Dimensions in Well Being - Q Bedding Offers Buckwheat Pillows for Better Sleep

Buckwheat Hulls for Insomnia
I knew buckwheat was good to eat but never would of  thought of using the hulls as filler for bedding.  The plant is actually related to sorrel, rhubarb and knotweeds and was cultivated to a great extent in the United States in the 18th and 19th Century until the advent of nitrogen fertilizers. Today the biggest producer of the crop is China. A delicious addition to hot breakfast cereal (or good on it's own) it lends a slight natural sweetness to oatmeal.  It is commonly used in Vaisnava tradition as a substitute for grains on Ekadasi and is quite popular in Polish cooking. There is actually no wheat in it at all.

Cooling the Brain Insomnia and Chinese Medicine

As much a mini education as press conference, I found myself on the 25th floor of 1 Rockefeller Plaza and half expected Alec Baldwin to appear. We heard from the lovely Wen Chi Chen, L.Ac who explained the Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective on insomnia. Beginning with a look at ones habits, disturbances are created in the body due to an overheating of the liver which in turns makes the neck and head too hot to sleep properly. After 6pm the sugar and nicotine content from alcohol consumption and cigarettes  metabolize and ferment inside the liver and heat up. (Fascinating really.)   The heat looking for an escape route literally goes to your head.  (No it's not just a song by Marlene Deitrech!) This internal heating of the head disturbs the "shen"  in the body and there you are wondering why you can't get back to sleep. The buckwheat pillow provides cooling specifically to the neck and head thus aiding in better sleep. While you are working on cutting back on the nicotine and nightcaps I'd recommend giving this pillow a try. 

I Slept Well
After an amazingly deep sleep using my new Q Bedding ergonomic pillow I am a believer.  A stiff neck and back have been bothering me lately due in part to the pillow I have been using, the very stiff bed I sleep on, and a few dramatic  wipe outs on my bike in  the last two weeks. Although the pillow I was given seemed firm or even stiff,  I was impressed with how comfortable my head and neck felt banishing the notion that a pillow needs to be soft and squishy. In fact I found myself thinking of Egyptian neck rests that cradled and supported and at last this conundrum came together for me Wednesday night. I woke up feeling so much better and some of the stiffness was gone.
Holistic Bedding and Good Sleep
There has been a trend going back to traditional ways of creating bedding such as horse hair mattresses and goose down but I think that this cooling alternative will be a big hit with the public at large and will score major points with vegans and all those embracing a holistic lifestyle. Ever since I have read The Healthy Home I have been wondering what to do about this:
"If you buy a traditional mattress, you are sleeping on polyurethane foam that manufacturers must drench in toxic chemicals to keep your bed from igniting at the slightest spark. Polyurethane foam is already toxic—it releases toluene diisocyanate, which can cause severe lung problems¹—but the heavy doses of flame-retardants only exacerbate the problem. In order to pass US safety standards for flammability, an ignited mattress must not become hotter than 200kW over the course of 30 minutes, which is theoretically enough time for the sleeper to notice that his bed is on fire and remove himself from the situation.² The mattress must also withstand an open-flame test for 70 seconds. In order for this to be possible, manufacturers must use large quantities of chemicals, and they are not even required to inform consumers what products they are sleeping on every night. Antimony is commonly used, but extended exposure to antimony can adversely affect the heart, digestive system, eyes, skin, and lungs.³ Brominated fire retardants are also widely used, but polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) specifically were banned in 2005 because of their potential to disrupt thyroid hormone activity and impair neurodevelopment.⁴ The other popular option, boric acid, is just roach killer. Do you want to breath in the fumes from these toxic chemicals for eight hours every night?"
Tips: Visit Q Bedding http://www.Qbedding.com
Visit The Healthy Home to learn about making better bedding choices Web