Can't fall asleep? Here are some helpful tips

By ROSHANA ARIEL
Ariel Enterprises

I'm a big Oprah fan. On a recent show, several ideas were given for ways to help insomniacs get the sleep they need.

One of the best suggestions was to have a dimmer switch for your bedroom, and use a 45-watt bulb. Let your brain know that you're ready for sleep by setting a little ambience.

Speaking of ambience, here's something I never heard of: an Ambient Pillow. What in the world is an Ambient Pillow, I wondered? According to the company that created Ambient pillows and mattresses, the products contain a textile called Holofiber. The fabric contains millions of microscopic "lenses" that work with the body's own energy, recycling the energy back into the body! A new kind of recycling that harnesses the power of materials found in nature. Holofiber is completely safe and permanent and stays responsive for the life of the product.

Holofiber reacts with the light to radiate certain wavelengths. When they're put in a pillow or mattress pad, the wavelengths can actually penetrate your sheets and pajamas, and has been clinically proven to stimulate your blood cells to increase oxygenation.

Why is this increased oxygenation important? It improves circulation, physical performance (oooh la-la!) and recovery time (from aches and pains, presumably). With this improved circulation, you can wake refreshed and energized after sleep. You can experience the maximum effect of this oxygenation after only 30 minutes, and that effect can last up to 15 hours. The special Holofiber properties never wash out.

Also recommended on the Oprah show that day: the Tempur-pedic mattress. Those are the mattresses that you've seen advertised with the hand just above the mattress exposing a handprint that stays "embedded," suggesting that this mattress molds exactly to your body. I wondered if that wouldn't be hot, having the mattress molded to your body; but I have slept on a similar mattress, and it wasn't hot at all. It was very comfortable! I now have a Tempur-pedic mattress pad on my bed, and I love it.

Speaking of beds, I happen to sleep on an air mattress. Why? because I sleep on the second floor of my house, which, built in 1925, doesn't have a wide enough doorway at the bottom of the steps to allow any kind of normal bed upstairs. The people who lived in my house previously had a waterbed up there! They apparently built the waterbed frame upstairs.

But I digress ...

Another great idea for helping you (or your sleeping partner) to sleep better was a book light, called a Light Wedge. This light shoots the light directly on the page of your book, so that it is totally illuminated, but it doesn't disturb anyone else. Brilliant idea.

It's also important to kind of wind down a bit before you sleep. Turn the TV off, lower the music, start moving a little slower. Let your brain know that it's time for sleep.

And don't discount the importance of soft decor in your bedroom. Use muted tones for paint and bedding, etc. It really helps to send the message to your brain that this is the place where you relax, get sleepy and drift off ...

I came across an excellent resource for helping people fall asleep. Natural Sleep Secrets. Since I have no trouble sleeping, I can't give an actual recommendation, but their method is 100 percent guaranteed, so it sure wouldn't hurt to try it.

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Those self-inflating air mattresses are a life-saver

By SALLY LEE

Here's something I wish I had invented way back in the early 1990s. We all know it now as the self-inflating air mattress.

I can only imagine how much capital this product has brought in. Whoever decided to make it a business was right on the money.

I purchased my first air mattress back in 1995 and still make use of it when company comes over. It's just one of those things you'll find in virtually every home these days. They come in all shapes and sizes, and they're built to withstand some serious poundage. Where do you keep your air mattress?

The ever-popular self-inflating air mattress just keeps getting better. While my old-school model from over a decade ago has a pump attached to it, the more recent models do not. You simply take the hand-help pump and press it to the inflatable air mattress outlet and it fills in seconds. Poof, you've got a bed that's perfect for company. Choose whatever size you please. The new-age self-inflating air mattress comes in single, full, queen, and king sizes.

Another cool aspect of these beds is the height. You've probably seen the standard air beds that lie on the floor like a standard mattress would, but have you ever seen the ones that offer the full height of a normal bed? I hadn't until my mother pulled one out of the closet last summer. I was visiting her with my 7-year-old daughter, and she had a comfy, little self-inflating air mattress just for her. It rose to about three feet off the floor, and even had support rails along the bottom. This is fantastic!

You can check out the vast line of air mattresses at your local home furnishing store such as Bed Bath and Beyond or Linens and Things. There are also numerous options available on the web. This is one inexpensive way to purchase a spare bed for company or camping.