The Benefits of Sleep and How to Get Them, Pt. 1

Question: How did you sleep last night?

This simple question is often overlooked when trying to pinpoint the cause of problems in our daily lives -- problems like feeling tired, back pain, trouble concentrating, unusually high stress, and depression. These are just some of the issues that can stem from lack of quality sleep.

Researchers have only recently begun to discover that sleep has innumerable health benefits; sleep deprivation, on the other hand, can seriously hinder the most basic body functions and impair cognitive abilities.

May is national Better Sleep Month, making it the perfect time to re-evaluate your sleeping habits. In this two-part series, we'll explore the many benefits sleep can provide, as well as several ways you can improve the quality of your sleep.

Before getting started, let's see how much sleep you should be getting. These numbers may change depending on your age, lifestyle, and overall health. Check with your doctor before making any changes to your sleep habits. On average, experts recommend the following sleep times:

Infants: 16 hours a day

Young Children: 10-14 hours a day

Teenagers: 9 hours a day

Adults and Older Adults: 7-9 hours a day

Pregnant Women: Several extra hours a day during the first trimester

Getting a good night's sleep every night can yield the following health benefits:

Heart Health – Heart attacks and strokes most commonly occur during the early morning hours. This may be explained by the way sleep interacts with the blood vessels. Lack of sleep has been associated with worsening of blood pressure and cholesterol, all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Sufficient sleep can lead to a healthier heart.

Cancer Prevention – Researchers believe that melatonin, a hormone that induces and maintains sleep, can also protect against certain types of cancer and suppress the growth of tumors. Exposure to light reduces melatonin production, so be sure your room is dark when you sleep.

Youth Extension – Stress-related hormones can raise the level of inflammation in your body, creating more risk for heart-related conditions, as well as cancer and diabetes. Inflammation is thought to be one of the causes of deterioration of your body as you age. Sleep can help decrease the level of inflammation in your body.

Body Reparation – Sleep is a time for your body to repair damage caused by stress, UV rays, and other harmful exposures. While you sleep, your cells produce more protein molecules, which form the building blocks for cells, allowing them to repair damage.

Memory Boost – While you sleep, your brain is busy processing your day, making connections between events, sensory input, feelings, and memories. This is a process known as memory consolidation. Getting more quality sleep will help you remember and process things better.

Alertness – A good night's sleep makes you feel energized and alert the next day. Being engaged and active not only feels great, it increases your chances for another good night's sleep. When you wake up feeling refreshed, use that energy to get out into the daylight, be active, and engage in your world. You'll sleep better the next night and increase your daily energy level.

Weight Loss – Researchers have found that people who sleep less than seven hours a night are more likely to be overweight or obese. It is believed that the lack of sleep disrupts the balance of hormones that affect appetite. So if you're trying to lose weight and have hit a plateau, make sure you're getting a good night's sleep.

Be sure to check in next week when we look at several things you can do to ensure you get a good night’s sleep.

Narratives are for entertainment purposes only and frequently employ literary point of view; the narratives do not necessarily reflect the opinions of El Dorado Furniture, its officers, or employees.

Sources:

"Consumers Connect Quality Bedding to Quality Sleep and Quality of Life," The Better Sleep Council Website, http://www.bettersleep.org/pressroom/get-physical-pr.asp (accessed May 10, 2010).

Stibich, Mark, Ph.D. "Getting Enough Sleep," About.com Website, October 30,2008, http://longevity.about.com/od/sleep/a/enough_sleep.htm (accessed May 10, 2010).

Stibich, Mark, Ph.D. "Top 10 Health Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep," About.com Website, May 8, 2009, http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongenergy/tp/healthy_sleep.htm (accessed May 10, 2010).

Mysterious Furniture: The Cursed Chair of the Busby Stoop Inn

Settle in, dear readers. This week’s blog leaves behind the here and now, transcending far into the realms of the unknown and unexplained.

But wait — isn’t this a blog about furniture?

Indeed, it is! But who says furniture can’t be adventurous? Like most everything in this world, sometimes there is more to furniture than meets the eye…

And thus begins a new installment at the Official EDF Blog: Mysterious Furniture.

From time to time, we’ll regale you with creepy, unnerving tales of phantom futons, cursed credenzas, and possessed pedestals. So sit back and grab a flashlight if you must, as we delve into this week’s tale: The cursed chair of the Busby Stoop Inn.

Inside the Thirsk Museum, in North Yorkshire, England, is the infamous chair of Thomas Busby. The chair hangs on a wall, about five to six feet up, in order to prevent anyone from sitting on it. Legend holds that the chair is cursed, and anyone who dares sit in it will meet an untimely end soon after.

The story behind the chair dates back to the 18th century. In the summer of 1702, coin-forger Daniel Awety moved to the rural area of Kirby Wiske, where he bought a farm and renamed it ”Danotty Hall” (a play on the name Dan Awety). From there, he would continue his illicit coin-forging business.

Soon after, Awety partnered with his son-in-law, Thomas Busby. Busby, a reputed thief as well as a drunk and a bully, owned an inn just three miles from Danotty Hall.

One day, Busby returned to his inn and found Awety had sat in his favorite chair. A heated argument ensued and Busby kicked Awety out. Before leaving, Awety threatened to take his daughter back to Danotty Hall with him.

Later that night, Busby snuck into Danotty Hall, murdered Daniel Awety, and hid his body in a nearby wood. Awety’s sudden disappearance aroused suspicion and police organized a search. They eventually found Awety’s body and Thomas Busby was arrested and sentenced to death by hanging.

On the day of his execution, a drunken Busby had to be pulled and dragged from his favorite chair inside his inn. As he was being led to the gallows (located at a crossroads near the inn), he cursed the chair, vowing that anyone who dared sit in it would die a sudden and violent death, just like the one he was about to face. After Busby’s death, the inn was renamed the Busby Stoop Inn.

More than 300 years later, the Busby Stoop Inn still stands and the tale of Busby’s cursed chair continues to dare the foolhardy and fill men’s hearts with fear. When the inn was taken over, the new owners kept Busby’s chair out on display. Stories about the curse, as well as alleged sightings of Busby’s ghost wandering the second floor, drew many curious customers to the inn. Friends stopping by for a drink would dare one another to sit on the chair, though very few did.

But according to several reports and eyewitnesses, those who were brave enough to sit in Busby’s chair all met an untimely demise.

Consider the following:

• Across the road from the inn lies an old airfield. It was home to four squadrons of the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII. Their crews would regularly drink at the Busby Stoop Inn. It is said that those airmen who sat in the Busby chair never returned home after bombing sorties over Germany.

• The inn’s previous owner recalls two airmen daring each other to sit in the chair. Both airmen sat in Busby’s Chair. Later that day, their car hit a tree and both men died.

• A group of builders having lunch at the inn dared a young worker to sit in the chair. The brave young man obliged. After returning to their building site, the young man fell through a roof and died. After the young worker’s death, the inn’s landlord locked the chair away in the cellar.

• In 1978, a delivery man sat in the Busby chair in the cellar. He told the landlord how comfortable the chair was and suggested such a fine piece of furniture should be in the bar and not locked away in a damp cellar. Hours later, the delivery man’s vehicle inexplicably veered off the road and crashed, killing him.

There are countless other stories about the chair’s victims, including a Royal Air Force pilot who was killed a day after sitting in the chair, a motorcyclist who died on his bike shortly after leaving the inn, a hitchhiker who was knocked down and killed two days after visiting the inn, and a local man in his late thirties who died of a massive heart attack the night after sitting in the chair.

Busby’s chair has since been moved out of harm’s way, at the innkeeper’s request. It is still one of the most popular pieces on display at the Thirsk Museum. Though it hangs on a wall several feet above the ground, many patrons still ask to sit in it, but it has never been taken down.

But the question still remains: Is there really a curse on Thomas Busby’s chair, or are people letting their imaginations get the best of them? More importantly, if you had the chance, would you sit in his chair?

Narratives are for entertainment purposes only and frequently employ literary point of view; the narratives do not necessarily reflect the opinions of El Dorado Furniture, its officers, or employees.

Simplicity at its Simplest: Black and White Design

This week, we're venturing into the sleek, stylish world of black and white interior design. The idea of designing a space primarily around two contrasting colors can intimidate some people. However, this surprisingly versatile color scheme can be used in a number of ways, from adding a touch of elegance to your existing decor, to making a bold design statement that adds spark and drama to a room.

Before you commit to any major changes, start small. If you're just looking to enhance a particular living space, consider adding touches of black. Black adds a focal point of color that grounds, anchors, and adds sophistication to a room. Black in accessories, light fixtures, trims, paintings, or in one bold piece of furniture will catch the eye and sharpen any decorating scheme. It will serve as an outline that sets off specific areas or objects.

If you're feeling a little more daring, pair black with white. The use of black and white in decorating gives a clean and unquestionably elegant look to any room. If you're afraid of using just black and white, add variety by incorporating areas of yellow, pink, camel, red, or purple for a striking look. Keeping black and white prominent, however, preserves the effect of elegance.

Here are some ways to use black and white in your home:

• Walls painted stark white or a soft, ivory white serve as the perfect background for framed photographs, prints, and other artwork. Choose dark wood or painted black frames. Select stark black and white matting for your artwork or add a punch of color with red, gold, or black mats.

• A small room is a great place to use black and white as the main color scheme. A powder room or small bathroom looks elegant with a black marble countertop, white sink, and shiny gold accessories and fixtures. You can also trim lush terry towels with some black ribbon or braids for a custom look without much work.

• Crisp white bed linens are perfect for the bedroom. Add a black and white striped bed skirt, pillows, and a comfortable black chair. For seasonal changes, have a variety of pillows in different colors on hand. Pink, yellow, or soft green works great for summer, while red, hunter green, or even shimmering gold or silver looks great during winter.

• Use dark, charcoal rugs or carpeting. Don't feel obligated to paint all the walls the same. Choose vibrant accent colors for a focal point. Add colorful artwork, shiny or matte finish metal accents, and modern designed fabrics.

• Black iron accent pieces are very popular. For the dining room, try using a black metal table base with a glass top, and black iron candlesticks and light fixtures. For the family room or home office, try black iron bookends.

• To create a striking table setting, look for black and white china. All white or all black works well. Choose plain white china for greatest versatility. Add table linens and accessory pieces in black or any accent color

Whether you're just sprucing up a room or starting from scratch, black and white is easy to implement. If you're ready to incorporate black and white design into your home decor, check out El Dorado's huge selection of black and white furniture and accessories at our website or any of our stores.

Narratives are for entertainment purposes only and frequently employ literary point of view; the narratives do not necessarily reflect the opinions of El Dorado Furniture, its officers, or employees.

EDF Blog: Special Green Edition

Earth Day is almost here and nowadays, it's more significant than ever. From power companies to car manufacturers, it seems like everyone is jumping on the "green" bandwagon, doing their part to help preserve our planet. But how is the furniture industry contributing to a more eco-friendly future?

Furniture manufacturers as a whole have long been criticized for delaying their transition to more eco-friendly production standards. But many manufacturers have recently made huge strides in the way they run their production plants and make furniture, significantly reducing their carbon footprint in the process.

In fact, a number of furniture manufacturing plants have received an E-1 rating -- the highest (and best) rating in a system established by the European Union in Brussels to measure the environmental friendliness of furniture. The system rates furniture according to the amount of chemicals used in the manufacturing process, the degree to which formaldehyde and other toxic gasses are released into the atmosphere, and the source of base materials used. Each product is then assigned a rating; E-1 being the highest and E-5 the worst. This is the most stringent rating system for furniture in the world.

Some furniture makers have gone one step further by manufacturing furniture made from natural and recycled materials. These pieces offer the same quality, comfort, and style as traditional furniture with the added benefit of being environmentally friendly.

El Dorado proudly offers a wide selection of eco-friendly furniture pieces ranging from sofas to dining sets. Want to find out more about how El Dorado Furniture is taking steps to help the environment? Be sure to visit out our homepage on Earth Day (Thursday, April 22) for a special surprise. In the meantime, take a look at our eco-friendly furniture selection on the site or at one of our stores.

Narratives are for entertainment purposes only and frequently employ literary point of view; the narratives do not necessarily reflect the opinions of El Dorado Furniture, its officers, or employees.