Wool and Chronic Sleep Concerns

If you suffer from fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis you know how long – and pain-filled – a night can be. And when your pain medication takes too long to kick in – or worse, stops working – a night can last forever.

Wool bedding can help you reclaim that healing, rejuvenating sleep your body craves.

A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (Apr 2009) found that fibromyalgia suffers who slept on wool bedding reported a significant reduction in pain. It’s not a scientific breakthrough and it’s not high-tech. But it works.

Relief from aches, pains & wounds

Remember how comforting it was to lie on a bed of leaves or an air mattress in the lake? Wool does the same thing for your body.

A wool-filled mattress (or mattress topper) is made up of thousands of tiny, crimped fibers that resemble and behave like tiny sponges. When you lie down, they absorb pressure and respond by gently cushioning your body.

Wool is composed primarily of keratin, a protein that is present in our own skin and hair. If you have health concerns in which you develop open wounds as a symptom, wool is the ideal fabric to sleep on as it works in harmony with our bodies. This means it is safe if trapped in sores as the wool fibers will detach harmlessly from your skin along with the scab.

Eliminate moisture

Do you know that you lose up to a pint of moisture a night in your bed, just through breathing and natural perspiration? Synthetic fibers absorb less than 3% of that moisture, trapping most of it between you and your sheets – which make it feel like you’re lying on the uncomfortable side of your rain slicker.

Wool absorbs 35% of its weight in moisture before it feels damp. And because wool fibers are constantly in motion, moving moisture from your skin to the environment, your bedding not only feels dry, it is.

You know moisture can feel like a hammer to your joints when you suffer from arthritis. Switching to wool bedding can significantly reduce pain so you enjoy uninterrupted sleep.

Temperature and heart-rate regulating

If you’ve ever over-heated or suffered through a hot flash, you know how temperature and heart rate can affect your health. Because wool constantly moves moisture away from your skin, your body can relax and regulate its own temperature. That air conditioning system in your bedding reduces stress on your heart and metabolic system, letting you sink into a deeper, healing sleep.

Hypoallergenic and mildew resistant

When you remove moisture from the equation, you remove a host of bacteria and allergens as well. Dust mites and other nasty things that live in mattresses need both darkness and moisture to thrive.

Eliminating allergens is like giving your body a fast-pass to the rejuvenating and healing power of REM sleep. Isn’t it time you started feeling better, just by getting a better night’s sleep?

Visit our Healthy Sleep Center for more information on bedding that can improve your health. Ready to shop in person? Use our online Dealer Locator to find a retailer near you.

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