Does your bed support what you do in it?
The kitchen may be the heartbeat of a happy, healthy home but our bedrooms are its soul. Your bed is (or should be) the most comfortable place in your home and the envoy of lots of good things, including sound sleep. It’s the place where we greet our days and where we wave farewell to them. It’s where we cuddle and canoodle with our lovers, our children and our pets.
While many of us use our beds as tantalizing cocoons of serenity, they can also serve as an ad hoc home office, family gathering place and even a bench to sort socks. We recently reached out to our Facebook friends to find out how they use their beds (asking them to keep their answers family-friendly). Turns out, beds are for a whole lot more than sleeping (and the other *S* thing we like to do there).
What do you do in bed?
- “I have read a book, written a poem, surfed to faraway lands, meditated through the universe, cuddled loved ones, laughed, cried, loved, enjoyed breakfast for two with all the trimmings and good old fashioned newspapers,” wrote Samantha.
- Heather, Jennifer, Michele and Nate enjoy snuggling while Lisa uses her bed-time to meditate.
- Emily, Myles and Tamara read while Jennifer, Casey, Marie and Lisa watch videos or TV.
- Isabel and Shannon blog from bed – but Shannon adds a twist and pretends she’s in a swanky hotel with room service.
- “Packing for traveling is done on the beds,” wrote Jacki. “The guts of the closet go on the bed when it’s time to reorganize and purge.” Tara said, “my kids build forts on our bed with huge piles of pillows and blankets like big nests,” while Linda says she plays “hedBanz” with her nieces – even though she can never figure out which character she is.
- Brandie and Paula admit to sneaking in some late night tweeting but Lisa sips her morning coffee in bed.
- My friend Joseph maps out home renovation projects in bed, like a margarita bar that knocks down for easy storage when not in use.
- “We chat about our day before bed time stories and snuggles,” wrote Jennifer. “We argue, cry, hug, laugh, wonder, worry, conspire and reflect all within the comforts of our bed.”
Your bed, haven and refuge
Clearly our beds serve many purposes but the most important is still a good night’s sleep. While everyone’s sleep needs are different, there’s no denying we all need it. Think of sleep as the mop up crew when there’s a spill in the grocery store. Our days are one big spill of information and activity and we need sleep to clear all the debris away, put everything neatly back onto the shelves and then give us a tally sheet on the inventory. Without sleep, nothing gets organized in our brains. While we love the list from our Facebook friends of things people love to do in bed, there’s another list – things you should never do in bed.
5 things you should never do in bed
Unless you’re trying to get the worst night’s sleep of your life, don’t do these things in bed.
- Smoke – You don’t need us to tell you why smoking is bad for you and why it should never be done in bed. But it’s worth noting that smoking remains the number one cause of preventable home fire deaths in America, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. By the way, nicotine is a stimulant, which means it also disturbs natural sleep patterns.
- Eat – While some of our Facebook friends admitted to noshing on pizza in bed, it’s not a good idea. Besides the ick factor of crumbs between the sheets, some foods can be difficult to digest and that’s not good news for a good night’s sleep.
- Argue – If you and your partner partake in pillow talk to wind down the day, steer clear of hot button issues that get your adrenaline pumping. Unless making up is part of your go-to-sleep strategy…
- Watch scary movies – Winding down for a good night’s sleep is almost impossible when you’re watching something that makes you anxious or scared.
- Pay bills – Do we really need to explain why this isn’t a good idea?
