally, set a date on it. When do you expect to get there? If you don’t set a date, you will be in a perpetual state of limbo with no actual deadline (people respond to deadlines)!

Create Mantras & Remain Mindful

Creating a short mantra for each of your goals is a good way to remain mindful of them. The more mindful you are about something, the more likely you are to act in alignment with what you are thinking about.

For instance, something as simple as, “I wake up free of any and all neck pain,” can be a great catalyst to actually manifesting this reality. What do you need to do for this to actually happen? Get a better pillow or mattress? Exercise more, or possibly less? Get more massage?

The Goal of Better Sleep

So how do we set a step-by-step plan of action into place for better sleep? Although a lot of it can be trial and error, following the suggestions in our article, Five Tips for a Better Night’s Sleep is a good place to start. We also have articles that address Managing Stress for Better Sleep, and Regulating Your Sleep/Wake Cycle for Better Sleep. Sometimes, simple changes can make a world of difference. Of course, speaking with your healthcare professional is also a good idea if you’re experiencing chronic sleep issues.

Thank you for visiting Natural Comfort Pillow! We wish you the best in setting your step-by-step plan of action and attaining your goals.

You may also like:

The Connection between Goals & Sleep, Part 1: How to Sleep Better

The Connection Between Goals & Better Sleep, Part 2: Discovering Your Goals

The Connection Between Goals & Better Sleep, Part 3: Clearly Defining Your Goals

Posted on February 11, 2015February 19, 2015 by Joey Donovan-Guido

Have you ever tried driving somewhere new without directions? These days, all we need to do is enter an address into a maps app on our smart phone, and step-by-step directions detailing how to get from where we are, to where we want to be, are instantly available.

But could you imagine making a cross country trip from New York to Los Angeles just by pointing your car toward the west? Without an exact address, your GPS cannot plan a step-by-step route to get you exactly where you want to go (we’ll talk more about a step-by-step plan of action in Part 4 of this series). Let’s say you’re trying to get to Rivera, one of Los Angeles’ more popular restaurants, simply by entering “Los Angeles” in your GPS. There’s a good chance you’d never find it. Instead, how about we enter 1050 S Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 90015? Now we know exactly how to get there.

It’s the same with goals. “Kind of” knowing what our goals are is not enough. The more clearly defined they are, the better chance we have in attaining them.

How to Clearly Define Goals

For example, let’s say your goal is to be a doctor. What kind of doctor do you want to be? A general physician, OBGYN, pediatrician, or maybe a veterinarian? Once that’s clarified, you’ll have to decide which school you want to attend. Is it a large universtiy that will impress potential employers after you graduate? Or is it a universtiy that has an exemplary program that’s in your area of interest?

These are only a couple of the questions you may encounter when defining your goals. You may not have the answers to all of these questions, and that’s OK. The point is to acknowledge them and then investigate until you have your answer.

Here’s what Brian Tracy, a world renowned speaker, has to say about defining our goals …

“Imagine that five years from now your whole life has been made perfect in every respect. Every aspect of your life. All your dreams have been fulfilled. Every goal has been achieved. What would it look like if five years from now your life was ideal in every way?

– Where would you be in five years?
– Who would you be with?
– What would you be doing?
– How well would you be doing it?
– How much would you be earning?
– What kind of home would you live in?
– What would be your level of physical fitness?
– What would your family be like and your relationships?
– How would your children be doing?

If your life were perfect 5-years from now in every respect – what would it look like?”

Powerful questions, for sure. But often times, your answer to some of these questions may be, “I don’t know.” The good news is that if you feel like you don’t know, there’s one more question you can ask yourself that will help: WHAT IF YOU DID KNOW?

Make it hypethetical and see how it feels. Remember, you can always alter something if it doesn’t feel right, but until you get a clear picture of what your future looks like, how can you begin your journey there?

Whether you’re dealing with neck pain, insomnia, or opening your own business, we highly recommend you take some time to think about each of Brian’s questions. In fact, it’s optimal to write them down (or type them up) and answer them with as much detail as possible.

Once you’ve answered all of the questions, and possibly added some of your own, set the document aside for a day or two before revisiting it. Then see if you need to add or delete anything from it. Discuss it with people you trust, but only if you can depend on them to be supportive and positive.

The Goal of Better Sleep

At first glance, clearly defining what better sleep looks like may seem unnecessary. It’s all about sleeping through the night and waking up well-rested, right? But what does a good night’s sleep look like for you? Is your room dark enough? Do you meditate before bed? Avoid bright lights and screen time on your phone or iPad? As you look at your routine, what changes can you make to help yourself sleep more soundly?

Of course, two major players in better sleep are your pillow and your mattress — each of which should be supporting your neck, spine and body while you sleep. If you’re not currently using a supportive pillow, or if you’re waking up with neck or shoulder pain, feel free to peruse our website to learn more about how the Natural Comfort Pillow can help.

Thank you for visiting Natural Comfort Pillow. Until next time, sleep well, and good luck with defining your goals!

You may also like:

The Connection between Goals & Sleep, Part 1: How to Sleep Better

The Connection Between Goals & Better Sleep, Part 2: Discovering Your Goals

The Connection Between Goals & Better Sleep, Part 4: Implementing a Step-by-Step Plan of Action