While I want to comment on the ratings receiving from the Pathways to Sleep survey and from review of specific Pathway products (with regard to expert ratings, cost and access), I also want to introduce additional perspectives regarding the experience of creating optimal conditions for sleep. I have organized this presentation regarding the sleep environment around two pathway clusters: (1) bed and beyond, and (2) breath and position.
Cluster One: Bed and Beyond
We are ready for sleep. The lights have been turned down (or off). The room is made silent and is of the right temperature. We have prepared thoughtfully for sleep and are now ready to snuggle in for a good night of sleep. What awaits us? It is our bed and several accessories to this bed—specifically sheets, blankets and pillows. These all can make a big difference when it comes to experiencing high quality sleep. I first consider the bed.
Bed
Here is where a lot of money is involved – both in the amount invested in the advertisement and the amount one can spend on the purchase of a bed. Several factors need to be taken into account—some of these factors have been around for a long time while others have emerged in recent years with advances in bed-based technologies. First, there are the long-standing factors. How big of a bed do you want?
The size mostly concerns width (though beds also can be purchased that are of different lengths). Twin beds (38” wide by 75’ in length) are for the single sleeper (and often the younger sleeper), with the twin XL being a bit longer (38” x 80”). The Full-size bed is 54”by 75” and the queen size bed is both wider (“60”) and longer (“80”). These two sizes are for the single adult sleeper or sleep partners who really like to sleep close together (the younger couple?). Then we have California King (72” x 84”) and the standard King size (76” x 80”) beds. Beds can come in even larger sizes—especially those with multi-layer mattresses. The price, of course, goes up with the increase in size.
Sheets
While sheets are not a big thing for most of the experts (and don’t get much attention in list of sleep quality recommendations), they are rated quite important by our raters. The importance of sheets is quite understandable given that this is the most “intimate” feature of the bedroom environment—it is what touches our skin as we settle in for a good night of sleep. There are several factors to consider in the choice of sheets. Obviously, there is the matter of comfort (which usually concerns softness of the sheet). Thread count is often introduced at this point, though some sleep experts dispute the importance of this count. Nevertheless, for some sleepers a thread-count of 300 (or even up to 500 is important). Sheets made of silk or a satin fabric might be at the top of a sleeper’s list.
