Casper Mattress? Buy a Mattress Online?

So you’re interested in a Casper Mattress? Maybe you simply want to buy a mattress online? Maybe you live 10,000 kilometers from the nearest mattress store and don’t have a lot of choices except ordering online? Perhaps you perceive that the best “deals” or “value” is found online?

Or maybe you shudder when you think about dealing with your prototypical mattress salesman, or sales lady…?

Whatever the reason, people are buying mattresses online now like never before! Let’s take a look at the options out there, and the most important factors to consider when purchasing a mattress online.

Most people have heard about the “bed in a box” phenomenon, where a mattress comes in a box, shipped to your door. It sounds pretty appealing, but we believe there are compromises.

Mattress Reviews

There was some controversy relating to mattress reviews and a relationship Casper had with Sleepopolis  – a mattress review site. And if you go on Casper’s website, wow – you’d think there was nothing BUT 5 star reviews…with an average of 4.5 / 5.0 from the graphic below.

But wait a minute….then we went on Consumer Reports, and checked the reviews there. A full 57% of Casper Mattress reviews are less than 5 stars on Consumer Reports. 

We wonder what the disparity is? Casper has almost as mayn 1 & 2 star reviews as it does 5 star reviews?

One thing we know for certain, is that (currently) Fawcett is running 34/34 5 Star Google Reviews and also 100% 5 star reviews on Facebook.  Alas, we know this streak won’t hold forever. But, we sure are proud of the what our clients are saying about us and our product.

What the heck are these things made of?

There are various foams that go into most mattresses. Memory foam has become trendy and popular. It comes in various forms, and levels of toxicity. (We won’t touch it, never mind sleep on it)

Ultimately when you buy a mattress that contains memory foam as wikipedia defines it, you will end up sleeping on polyurethane which contains additional chemicals increasing its viscosity and density. It is often referred to as “viscoelastic” polyurethane foam.

It seems that Casper polyurethane foam is one of the cleaner petroleum based foams from a review of their site.

It’s debatable and whether or not these foams can be harmful. However, we’d rather sleep on the natural latex that Fawcett uses. It’s natural rubber, tapped from a Havea-Brasiliensis rubber tree. The tree is ‘tapped’ in a similar manner as how maple syrup is harvested from trees. It is widely accepted that 100% Natural Latex doesn’t off-gas.

However, be aware there some mattress may contain a blend of synthetic and natural latex. This means that this combination would include synthetic petroleum based products. Fawcett utilizes only 100% natural latex in its mattresses.

What about a Warranty?

Casper mattress offers a 100 night free trial. While this may seem desirable – what’s there to lose? …it’s no feat to make a mattress that lasts 100 nights. In fact, a one star Casper mattress review we read, said their mattress was “comfortable for 4 months”. They also have a 10 year ‘limited warranty’.

This is where the “devil is in the details”. If you have an issue, you must ship your mattress back to Casper. In our experience, without a rolling and mattress packing machine, you will likely pay between $250 and $500 to ship your mattress back to Casper in the hope that they may agree with you about an observed defect. Now who’s going to do that? In our view, probably 1 / 10,000 people.

The Fawcett Warranty is simple and transparent. Most mattress companies have complicated warranties that are full of small print and confusing legal jargon, but we want to keep it simple: if your Fawcett mattress fails at any time within two years of the original invoice date, we will repair or replace it at no cost to the original purchaser.

Mattress failures include but are not limited to: visible impressions of 3 cm or more in any given area, seam failures and faulty springs. If your mattress fails after the first two years, it is covered by a 12%/year prorated warranty for up to ten years.

We will even provide complimentary pickup and return delivery for any mattress requiring warranty work within 30km of Victoria BC.

What about price?

Casper mattress has 3 levels of mattresses. They start at $675, $1175 and $2500 for Queen size. They have different petroleum based polyurethane foams and layers of such foams.

Fawcett sells direct to consumer as well. There is no middleman. But we put high quality, long lasting components into our mattresses – that cost a premium for us to obtain. We use local tradespeople to cut, assemble and sew the components of the mattress together.

The result? An incredibly comfortable, long lasting, made in Victoria, Canada – mattress made from the most sustainable and natural materials available. Our Queen size mattresses start at $1299.

What about Free Delivery?

Casper mattress offers free delivery – in most areas.

What about Fawcett? We offer free delivery in Victoria BC. However, we didn’t design our business model around a certain number of mattresses being returned and free shipping.

Instead, we utilize the best components available, like Joma Wool, Organic Cotton and as mentioned, 100% Natural Talalay Latex. Outside of Victoria? We’ll work to find the best price on shipping and pass that on.

So, you still want to buy a mattress online? Well, we’ve got an app for that.

What we mean, is you can purchase a Fawcett Mattress online! In fact, a number of people have.

You can even choose off-line payment, and we’ll contact you to ensure the details of desired firmness are correct – along with any other customizations.

Buy a Mattress at Costco?

Should you Buy a Mattress at Costco? There are a lot of reasons why it’s better to buy a Mattress from your local, natural mattress producer. Yes we are that. But, believe it or not, these are not simply self serving reasons.

1. When you buy a mattress at Costco, you’re buying from a large multinational company. Where was your mattress made? By whom? what kind of labour practices do they employ?
2. When you buy a mattress from Fawcett, you’re supporting a small local company and contributing to the local economy.
3. While Costco may be good for buying some items, they don’t have mattress specialists (that we know of) like Fawcett does.
4. When you purchase a Mattress from Fawcett, you’re able to speak to the guy who makes it. You can watch your mattress being made! “what goes into a mattress” – is important.
5. Fawcett builds its Mattresses from the most sustainable, natural materials available. Costco? not so much.
6. A Fawcett Mattress’s firmness can be customized, for no additional fee. Firm one side, soft the other? Yes you can.
7. Fawcett Mattresses (currently) have 34  5 out of 5 Google 5 star reviews. We’re a mattress shop, with some big distinctions.
8. Costco, for most Victorians…is a bit of a jaunt – out of town. Think of the fuel you’ll save by shopping in the Rock Bay District!
9. Fawcett makes custom RV and Yacht mattresses. We’re pretty sure that’s not on Costco’s radar. Need a ___ shaped mattress? We can do it.
10. Factory Direct. Fawcett you’re paying for materials and skill. The result is an amazing product. Costco you’re paying a middleman.

Can Vitamin B6 Help Recall Dreams Move Vividly?

Can Vitamin B6 Help Recall Dreams Move Vividly? A study, just released on April 18 2018, explores the relationship and effects of vitamin B6 and a B complex on dreaming and sleep. Apparently there’s been anecdotal evidence of  improved dream recall by taking moderate to high doses of vitamin B6. Before you rush out and by enormous quantities of B6, please consult with your Physician before pursuing any radical dietary or supplementary changes! …Damn it Jim, we’re mattress makers not doctors…

The study, conducted by scientists in Australia, involved 100 participants utilizing randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled testing, found that “vitamin B6 significantly increased the amount of dream content participants recalled but did not significantly affect dream vividness, bizarreness, or color, nor did it significantly affect other sleep-related variables.”

The participants ingested 240 mg vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride).

So, perhaps we should just take our Vitamin B Complex before bed, and we’ll be good? Not so fast. Participants in the B complex group actually showed significantly lower self-rated sleep quality and significantly higher tiredness on waking!

So, you want to be a more lucid dreamer? An article in Medical News Today, outlines a few methods that could work:

• Reality testing. This “involves examining one’s surroundings multiple times throughout the day, questioning whether one is awake or dreaming.” Two reliable techniques are rereading written text — as text continuously shifts in dreams — and the “inhalation test,” which involves inhaling air with one’s lips closed.
•  Wake back to bed (WBTB). This technique involves going to bed, waking up after 5 to 6 hours, staying awake for between 10 minutes and an hour, and then going back to sleep. It is meant to “launch” the dreamer directly into the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep, which lends itself more often to lucid dreaming.

•  Mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (MILD). This is often combined with the WBTB technique, but before going to bed, the dreamer must repeat a phrase such as “next time I’m dreaming, I will remember that I’m dreaming.” This is meant to establish intention, which will make it more likely that that person is able to attain lucidity within their dream.

We can’t guarantee better dream recall with our Fawcett Mattresses. But being well rested with a good night sleep can’t hurt!

Want better sleep? Leave your work at the office

It really isn’t a surprise that bringing your work home with you can increase stress and lead to sleep issues. Most of us can surmise that computer work, with a bright LED light blazing in your face for an hour before you try and sleep, isn’t the best preparation for a good night’s sleep.

But what about the stuff that goes on at work during the day? Do you work with great people? (like the Fawcett Team!) Or are there rude and disrespectful people cluttering up your life?

It turns out, the emotional ‘toll’ that toxic behaviour experienced in some work places, can also wreak havoc on your sleep habits. While we probably know this anecdotally, there is a recent study, by the American Psychological Association that delved deeper into “Workplace Incivility and Employee Sleep: The Role of Rumination and Recovery Experiences” – Yes, it’s a heavy duty research paper, not the most friendly reading. But hey, that’s why you’re here right? We’ll give you the ‘Coles notes’.

(this guy below is angry because someone was mean to him at work. Not good!)

The summary findings were;
“Employees with the highest levels of recovery experiences (better able to detach psychologically and relax after work) sleep better, even in the face of workplace incivility.

This provides empirical support for the importance of attending to workplace conditions and promoting positive affective conditions as a means to maintain and improve employee well-being and subsequent performance.”

So, one of the key points is that people whom were able to “detach” more fully from work after hours, were subsequently more able to deal with rumination. (negative experiences that you’re not able to let go of). Employers should take note. These issues and negative environments at work, cost your company dearly in many ways.

• When your employees are sleep deprived this is costly for the company on many levels.
• Sleep deprivation is estimated to cost the US Economy $400 Billion / year
• There are direct & real costs associated with a negative work environment outside of sleep loss

The other problem area of “bringing work home”  which most of us are all-too-familiar with, is checking work emails at home often. We need proper boundaries between work and life balance – the down time to recharge our batteries and recover – otherwise, studies show that those  employees who scored high on work-to-life integration reported less recovery activities and in turn were more exhausted and experienced less work-life balance and well being.

So, put down the device, email will be there for you tomorrow. In fact, while we’re on our rant, we did discover some articles about some really innovative ways to be less tied to email. (remember the old days, when there was no email? Things still got done)

…our next post. How to deal with email. Hey – it’s going to help you sleep better, right? Oh, that and an amazing Fawcett Mattress 😉

What’s in a Mattress?

Duane Franklin, co-founder and master mattress builder, says a few words about Fawcett.

Fawcett Square One Sofa

We started from “Square One” with this collection.

The Fawcett square one sofa pieces connect together to form any configuration you desire, and its static cushions make it ideal for the person who doesn’t like the look of loose seats and backs. The Square One keeps it simple; no loose cushions to constantly fluff and rearrange makes this collection very low maintenance.

We build furniture of the highest quality with the most environmentally friendly products available to us.

All of our furniture is constructed of sustainably farmed solid beech and an environmentally harvested ply that has no added urea formaldehyde. We pad our products with natural, fair trade latex and 100% organic and hypo-allergenic wool; the strong synergy between these components results in a product that wicks moisture and regulates temperature while offering maximum comfort.

Our mission is to make better sofas, chairs and mattresses using materials that our clients can feel good about bringing into their homes.

Square One is available in a variety of Fabrics & Wollsdorf FOC Earth vegetable dyed leather top grain leather.

Widths of: 70″, 78″, 88″ and 96″ are available. Priced from $2,940 in Grade A Fabric

Interested in ordering a Square One? We’re able to ship across Canada, but if you’re located in Victoria BC, drop by and let’s chat.

Adjustable Bed and Mattress

We’ve combined our (new!) Boomerang bed with an adjustable bed and mattress to make a pretty amazing combo.

We’ve sold a a ton of them over the past 6 weeks…there seems to be something in the water…? or maybe it’s just that a lot of people are discovering how versatile they are.

Adjustable beds can be really useful for therapeutic purpose, such as recovery from surgery, swollen legs, back pain and circulation issues. They also offer a host of comfort benefits such as massage, customizable from side to side (the bases come as two separate single XL units to configure a King size bed) and a luxurious convenience for reading or watching television.

Featured are:

The new all wood Fawcett Queen Size Boomerang Bed, available in White Oak or Black Walnut,  starting at $3295  – in White Oak.

The amazing Fawcett Model 9 all Latex Mattress – priced at $3299 (not to be confused with the amazing Fawcett Model 9 S …as in S for inner Spring…but lest we digress) 

Adjustable base, Leggett & Platt mechanism, starting at $1889 in Queen Size

Come on down and give it a try!

Is It Bad to Take Melatonin?

Is it bad to take melatonin? Good question. Everyone has had a tough time sleeping at one time or another in their life. Have you ever been tempted to try melatonin? We weren’t sure what the story was about Melatonin. So we researched some articles on it. Here’s what we found:

What is Melatonin? Mia Finkelston, MD, a board-certified family physician explains;

“Melatonin is a hormone that is produced by the pineal gland (a small gland that is located in the brain), and it helps to regulate our sleep cycle”

So, although Melatonin comes in the form of a natural vitamin/pill supplement it is actually created in our brains naturally. For this reason, it seems most physicians believe that it’s relatively safe for short term use. 

Melatonin isn’t recommended for those under 20 years old, or for those whom are breastfeeding or pregnant. Finkelston recommends consulting with your physician before taking Melatonin, as there can be a number of side effects such as dizziness, irritability, headaches, feeling sleepy during the daytime, slight depression, and in some cases stomach cramps.

Experts recommend;  “Don’t rely on melatonin solely to fix your issues in the long term,” says wellness coach Kaitlyn Noble. “While melatonin is perfectly safe and can provide relief, it’s important to investigate why your body isn’t falling asleep naturally if it’s chronic.

However, not everyone is sold on the merit’s of Melatonin, nor agree that taking it is a good thing. Some experts say, if you’re taking Melatonin, then you’re are using hormone therapy. Hormone therapy is a very complicated topic rife with detrimental health consequences when used carelessly. 

“Administering hormones can actually shut off our body’s hormonal negative feedback loop. 
It’s like heating a room by a space heater and the furnace shuts off because it isn’t needed.”

A nutritional blog called the “Butter Believer” – the author, Emily, goes as far to say that Melatonin is a “scam”.  Emily references the fact that there’s virtually no bonafide scientific evidence to conclude that Melatonin actually works. She suggest the “evidence” that is available, actually may be propaganda perpetuated by those who stand to gain by the sales of Melatonin.

Yeah…we’re not going to touch this one. Good or bad, you decide. But hopefully you are a bit more informed about Melatonin and the potential benefits & risks.

What do we know? We know that our Fawcett mattresses have helped hundreds of people sleep better and get more rest at night. Now that’s all right!

Can’t sleep? Could your gut be keeping you awake?

Can’t sleep? An interesting article; Could your gut be keeping you awake?  As well as new research coming from Professor Matthew Walker (“Why We Sleep”)  Director of UC Berkeley’s Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab poses the position that sleep is in fact so important, that we should question not why to sleep, but rather why wake up.

Professor Walker goes on to say;

“We know an enormous amount about the relationship between a lack of sleep and appetite, obesity and weight gain, as well as aspects of insulin resistance and glucose regulation. What we don’t fully understand yet is the role of the microbiome in sleep”. 

Microbiome is apparently, as defined by dictionairy.com

Christine Hanse, Author of the book “Sleep Like a Boss” has advice about how to best prepare your body for sleep. She offers a number of books on what she calls “holistic sleep books”.

“If you wanted to improve sleep, you could try a gut-friendly regime by eating a broad and inclusive diet with real food, not processed. Everyone is going to be different. You could try being vegetarian for a month and see if it helps. Double your fibre intake and eat fermented foods every day, such as full-fat yoghurt and good-quality cheeses. Increase the range of foods in your diet.

“Eat berries, green tea, 70 per cent dark chocolate, decaffeinated coffee, nuts and seeds. Don’t eat just before you go to bed, but equally, don’t go hungry. Avoid snacking before bedtime. I don’t want to be too prescriptive but really, if you want richer microbes, you’ll eat more of a range of foods and that will induce chemicals that will calm you.”

Our bodies are complex and barely understood in the grand scheme. As, with any of this information, please consult your physician before making changes to your diet!

Midcentury Modern Furniture Reupholstery

Midcentury Modern Furniture Reupholstery;  Do you have some midcentury modern furniture you’d like reupholstered? Or maybe simply a favourite chair or sofa that needs some TLC?

At Fawcett, not only do we create fantastic mattresses and new furniture. But we also have master reupholsterers on staff that can breath new life into quality furniture that needs a refresh. Here’s a an example of our recent work!

Tommy Sofa Bed

Tommy Sofa Bed

We did a lot of research to find the perfect mechanism for our Tommy sofa bed and of course ended up bringing in these mechanisms from Italy. Their superior construction and amazing design result in a sofa that does an incredible job of housing the bed inside of it.

The sofa itself is firm yet comfortable and when it opens, you’ll find a Fawcett 3″ – 100% Natural Talalay latex mattress in a multi-stretch cotton cover. The Tommy Sofa-Bed is available in European Double and European Queen size with a variety of different arm shapes.

Overall dimensions for the sofas are:
Double – 37″ Deep x 77″ Long
Queen – 37″ deep x 84″ Long
Mattress dimensions are:
Double – 56″ x 79″
Queen – 63″ x 79″

Priced From $4208 in Double Size; Also available in a 3/4 size for $3871

Fawcett Project Chair

The Fawcett Project Chair was the first collection under the Fawcett banner, and its classic lines will stand the test of time. Why “Project”? One of the criteria for this line was that it meet our mission statement of “Sustainable Furniture without Compromise.”

At Fawcett, sustainable goes beyond the materials we use – while we source as many natural materials as possible, we are also committed to designing and manufacturing furniture that can be offered to our customers at an approachable price point. Achieving this goal became our “project”, and we succeeded when this collection was born.

The project chair is available in dozens of various fabrics and colours including either faux leather or Wollsdorf FOC Earth vegetable dyed top grain leather.

Priced from $2175

It’s Cold Out There – A Worthy Cause

One of our fantastic Fawcett Team members, Mr Steve Anan, brought this worthy event & cause to our attention. Each year, the Mustard Seed Food Bank & Street Church raises money to help the homeless in Victoria with an event called the Coldest Night of the Year.

Should you like to Donate to the cause, here’s the link that Steve and his son are raising funds for the Mustard Seed Food Bank. Please consider donating to what we think is a great cause!

7 Reasons to Get More Sleep

We can think of dozens of reasons of why more sleep is better. But how about just 7 Reasons to Get More Sleep ?

1. General Health. There are many studies about sleep and health. But what’s important are your long term habits. One night of poor sleep isn’t going to be an issue. But hundreds of nights, over a period of months and years can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, diabetes and obesity.
   
2. Weight Gain. Lack of sleep can cause our fat burning mechanisms to be less effective, make us crave food and actually changes our fat cells.
3. More Sex? Research of 171 College age students corresponded with increased desire and 14% more likelihood in having sex the next day.
4. Better Memory. Lack of sleep ruins our concentration, which makes it tough to read and process similar tasks. Researchers now think that both our declarative and procedural memory are negatively impacted by lack of sleep.
5. Stronger Immune System. There’s some serious science that links a healthy functioning immune system and sleep.
6. Increasing Human Growth Hormone Production. Hey, even if you’re grown up, HGH is important to healthy functioning of our bodies. It helps us maintain lean muscle mass and stay looking fit and young.
7. Better Skin. Yes, even your skin benefits from sleep. In one study, good sleepers had 30% more recovery from transepidermal water loss (TEWL) which apparently helps us look better!

Our goal at Fawcett is to try to help our clients get the best night sleep possible. What are you sleeping on?

5 Ways to Keep Your Mattress Clean

So you’ve bought a very cool Fawcett Mattress. Now, here are 5 Ways to Keep Your Mattress Clean happy and healthy. Cleaning your mattress helps prevent excess build up of skin, mites and other undesirables.

1. Vacuum your mattress. We suggest about once a month. But if you’re someone who vacuums their home once a month, try for once every 3 months. Baby steps.
2. Use baking soda. Sprinkle some on your mattress, gently rub it in with a brush, and then repeat step 1. Vacuum up the baking soda. This will help keep your mattress smelling fresh and clean.
3. Keep liquids away from your mattress! Moisture and mattress are not a good mix.
4. Use the hottest water setting on your washing machine when you wash your sheets every week. Use a high setting for the dryer too, so that any critters meet their demise.
5. Get a mattress protector. It will mean you don’t have to clean your mattress as often and reduce the chance for mite infestation and body oils contamination. We recommend the Dream Serene  or the St Dormier Wool protector for the best protection.

Flipping your mattress is sensible in the event you own a flippable mattress! Generally mattresses that have a “pillow top” are not flippable. However, at Fawcett our “pillow top” (we don’t call them that…but lest I digress) mattresses are flippable.

Both our Model 9  (latex core) and Model 9S  (spring core) come with a 3 inch latex “topper” which is like a pillow top, but better.

Why? Because it’s not attached to the lower part of the mattress and can be flipped. The lower core can also be flipped if in some of our models. Want a flipper, we can create you a flipper.;-)

So, these type of options help ensure your mattress lasts a long time 😉 Along with keeping up with your 5 Ways to Keep Your Mattress Clean of course.

Is your Bedroom a Social Media Free Zone?

Is your Bedroom a Social Media Free Zone? In 2017 Facebook surpassed the 2 Billion monthly active users number – with over 63% of North Americans using the service each month.

So, the chances are, that you use Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter or some other Social Media service. Or maybe you use all of them!? These services have real quantifiable positive impacts when properly applied to business growth or other similar endeavors such as non-profit fundraising & awareness.

More controversial, is Social Media’s positive, or negative impact on our personal lives. I like to take a bipartisan approach here. Social media is both good and bad. I probably would be less connected to my friends overseas, in Japan, Europe and Australia – without Social Media. I also keep in touch with people I have met only once or twice – are not close friends due to geography – but are connected to on Social media.

But more and more people are becoming what we could call “Social Media Addicted”. There’s no clinical diagnosis for this “condition”, however, most of us know what it looks like. Have you ever felt ‘anxious’  because you forgot your phone? There’s now a term for that feeling of anxiety when you are ‘sans-phone’ – it’s called Nomophobia. Remarkably, “a study, sampled 2,163 people, found that about 58% of men and 47% of women suffer from the phobia”

Some of the physical and emotional symptoms reported were:

Symptoms

• anxiety
• respiratory alterations
• trembling
• perspiration
• agitation
• disorientation
• tachycardia

Emotional symptoms

• depression
• panic
• fear
• dependence
• rejection
• low self-esteem
• loneliness

A recent report by Canadian researchers (go Canada!) found that just ONE HOUR of Social Media use can derail proper sleep.

The report found;

‘Importantly, significant associations were found when social media use exceeded one hour per day, suggesting that even this level of social media may be negatively associated with sleep duration.

‘Although females spent significantly more time using social media than males, the relationship between the use of social media and sleep duration did not differ by sex.

So we know that using social media, even in the day time may affect sleep habits. How about if you’re using your phone in bed at night? Is your Bedroom a Social Media Free Zone?

Researchers think that the blue-white light emitted by mobile phones prevents our brains from releasing melatonin. We need this hormone to sleep properly. Generally the research points to eliminating computer, tablet or mobile phone usage about an hour before bedtime. Here are three lessons learned from what happens when we do just that.

So, you may have an awesome, comfortable Fawcett Mattress. But if you’re using your phone, tablet or too much computer use close to bedtime, then you’re probably shooting yourself in the proverbial foot. We’re guilty here too, so don’t feel bad. Most of us are!

Personally I’m going to resolve to reading before sleep. And yes, from one of those old fashioned paper things. Not the phone. 😉

Sleep and Professional Sports. Does it matter?

Sleep and professional sports. Does it really matter? The Seattle Seahawks think so. The Seahawks travel longer than any other NFL team in the league due to geography.

They take their sleep science seriously. Their 40 players wear devices which track the number of hours and depth of their sleep. Sam Ramsden, the Seahawks trainer, says  “I’ve always had a belief that sleep is one of the main ways your body recovers, Some of the best players on the team are the best sleepers.”

NBA players nap. Steve Nash hails from Victoria BC Canada, and is a former SMUS student, as well as 2x MVP and 8x NBA all star! He also naps and claims napping helped him get through the season more efficiently.

Both NBA and NHL players like to nap – likely due to their hectic schedules which find them in different cities regularly, and often leaving town late at night, along with early morning practices. Sometimes they may not get in to their hotel room until 3am, and practice at 9am. We agree, who wouldn’t need a nap?

A Harvard study found that pulling an all-nighter could reduce reaction times by 300% and take days to recover.

Research has show proper sleep results in:

1. Enhanced ability to capacity to cope with stress.
2. An increase in human growth hormone and testosterone
3. Enhancement in both recovery and performance

Speaking of sleep and professional sports performance, here’s a interactive reaction time test to see how awake you are. Enjoy.

Of course most of us are not professional athletes. But, we all want to be the best we can, at whatever we do. Maybe we want to be a better parent, teacher, lawyer, engineer, customer service provider. In order for us to be the best we can be, we need to get appropriate and quality sleep. Sleep can help our performance at work.

The next time you get grief for napping, just say you’re training like a pro.

If you are a professional athlete – cool! You need to get on one of our Model 9 mattresses.

What is the healthiest bed and mattress?

What is the healthiest bed and mattress? There are some crazy chemical baths out there. Yes. We’re talking about your mattress! Do you own a memory foam mattress? Thinking about one – don’t do it!

Over 90% of mattresses produced contain toxic chemicals and substances that are linked to serious health issues. Memory foam in general is one of the worst offenders. Some of these chemicals are;

• Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers
• Boric Acid
• Formaldehyde
• Antimony

We’re really proud of using natural materials at Fawcett. Not only are our mattresses incredibly comfortable, they also are healthier. So, what’s in a Fawcett Mattress?

The components of our Fawcett mattresses are:

• Natural Talalay Latex Foam from Global Talalay – healthy, breathable, hypoallergenic and non-off gassing.
• Joma Wool from New Zealand – naturally fire resistant, temperature regulating and moisture wicking.
• 100% Organic Cotton Ticking with High Thread Count This is the part of your mattress that you sleep the closest to.
• Simalfa Adhesives. Water based, adhesive is a nasty sounding word, but it doesn’t have to be!
• Unprocessed Cotton Felt – is a felted cotton padding used to add comfort and additional layers.
• Pocket Coil Springs (in our M6, M7 and M9S…our M1 and M9 feature latex cores)

What is the healthiest bed and mattress? We can’t say we produce THE healthiest mattress in the world. However, we’re definitely creating the healthiest mattress that we can, with the most sustainable and natural materials available!

So, if we spend 30% of our lives on a mattress, does it make sense to invest in a quality healthy mattress? We’re talking about an investment of less than a dollar a day over the lifetime of the mattress, to ensure you’re sleeping on something to keep you healthy.

Which leads us to a question…What are you sleeping on! Our amazing, non off gassing mattresses start at $899

Fawcett Holiday Hours

Are we open, you bet! Every day? Not really. Hey – maybe a little skiing or well, something like that. Happy Holidays!

12/24/17 Closed (Sunday)
12/25/17 Closed (Monday)
12/26/17 Closed (Tuesday)
12/31/17 Closed (Sunday)
1/1/18 Closed (Monday)

Mattress too firm ?

Mattress too firm? Are you an older person? then it may be causing sleep challenges. At least this is what research conducted by the Brazilian Association of Sleep has found. Elderly ‘subjects’ that slept on high firmness rated mattresses took an average of 67 minutes to fall asleep. When these people switched to a medium firm mattress, they took only 21 minutes to fall asleep.

As we age, we often acquire various ailments and chronic problems. These range from autoimmune, various injuries racked up along our journey in life or other diseases. In fact, 62% of adults aged 65-74 and and 81.5% of those over the age of 85 years old had two or more chronic conditions.

Given this, it means that as we age, we need to plan for these changes in our body so that we are able to get the proper amount of sleep required. Maybe you’ve liked firm mattresses through your adult life but haven’t been sleeping well…? It could be time to look at a new softer mattress.

But what if you need a softer mattress and your spouse sleeps great on the current firm one you have? At Fawcett, we have options. We’ve got something called our no compromise mattress. With our latex core models such as the M1 and M9, we can create a softer mattress on one side, and a firmer mattress on the other side. Even better, we’ll customize your mattress like this for no additional fee.

As we get older, our bodies change and what used to be comfortable, may not be now. Here are a few other tips courtesy of comfort keepers to get the best night’s sleep possible for older adults:

• Make sure you follow a regular sleeping schedule, going to bed and rising at the same time each day.
• Avoid taking long or frequent naps during the day.
• Make sure you get regular exercise!
• Sit in natural light; it regulates the body’s sleep-wake cycle.
• Minimize caffeine and alcohol.
• Make sure your bed is for sleeping only.  If you’re unable to fall asleep in 15 minutes, get up, move to a chair and try another activity.

What causes sunken eyes?

As we age, we often get dark circles under our eyes. Sometimes this can happen to younger people too. What causes sunken eyes? We came across a well researched article that uncovers some of the causes.

A number of factors can contribute to this effect officially known as “tear trough hollows”

• Age often plays a factor. It’s more prevalent in older adults. As we get older, our body has less collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and a lack of it makes our eyes seem sunken.
• Nutrition & Vitamin Deficiencies
  • Deficiencies in vitamin C, K and iron can cause sunken eyes. People that suffer from general malnutrition may have sunken eyes.
• Sleep Issues
  • Poor quality or not enough sleep can cause sunken eyes. (could be your mattress?
  • What’s good quality sleep?
    • – sleeping for much of the time in bed
    • – taking no more than 30 minutes to fall asleep
    • – waking no more than once per night
    • – not being awake for more than 20 minutes during the night
• Dehydration
• Weight Loss
  • People tend to get thinner in their faces first.
• Genetics
• Smoking
  • Try not to smoke for a number of reasons. It also causes a decrease in skin elasticity.
• Allergies
  • Allergies can cause inflammation, causing dark circles.
• Sinus infections
• Trauma
  • An injury to the face or head can cause dark circles under your eyes.

So now we know what causes sunken eyes…how about some fixes?

Some home remedies?

1. Stay hydrated! Limit things that dehydrate you – caffeinated beverages, alcohol. You know, all the fun stuff. 8 – 10 glasses of water a day will help!
2. Good quality sleep.
3. Almond oil. Not sure where you find this, but apparently it helps as it’s high in vitamin E.
4. Raw potatoes on the eyes. Yes you heard that right. Apparently it’s the vitamin C, enzymes and starch.
5. Tea bags. Let them cool after making your tea and place under your eyes for 10 minutes.
6. Cucumber slices. This is beginning to make me hungry. Cooling and reducing swelling.
7. Fish oil. Break open the capsule and place under your eyes. Be careful not to get in your eyes 😉
8. Lemon oil. Often referred to as ‘nature’s bleach’ aids in dead skin removal and discoloration. Make sure you dilute, and be extra careful not to get IN your eyes.

If all else fails, you have the home remedies provide for ingredients to make a spartan meal.

Disclaimer: We didn’t come up with these ideas or concepts and have no idea if the home remedies actually work. Reader beware! Read the article in full here.

What is the best mattress? Lawsuits & Mattress Reviews

What is the best mattress? A tough question. We could easily say Fawcett Mattresses are the best mattresses! But of course that may be a little bit self serving…

But really. There’s a sea, a virtual cornucopia of information out there. Or misinformation…? There are mattress review sites to check out. Like Sleepopolis for example. So these can be trusted resources, right? Well maybe not.

Derek Hales, an entrepreneurial business degree graduate of Kansas State University, started Sleepopolis after trying a couple of mattress-in-a-box brands. He posted a video of his wife and him trying out a Casper mattress and it quickly racked up 25,000 views. Derek made deals with the mattress companies that when people clicked on his videos through to the mattress maker website, he would get an ‘affiliate payment’. Affiliate payments have been around as long as the internet and are big business. Last year $4.5 billion was paid in affiliate fees.

With the explosion of cheap mattress-in-a-box companies, Derek built Sleepopolis into a online review juggernaut. He was receiving 500,000 visitors a month and millions of views of his mattress reviews.

So that’s the end of the story? Well no…

Eventually a number of the mattress companies began to re-asses their relationship with the various mattress review sites that had sprung up. Generally the mattress companies were paying about $50 to $250  per mattress sale for referrals. Taking into account the amount of referral traffic Derek’s site was sending Casper, Leesa and other mattress companies, apparently he was making $2,000,000 a year from referring web traffic to the mattress sites.

In April of 2016, Derek’s relationship with Casper had soured. He put a note on his website that he could no longer recommend a Casper, and recommended a few other brands. “He even added a little yellow box near the top of that page, which read: “Thinking about buying a Casper? Do your homework! Check out these 4 mattress companies that Sleepopolis loves.”

This “little yellow box” was on the number one search term for Casper Mattress Review. So needless to say, Casper wasn’t too happy! Next, Casper filed a lawsuit alleging Derek and his site (as well as two other sites) were using deceptive advertising practices!

After some legal wrangling back and forth, Casper funded another mattress review site to buy Sleepopolis. Derek’s out of the picture now.

What happened to the little yellow box warning readers about Casper and sending them somwhere else? It’s long gone, replaced with a green box featuring a special coupon for – you guessed it – a Casper mattress.

It’s buyer beware when reading mattress reviews. A multi-million dollar affiliate business and review sites that look independent but aren’t, mean take your online reviews with a grain of salt!

Read the whole story on Fast Company here.

We’re proud of our 28 (and counting) 100% authentic Google 5 star reviews. We almost wish someone would give us a 4 star review, to make it seem more believable. But that’s a *problem* we can live with.

Is Lack of Sleep Affecting Your Genes?

We all know how we feel when we get a lack of sleep.  Some describe lack of sleep as “feeling as if I’ve been run over by a truck”. No offence intended to those who actually may have been run over by a truck. But you get the idea. We’ve all ‘been there’ at some time or another.  Is Lack of Sleep Affecting Your Genes?

Research by Dr Simon Archer and his team in Britain was recently featured in the BBC online news. The research indicates that about 500 genes are affected from lack of sleep. “Genes associated with process like inflammation, immune response and response to stress became more active.” The Dr’s team also saw increased activity of specific genes associated with diseases like cancer and diabetes. Most importantly, the reverse happened with the volunteers added a hour of sleep, instead of subtracting one.

Further research about sleep deprivation and genes demonstrates that it takes only one night of sleep loss for the genes that control your biological clocks in your cells to be altered.

Is Lack of Sleep Affecting Your Genes in the longer term? Doctors are still trying to determine whether the genetic changes are reversed after one or a few good night sleeps, or if the changes are longer lasting. Epigenetic ‘marks’ have been found altered in shift workers and people suffering from type 2 diabetes. So this means perhaps genetic changes are longer lasting and could cause serious illnesses.

Science aside, getting a good night’s sleep makes us feel better! And that’s important for quality of life!

If we had unlimited means, we think we would choose an adjustable bed for the ultimate in sleep arrangement options. What are you sleeping on?

What’s in a Pillow?

Warning & Disclaimer: This post may sound sound like a shameless advertising plug for our products. But’s it’s not! These pillows are amazing. Really.

What’s in a pillow? Pillows are all the same, right? That’s what I thought. When I started working with Fawcett, my wife who is a physiotherapist insisted that I buy one of the Natural Talalay Latex pillows for her. I did, and she loves it! She recommends Fawcett natural latex pillows for her clients for issues with neck pain.

So one weekend when she was away, I decided to give this Fawcett Natural Talalay Latex pillow a try. I’ve never been really picky about things like pillows. I mean, how different can they be?

But, I’m converted.

After that weekend of “wow, this thing really is amazing” epiphany, I promptly bought my own matching natural talalay latex pillow. Duane, a CoFounder of Fawcett loves these pillows, but says they aren’t a “magic” solution – or going to heal all of our client’s neck issues. True, of course. However, I had already nicknamed it my “magic pillow”.

I’m now “that guy” who takes his pillow with him on travels where possible.

Some other benefits & notes about this pillow are:

• Naturally antimicrobial, dust mite resistant & hypoallergenic
• Durable; maintains shape and consistency
• Sleeps cooler than a traditional or down pillow
• Doesn’t off-gas; just like our mattresses!
• I’ve got a Queen high-loft and am side sleeper, ave size male
• My wife has a Queen low-loft and is a back & side sleeper, ave size female

Ready to pull the proverbial trigger? Wait no longer, and purchase your awesome pillow online, or instore @ Fawcett: 408 John Street in Victoria BC. For a limited time, use this coupon for 7% off a Pillow FAW7ACC

Free Local Delivery?

Yes we do. Fawcett offers free local delivery anywhere in greater Victoria BC, Canada. Generally that means within about 30km of downtown. Of course, we have been convinced to drive further. Live out of town? No problem. We offer $100 flat rate shipping to most destinations in Canada!

Bed in a Box?

So you’ve been thinking about getting a new mattress. And there are these trendy new mattresses that are called “bed in a box”. They are shipped to your residence, and you unpack them…and voila, your mattress is ready! Sounds pretty good?

And for some people, a bed in a box may suit their needs. For example…If you live a long ways from a mattress store – like thousands of kilometres, then it could save some considerable time and expense.

But we can’t help feel that the mattresses-in-a-box we see for sale online equate to “you get what you pay for”. When it comes to mattresses many people don’t differentiate between the various materials and components that go into them. Perhaps it’s because mattresses are actually fairly complex – and the materials vary widely.

So what tends to happen is that people default to convenience and price…but…

• Is a mattress in a box convenient? Yes.
• Is a mattress in a box inexpensive? Sometimes…in the short run.
• Is a bed in a box comfortable? For some people, if they get lucky.

However, the materials & components that go into a mattress are not equal. The cheaper the mattress, the cheaper, and more inferior, the materials. What’s the problem with this? Inferior mattress components often mean:

• Toxic and even carcinogenic mattress. If your mattress is making you sick, is that worth saving a few pennies a day?
• Here are 7 signs your mattress may be making you sick.
• A Less durable mattress. If your mattress needs replacing or has serious wear impressions after a few years, is it really less expensive?
• Less comfortable. The higher quality materials such as high quality natural latex and springs simply provide a higher degree of comfort.
• Lack of customization. One size fits all is the norm for most bed in a box mattresses.
• Poor quality sleep. This one really follows less comfortable, but we think it’s an important point on its own. Poor sleep means poor health. The link between proper sleep and health are strong.

Cheaper mattresses always mean cheaper materials. We actually pay more for the raw materials that go into some of our mattress, than most toxic mattresses actually cost the consumer. Yes it’s cliche, but you get what you pay for.

Even worse, many toxic mattresses are not cheap! (especially if they need replacing in a few years) We’ve seen bed-in-a-box models priced in the same range our mattresses made with natural talalay latex, organic cotton & organic joma wool. Ours are customized for the individual and hand-made by our amazing Fawcett mattresses craftsmen What’s with that?? Hint. We’re factory direct.

So, it begs the analysis, let’s compare an amazing Fawcett mattress to a Bed-in-a-box mattress!

Sales Position

We’re Seeking someone who can become a Fawcett Product Evangelist (watch our Chief Product Evangelist speak about our stuff)

Where? 408 John St @ Turner, near Bay St Bridge

Fawcett Mattress manufactures mattresses that are hand made with the most sustainable, natural materials available, right here in Victoria! We also create a variety of beds in our unique manufacturing facility which is joined to an open concept showroom where clients can see their mattresses being created while they shop.

If you’re tired of just looking for a “JOB” and are looking for a position that could grow into something much more, Fawcett could be the perfect fit for you. Here’s what we are looking for:

Our shop space lacks mirrors, and smoke. So do you! We’re looking for an enthusiastic energized individual that has a passion for sustainable materials & helping future clients make the right purchase choices for their health and personal situation.

You have retail sales experience and are great with people; including;

* Meeting and greeting prospective clients in a professional friendly manner
* Learning about the Fawcett products so that you are able to help meet the clients needs
* Collecting payments and entering client information in * Quickbooks and or a CRM system.
* Basic inventory tracking and ordering of products

Bonus if you’ve got these skills!

*Bookkeeping skills/experience
* WooCommerce and or WordPress experience to update online products
* Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are your friends; comfortable posting to social media

If this sounds interesting to you, please reply to this ad your work history or resume / CV.

***This position pays $15 – $20 / per hour & has benefits. Pay dependent on experience.***

How to apply? Simple. Just click here to apply for the position! and include your latest CV/Resume in PDF, DOC, RTF or TXT format.

Meet the Fawcett Christen Bed

Meet Fawcett Christen Bed! As it turns out, a lot of people don’t seem to know that we make…awesome beds. Sure we may be biased, but our clients love our beds too!

What makes our beds great?

Here are some details about the Christen Bed.

• Minimalist design; modern contemporary design
• Smaller profile for smallish spaces
• Reasonably easy to move or disassemble
• Customize size of headboard or rails (minor changes no extra fee)
• Various leg options; walnut, oak, maple or metal
• Sustainable products utilized in construction
• Customize the fabric or leather
• Stemma frame support
• Excellent value for a hand-made, custom product

Why Is Sleep Important to Growing Children?

Is sleep important to growing children? We recently came across a fantastic article about the effect sleep on children, and their development. The article was featured in the Positive Health Wellness Blog – which focuses on articles about diet and nutrition, recipes, fitness, beauty and aging and more. The highlights are below.

Studies have demonstrated that children who don’t receive the proper amount of sleep have many problems, such as controlling their emotions. Others act out in naughty ways because their brains need the rest. They take risks, and as they get older, they can have problems with depression and anxiety.

Sleep is related to healthy growth.
Proper sleep has been linked to Studies have shown that those who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to be obese. This is the case for both children and adults. One study specifically looked at teenagers, who got one less hour of sleep than average. They were more likely to become obese than their regular sleeping counterparts.

Fighting Infections
During sleep, children produce cytokines, a type of protein. The body needs this to be able to fight off illnesses and infections. The proteins are produced more during illnesses to help promote sleep and encourage anyone to sleep more to fight off the illness. There is a cycle that Mother Nature has created to ensure our bodies fight off infections as much as possible instead of succumbing to them.

How Much Sleep do Children Need?
Newborns will need between 16 and 18 hours of sleep a day. This isn’t going to be in one sitting. Some will sleep through the night for 12 hours without a problem and then need a few one-hour naps throughout the day. Others will have four-hour naps with periods of awake on a regular basis.

As babies reach the three-monthstage, they need around 11-15 hours of sleep daily. Between four months and a year, that time drops to between 9 and 12 hours, and most will sleep through the night and just need a few naps throughout the day.

Toddlers and preschoolers do a lot of running around and growing. They will sleep between 11 and 14 hours a day, usually in one sitting throughout the night. Between the ages of 6 and 13, children need somewhere between 9 and 11 hours of sleep, and usually not with a nap in the day. They may have a nap if they are ill.

So is sleep important to growing children? We’ll say an unequivocal yes! All in all we found this article very interesting. We know sleep is important, but it often seems neglected. We make sure our kids eat properly, that they are safe but sometimes we may overlook the role that sleep plays in their health, well being and long term development! With that, we’re going to take a nap. With our kids.

What mattress to look at? We have our 3.5 year old sleeping on a Fawcett Model 6. He loves it, and so do we. Younger children? How about the Model C(rib)

Stemma Bed Frame – Start with a Foundation

At Fawcett, we produce and manufacture our own amazing beds. Certain components we purchase, like the core base frame – a Stemma Frame, which is carefully crafted to provide proper support for your Fawcett Mattress.

The manner in which the Stemma base is constructed creates a little bit of flex to the bed. The wood slats are are also adjustable in firmness. Each side is adjustable – for couples this is a great option.

If one person prefers a firmer support base compared to their partner sleeping on the other side, simply adjust accordingly. Simply slide the torsional sleeves toward the middle and this will create a more flexible or softer base. When placed to the outside, the base is firmer.

Then, we’ll add our custom crafted bed to the frame. Featured here, is the Christian Bed.

Minimalist and slight in design and often considered for smaller rooms where space is a concern, this bed is well suited to many homes from transitional to contemporary.

All of our beds are manufactured in house using the same materials and sensibilities as our mattresses.

All of our beds are available in many fabrics from recycled content, to all natural as well as our selection of either faux leather or Wollsdorf FOC Earth vegetable dyed leather top grain leather. Featured here is a grey Tonica fabric.

Next simply add a Fawcett Mattress, and you’ve got the near perfect healthy sleeping environment! Special project? Different size bed or mattress? No problem. We’ll create almost anything to suit your needs.

Caffeine compared to climbing stairs?

What helps keep you alert? Caffeine compared to climbing stairs? We’ve all had nights where we can’t sleep. Worries, sirens, kids, or for no apparent reason at all. Perhaps it was the spicy italian sausage or a bit too much red wine. Or your mattress? Yes, your mattress…we do sell mattresses – you know? 😉

What’s the remedy? Recent research compared the effect of caffeine VS climbing stairs for 10 minutes. And the results?

“The team found that under the stair-walking condition, participants reported greater motivation to work and an increase in energy, compared with those under the caffeine condition.”

The energized feeling was temporary and the caffeine had no measurable effect.

We at Fawcett prefer a balanced approach. Don’t take our caffeine (coffee) away…never!….but combining quality java with a good walk, run, yoga at lunch time (or stairclimb) helps keep us alert and sharp on those days when you simply can’t get enough sleep.

Disclaimer: Fawcett Mattress takes no responsibility for your increased consumption of caffeinated beverages, red wine, beer or any other such fluid you may imbibe. Furthermore, any injuries resulting from increased walking, yoga, cycling, any and all exercise, as a result of this article, we shall be forever indemnified.

Ahem….However, if you wish to credit us with a better night’s sleep due to our amazing mattresses, or for any other reason, we will humbly accept.

Causes Of Lack Of Sleep

Recently we spotted an article on CBC.ca about the major causes of lack of sleep.

We thought the article took an interesting approach, because of the way it broke down each ‘risk factor’ to the average number of minutes per night that it affected a person for lack of sleep. Individually, it’s not a big deal. But if you are at risk for multiple risk factors, it can really add up. Take a look:

The paper summarizes a few of the known risk factors associated with lack of sleep:

• BMI — People with a body mass index considered to be overweight or obese sleep on average between about 2.5 minutes to seven minutes less per night, on average.
• Smoking — Smokers sleep on average five minutes less every night.
• Gender — Men sleep on average nine minutes less than women do every night.
• Sugary drinks — Have been associated with 3.4 minutes less sleep every night.
• Shift work — People with irregular working hours tend to get 2.7 minutes less sleep every night.
• Commuting — People with commutes of between 30-60 minutes each way tend to get 9.2 minutes less sleep. Those with longer commutes of more than an hour fare even worse, with 16.5 minutes less sleep.
• Exercise — People who get less than two hours of activity per week tend to get 2.6 minutes less sleep than those who exercise.
• Mental health — People with medium to high risk of mental-health problems sleep on average 17.2 minutes less per day than those with low risk.

Some major disasters have been linked to lack of sleep. Some mentioned were Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Exxon Valdez, and the Space Shuttle Challenger. So definitely don’t mess with your nuclear reactor or spaceship if you’re sleep deprived. Read the article in its entirety here.

At Fawcett, although we sell mattresses. Really we are helping people achieve a great night’s sleep, and peace of mind. What are you sleeping on?

5 Surprising Ways Your Mattress Your Mattress Affects Sleep and Health – Huff Post

We came across this article in the Huntington Post. Even though it’s a couple of years old, we thought it was definitely worthy of a post in mattress talk.

There are some good tips in the video associated with the article, specifically the interview with Dr Robert Oexman who runs the Sleep to Live Institute. Some quick take-aways;

• What feels good to you in the store may not be what feels right at home. Spend a bit of time laying on the mattress at the store if you can.
• Are you allergic to the mites and items which tend to form in most mattresses? (hint, use a protector you can wash!)
• When to get a new mattress? Even though mattresses can last 7 – 10 years, consider replacing before your mattress shows signs of wear and sagging support.
• 92% of people say a comfortable mattress is important to a good night sleep.
• Keep the screens out of the bedroom. The light keeps us awake and prevents proper sleep.
• In a 2009 Study, 59 healthy men and women slept 28 nights on their regular mattress. Then they slept on a new med-firm mattress. The researchers found a significant reduction in stress.
• If you have asthma, you may want to invest in a mattress protector and change your mattress more often. As many as 20 million Americans, and 2 million Canadians are allergic to dust mites found in beds.

We’re proud of the natural products we use at Fawcett. We utilize the most natural and sustainable materials we can source on the market.

The natural latex we use is tapped from Havea-Brasiliensis rubber trees. It also has the added benefit of being naturally anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and is dust mite resistant. Who likes bugs? No thanks!

— Thanks Steve for sourcing this article!

Children’s Sleep and Stress

As adults, we’re (sometimes acutely) aware that stress can cause a lack of sleep for us. But what about our children? Do they actually lose sleep from worrying about things?

Unfortunately, lack of sleep due to stress isn’t exclusive to adults. 20% of kids aged 8 to 17 say they worry a lot. Anxiety can lead to a lack of sleep and higher levels of cortisol (hard on the body/system over time).

What can you do?

• You can help your child manage stress and anxiety by spending calm, family time together.
• Help your child manage their anxiety VS trying to eliminate it.
• Don’t avoid things just because they cause anxiety.
• Express positive, but realistic expectations.
• Respect their feelings but don’t endorse them.
• Keep it real. Don’t reinforce their fears or ask leading questions.

How about physical factors?

• Get your kids outside. Well, at least get them exercising…which usually means getting them outside. It’s been demonstrated moderate to vigorous exercise can help protect your kids.
• Cut back on the sugar. Sugar stresses the body and brain and causes more damaging cortisol to enter their system.
• Choose a healthy non-toxic mattress that is comfortable for your kids. They may not complain…but that’s probably because they don’t “know any better” 😉

Announcing the Fawcett M6 Mattress Contest Winner

We’re happy to announce that Lori Tessler of Winnipeg Manitoba is the grand prize winner of a Fawcett M6 Mattress!

Happy Sleeping Lori!

Mattress Shop…with some (big) distinctions!

At Fawcett, we’re a different kind of mattress shop. Let us count thy ways.

1. Customization. This is really cool. Normally you can choose a softer or firmer mattress. But at Fawcett, we actually can make one side (left or right) firmer, and one side softer. So if you like a firmer mattress, and your partner likes a softer mattress, there’s no compromise. This option is available in our M1, MV, M7, and M9 mattress options.

[Read more]

No compromises. Customize mattress firmness side to side.

Generally when you buy a mattress, you may have the option of a soft, medium or firm mattress. If you’re single, this may work alright for you. However, if you have a partner that sleeps beside you, then one of you may be sacrificing.

Larger, heavier people typically tend to need a firmer mattress than smaller lighter people. More often than not, couples have a significant weight and size difference.

At Fawcett, one of the amazing things we do is customize firmness side to side. One side could be firm, one side softer. There are actually 5 choices for firmness levels at Fawcett:

Here are some general guidelines – comfort & firmness is subjective.

• Soft – usually too soft for 95% of people. However, a good fit for elderly or lighter adults who like a very soft mattress.
• Med Soft –  a good choice for those who like a softer mattress, often side sleepers.
• Medium – middle of the road firmness, great for guest bedrooms, a second home,  and anyone who likes a medium mattress.
• Medium Firm – a good fit for people that like the feel of a firmer mattress, often back sleepers.
• Firm – recommended for larger people that like the feel of a very firm mattress.

Customizing your mattress for firmness is available in all of our mattresses to a certain degree. Our natural latex foam core models, M1, and M9 will represent the most noticeable difference in firmness compared to our inner spring models the M6, M7, and MV.

So you simply choose your preference and we’ll customize your side to your needs. Your partner can chooses the firmness they like. No compromises, happy sleeping.

Not sure which one is right for you? Come into Fawcett if you live on Vancouver Island and we can help. If you live too far away for a visit, give us a call and talk to one of our experts. They can help you make the right choice for you and we’ll ship anywhere in Canada.  😉

Google & Facebook Reviews

We are really proud of our Google & Facebook Reviews! Take a look below, and click on the links to read directly on Google or Facebook 😉

Custom Mattress for RV – Yachts, Boats, Trailers, Motorhomes & Odd Size Beds

Yes it’s true. We could create a custom mattress for a Mars probe or nuclear submarine… although we must admit we haven’t been asked to yet.

We have recently created mattresses for Yachts, RV’s and other custom orders like odd size bunk beds and all sorts of other applications where an exact custom size mattress is required. We’ll also customize mattress firmness and materials according to your specific needs.

We create our custom mattresses made from the most sustainable and natural materials available. It also turns out that these materials – natural talalay latex, 100% organic cotton, and joma wool, also are components which last and provide exceptional comfort.

If you live in Victoria BC, we’ll help measure the required size. If you’re outside of Victoria, we’ll walk you through taking the correct measurements to ensure your final product is exactly what you need.

Airstream trailers or RV? A lot of people are retro-fitting these fine travel machines and updating upholstery as well as  – their sleeping areas with Fawcett Mattresses. VW Vanagon? Chevy Motohome? Winnebago?

We’re able to ship anywhere in North America, heck, probably even overseas to Europe or beyond if that’s where you need the mattress to go. Let us know what we can create for your special project, vehicle or yacht.z

Here’s an image of a original 1980’s airstream chair we started with…once stripped down, we begin to add the new fabric.

Middle phases of adding new material.

Finally the new material in place, complete with seatbelts 😉

 

Below is a mattress for a 35 foot boat with a V-berth that we created. As you can see, the shape is irregular. No problem! Simply complete the special request form below, and we’ll get back to you ‘tout suite’.

3 considerations when buying a mattress

If you’re like me, the only thing I really thought mattered with a mattress was price – and to a lesser degree comfort. Then I discovered Fawcett. It turns out there are a whole lot of other important factors to consider.

Comfort #1

If you’re not comfortable, you can’t sleep. If you can’t sleep you get sick and die. No, really this isn’t dramatic! There’s a mountain of research linking sleep deprivation with serious and fatal diseases. But how do you ensure a mattress is comfortable? Firmness levels. Generally speaking larger, heavier people need a firmer mattress than a smaller lighter person. However, back-sleepers in general need a firmer mattress than side-sleepers. Here’s where many mattress fail. What happens if you weigh 280lbs and your spouse weighs in at 95lbs? Who has to sacrifice? At Fawcett – no one! Our mattresses are able to be customized side-to-side. You can have firm one side, and soft on the other – for no additional fee.

Materials #2

This may not seem important at first glance. I was relatively uninformed about the materials that go into a mattress. But think for a moment. We spent approximately 1/3 of our lives in bed. You’ve got that mattress about 2 inches away from your breathing apparatus – your mouth. And your skin is virtually pressed against the mattress material. Our skin is the largest organ in our body, and it’s able to absorb things that touch it. So when you look at how much time we spending bed and that we are constantly pressed against the mattress, it makes perfect sense that you need a mattress that doesn’t emit toxic materials that you may inhale or absorb through your skin. Natural materials do cost more. But your health and well being is worth it! Need justification? If you amortize a better quality, higher priced mattress over 10 years, the difference is pennies a day.

Warranty #3

What happens if your mattress fails? What happens if your mattress is too firm? Too soft? All mattress companies offer warranties, but when you read the fine print, most of them are next to impossible to actually make a claim. At Fawcett, we tried to create a transparent warranty, that was simple and easy to understand. Check it out here. Most mattress manufacturers do not have any ability to “edit” your mattress after you’ve bought it and slept on it. However, at Fawcett, this is one of the things that makes us unique. If your mattress turns out to be too firm or too soft after you’ve slept on it for a few weeks, you can have it edited, or changed, by our team of craftsmen. They can replace the foam component with softer or firmer foam, all for a small fee just to cover our costs.

Learning and Sleep

Learning and Sleep

Most of us intuitively know that we function better on a good night’s sleep. How about learning? Is it really impacted by sleep and if so, what kind of data is out there to support such a claim? That’s what we were wondering, and set out to explore.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School suggest that sleep impacts memory in two ways. First – attention. If you’re sleep deprived you can’t focus well, and focus is needed for proper learning. Second – ‘consolidation of memory’. Apparently the reorganization of our memories, is critical to our ability to recall them.

Learning and memory are summarized in three different functions. Acquisition, consolidation and recall. We know that we have to be awake to acquire or learn things and probably to recall them. But the consolidation function is thought to happen when we are asleep through a strengthening of our neural connections that form our memories. Ok. So proper sleep is necessary for optimal memory function and our ability recall memories.

How about sleep deprivation? Again, we all know anecdotally how we feel after getting only a few hours sleep. But does lack of proper sleep really affect how we learn? The short answer is yes. Our ability to recall information we have already learned and possess is reduced when we are tired, due to neuron fatigue. Even worse, our judgement becomes impaired. This can be dangerous of course, leading to accidents or injuries at work or home.

Better consolidation of memories, and subsequently better learning, have been correlated with an afternoon nap. There’s a lot of research and evidence that says what we intuitively know. Sleep helps us learn more efficiently, and retain more of what we learn.

If you have children, sleep is important for their basic development. When a baby is sleeping, their brains are active all night long. Newborns actually learn in their sleep. They are growing their nervous systems and the connections between the brain and muscles. Naps for kids have been demonstrated to improve kids ability to retain information too.

So, the next time your spouse, partner or friend gives you a hard time for sleeping in, or going to be early, just tell them you’re busy learning.

References
http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/benefits-of-sleep/learning-memory
http://www.parents.com/health/healthy-happy-kids/why-your-kid-needs-sleep/
http://www.sleepdex.org/learning.htm

What’s the best mattress for a great night sleep?

There’s no easy answer to this question. There are scientific reasons related to why some mattresses are uncomfortable for you, but others say they are fine. Doctors in a WebMD article say:

“When you lie on any part of your body for an extended period of time, the weight of it reduces the flow of blood through those blood vessels, which deprives the skin of oxygen and nutrients,” Decker says. This causes nerve cells and pain sensors in your skin to send a message to your brain for you to roll over. Rolling over restores blood flow to the area, but it also briefly interrupts your sleep. Ideally, a mattress that reduces the pressure points on your body should give you a better night’s sleep, Decker says. Yet the ideal mattress is different for each person.”

That makes sense. However, some people prefer a firm mattresses and some like a soft one. If you’re single, you may have luck in finding a mattress that matches your body type.  However, for couples, what about if your spouse prefers a firm bed, and you like a bed that is more forgiving and soft. Or more accurately, you need a different mattress firmness to ensure proper sleep patterns. Generally, one of you would have to sacrifice, or maybe both of you – by meeting in the middle somewhere regarding firmness.

This all-to-common compromise is something we at Fawcett Mattress set out to solve – and have. With a Fawcett Mattress, you can custom order each side of the bed to a specific firmness and custom comfort, that’s right for you, and your partner. Perhaps the best part? This customization is simply part of the way we build mattresses at Fawcett. Without compromise. There’s no additional charge or fee to create the perfect mattress for you and your family.

Restlessness and irritation replaced by comfort and tranquility…

We had a female client come into Our mattress showroom looking for a mattress that would work for her very particular mother.

She lamented that her mom was terribly uncomfortable in her existing mattress, which as it turns out, was only one year old!

She went on to explain that it was a memory foam type mattress and her mom not only slept very hot, she had strangely, constantly itchy lower legs.

I suggested that she may be having a reaction to the petroleum based memory foam in her mattress. We knew that memory foam (Viscoelastic) was a hot product to sleep on.

This client was very interested in the information that I gave her on our Natural Botanical Talalay latex mattresses, covered in Joma wool quilted Organic cotton ticking. She specially liked that this earth based, non off gassing, hypo-allergenic product was available in 5 firmnesses.

She felt confident enough in my explanation of this wonderful natural product and was so impressed with the comfort of our floor models, that she ordered one on the spot, as she felt it would be a mattress that may work for her mother. This client was extremely pleased to find a Victoria based mattress manufacturer with such a thoughtful product, that would be made locally and specifically for her….

We made this client a Model One, medium firmness, Queen size natural latex mattress and delivered it free of charge to her mother, who I did not meet through this process.

Jump ahead just over a month….and one of my staff came into the back and told me there was a client in the showroom who wanted to speak with me.

I came out to the showroom to be greeted by my client, whom I immediately recognized. I instantly said, “Hi there, nice to see you, how is your mom doing?” She was beaming and said..” She is well. She is out in the car and wants to meet you”. I said, “certainly is everything OK?” To which she replied, “Oh yes!” 

I walked out to her vehicle and was greeted by her smiling, elderly mother. This lovely lady said, “I just wanted to meet and personally thank the person that has made my life so very much better!” 

She went on to explain that she has never slept better in her life. Her leg irritation had been completely eliminated and she slept for blissful, comfortable hours on end. She insisted on hugging me, which I found very touching. She also said that an odor that she had come to live with, had disappeared with her new Fawcett mattress. She felt so grateful for the comfort and tranquility that she was now feeling, that she brought me some natural hand made soap that she really liked. Both her and her daughter said that they wished that they had found us sooner and that they were telling all of their friends about Fawcett Mattress co. 

She hugged me one more time, patted me on my chest and climbed back into their vehicle.

We said our goodbyes and I walked back into our work shop feeling even more confident of the difference we can make in peoples lives, with our thoughtful, natural, locally hand built mattresses.

Duane Franklin, Fawcett Partner

I’m no Princess!

Yes, I’m in the mattress business..

But, cleanliness aside, I have never considered myself to be a princess when it comes to what I am sleeping on. I travel a fair bit and when I do, you never know what you’re going to be sleeping on and I don’t remember ever thinking “This mattress is killing me!”

Until about four weeks ago when some good friends who live part time here in Victoria BC offered us their place for several months while we renovate our home.

I literally woke up the first morning with neck, back and shoulder pain like you wouldn’t believe. So bad in fact that I really had no idea what had caused it. I was trying to think of what I might have done on the previous day. I never in my wildest….dreams..imagined that this was caused by the mattress I was sleeping on.

So, on to night two, three and four.

It must have been around the fifth morning that it started to occur to me how directly the pain was related to the pressure points where my body was contacting the mattress. It was getting worse by the night. When I started to analyze the situation, I realized that their mattress had mountains and valleys in the sleep zones and the padding in the pillow top mattress was unevenly compressed.

What should I do?

Well, I immediately texted them to see how they would feel about me sending their mattress off to be recycled and offered to replace it with a brand new model nine mattress as “rent” for using their home. Apparently, they aren’t too attached to that mattress..

So, I got Duane to build a medium/firm model nine and had it delivered within the week. 

One night and I was on the mend and by the third night, I was literally back to normal.

If this didn’t happen myself. I would literally not believe it.

I have a whole new perspective on chronic pain. We see a lot of clients at Fawcett who are dealing with all sorts of issues and this was as close to that as I can imagine I will ever come.

Will a good mattress fix you?

I think the answer is likely no. 

But, what I now realize is that a bad mattress can do a lot of damage and by the time most people start looking to replace their old mattress, I have no doubt in my mind that it is long past overdue..

Part of the reason that this happens is because so many people dread the thought of shopping for a mattress. I read recently that in most peoples mind, the experience is right up there with buying a used car.