Announced by archeologists in 2011 the worlds oldest known mattress, build up from layers of reeds and rushed was found at the bottom of a pile of similar, accumulated bedding in a cave in South Africa. Archeologist Lyn Wadley said “What we have is evidence of plant bedding that is 50,000 years older than any previous site anywhere in the world.”.

Other artefacts found at the site include the earliest bone arrow, the earliest stone arrow and the earliest recorded use of a heated glue compound.

Isn’t that interesting!?

This week we have been dredging the Internet for you to find famous sleepy sayings and their origins. Some of the phrases will be well known to you such as “sleep tight” and “hit the hay”… but did you veer stop and think where the sayings came from? Read our (not exhaustive)  list to find out.

1. Sleep tight – Sleep tight (and don’t let the beg bugs bite). How many of us heard this saying when we were growing up, I wonder? I fair share I would hazard a guess. What does it mean and where does the saying come from? In the 18th and 19th centuries, beds were made with a base made from ropes pulled tight across a frame which supported the mattress. If the ropes were not pulled tight then they would snag and not provide the proper support for a good nights sleep. “Sleep tight” comes from when people wish you a good night’s sleep and it it referring to the ropes your mattress would rest on. If you have a tight ropes you can “sleep tight” and get a good night’s sleep.
2. Hit the hay – i’m going to “hit the hay”. I must have heard this phrase a lot of times. It is one I am very familiar with. The phrase originated in the 19th century when when mattresses were often made stuffed with hay. On  their way to their hay stuffed beds people would often say “i’m going to hit the hay”. The phrase has stuck around and now days people say it when they are on their way to bed.
3. Counting Sheep – A trick from back in the day which has been passed down for getting one’s self off to sleep. If you have ever struggled to get to sleep then someone may have told you to count sheep. You envision sheep jumping across a fence in order and then count them as they do. The repetitive nature of the task is said to make you tired. But where does the saying come from? The saying is referenced in literature from the early 18th century onwards. The mid-19th century is when the saying seems to have become mainstream. Whether or not it works is still up for scientific debate but the activity has been referenced that much in the media that it has now become part of popular culture. 
4. Going to the land of nod – people say “in the land of nod” or “going to the land of nod” when they refer to someone or themselves going to sleep or being asleep. The Land of Nod refers to a biblical location but over time it has adapted to refer to sleep.
5. Burning the midnight oil – this phrase originates in times before electricity was invented when people used oil lamps to work or read late into the night. It means someone who is up late, using the oil reserves. These days it simply means staying up late, usually working or engaging in a hobby or pastime. 
6. Let sleeping dogs lie – this phrase originated in the middle ages when dogs were often used for protection. If they were lying asleep it was usually better to leave them as they were trained to bite. To let sleeping dogs lie when used by us means to leave trouble alone and not wake a sleeping dog and get bitten.

Parasomnia is the blanket medical term for sleep disturbances which many of us experience in different forms. Sleep talking, sleepwalking and nightmares are all common and people needn’t suffer in silence. In this article we are going to look at common sleep disturbances and natural ways to prevent them.

Sleep Talking

Sleep talking can include anything from occasional mutters to talking incoherently or even saying full sentences in your sleep. This kind of sleep disturbance occurs mostly in light sleep and not deep sleep. Sleep talking can be caused by a number of factors but the ones which are most likely are diet and lifestyle factors. Having a regular sleep schedule and avoiding caffeine and alcohol can help as well as activities to reduce stress and anxiety.

Sleep talking isn’t considered dangerous but you could say inappropriate or rude things without meaning to. A healthcare professional can point you in the right direction if it is an issue which you feel you need to address.

Sleep Walking

Sleepwalking is when people in a state of non-REM sleep (deep sleep) get up and walk around while they are still asleep. Sometimes people can perform daily tasks and routines whilst sleepwalking too and even leave the house with no awareness of what they are doing. People often look dazed or confused and have little to no control over what they are doing.

Sleepwalking is more common in children than adults and can run in the family. Although it typically does not require treatment it can be dangerous if the person trips or falls whilst they are unaware of their surroundings. 

Sleepwalking can be caused by a number of lifestyle factors such as stress, sleep deprivations and diet factors. Your Dr. will likely look at your lifestyle and diet a as a first port of call and make recommendations to try and reduce the occurrence of sleepwalking.

Nightmares

Nightmares are common and not problematic to most people however some people do experience them more than others. There is no definitive research yet but people say that certain foods make them more prone to nightmares:

• Fatty and fried food
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Chocolate
• Spicy Foods

If you are suffering from nightmares then it is recommended to keep a food diary and see if you can spot any correlation between the times nightmares are occurring and what you are eating in your diet.

Hypnic Jerks

Hypnic jerks, if you have never heard of them, are the sudden, involuntary movements some of us experience when falling asleep. Some people experience hypnic jerks on their own and some people often find them accompanied by a dream. It’s when you are not in a deep sleep and you have body twitches that your awake self can feel. That is a hypnic jerk. 

There is no definitive cause in research for hypnic jerks though some research suggests that stimulants such as caffeine can cause them. Also, stress and anxiety can affect the transition in to sleep and therefore lead to hypnic jerks as the body is not fully relaxed. 

About Bitcoin

Bitcoin is a digital currency which was first released in 2009. It made headlines a few years after it’s release when early adopters made huge returns on their investment as the popularity of the currency grew. These days it has a strong following and many amateur and professional investors use the currency and hold large amounts much like stocks and shares. More and more people are holding bitcoin and using it to pay for goods and services and more businesses are opening up to the technology.

Paying for beds and mattresses with bitcoin

What a novel idea. Bitcoin is gaining momentum as a payment method with all sorts of goods and services now available. London even has ATMs for drawing cash from bitcoin wallets. BF Beds are thinking WHAT IF you could buy beds and mattresses with bitcoin. There are a lot of people who are already using it and more new people are getting on board. It’s a huge market and if there is a demand then it would be something we would consider.

What do you think

We want to know what you, our customers all think about Bitcoin and crypto. Do you hold it or use it in your daily life already. We are ready to adopt the technology if we see a demand. Let us know in the comments or on social media.

For people who sleep on their side there are different pressure points to consider then people who, for example, sleep on their back. When you sleep on your side the main pressure points are:

• Ear
• Shoulder
• Elbow
• Hip
• Thigh
• Leg
• Heel

Side sleepers – which mattress type is right for me?

People who sleep on their side should consider a medium to firm mattress for the right support. It should be firm enough to provide the right support but then also soft enough to allow room for your hips and shoulders to sink in properly and keep you aligned. This is the guideline from us. The mattress you choose ultimately will depend on your personal comfort preferences. Also, the heavier set your body type is then the more support you will need.

Side sleeping – the pros and cons

On your side is one of the most common sleeping position and it does come with benefits:

• Reduction in snoring – sleeping on your side keeps your airwaves open and reduces the onset of snoring in many cases.
• No acid reflux – there is scientific evidence to suggest that this sleeping position helps people who suffer from acid reflux by preventing stomach acid from flowing back in to your throat.
• No sleep apnea – on your side is the best sleeping position to prevent sleep apnea as it prevents the collapse of the airway.

Things to consider as a side-sleeper, when buying a mattress

• Firmness – a medium to firm mattress is the ideal support for side-sleepers.
• Support – you need to find a mattress with enough support to keep your shoulders, spine and hips aligned and not sinking in to the mattress.
• Material – latex and memory foam are both good choices for side sleepers as they will conform to the shape of the body and offer adequate support. Hybrid mattresses which combine springs and latex / memory form should also be considered.
• Durability – you will want to select a high quality mattress which will last you at least 8-10 years.
• Motion isolation – consider a mattress such as a pocket spring which offers good motion reduction for an uninterrupted night’s sleep.

Having been down to the showroom and chosen your divan base you have received your delivery and are now wondering how to put your base together. It is very straight forward however we have put this guide together for those that aren’t sure.

Divan Bases

A single divan base will come in one piece unless you request otherwise so if it’s a single and you didn’t order it especially in two pieces (people mainly do this if there are access issues) then you can move straight on to the headboard section. Larger than a  single (4ft, 4ft 6″, etc) will come in two pieces.

Divans come with one of two types of fixings either U clips or link bars. let’s deal with U clips first. Consider the following diagram:

Illustrated are two U clips at the bottom and then a person showing how to join the two base sections with a clip. Usually you will need two clips to make one secure join so you would put one near either side.

The other common fixing configuration on divans is what they call a link bar. Consider this diagram:

This is how a link bar works. There will be a hole on either side for the screws. You simply screw each side in and close the link to keep the base parts attached.

Those are the two common types of fixings you will find with divans.

Feet

There are a few different types of feet fixings you get with divan beds. The basic type are castors which are little plastic wheels you attatch to each corner. The other types are what we call gliders which are solid and designed to glide across carpet. genrally gliders are more aesthetically pleasing though many still use castors.

Your base will come with the holes already prepared so the hard work IS done you just need to pop each castor / glider in to it’s hole. This is an easy process and can usually be done with the palm of your had and a bit of force. If you are struggling you can use a blunt mallet to hammer them in.

Headboards

Often times divan beds are ordered with a headboard to match the base. If you have opted for a headboard then here are the instructions for fitting it.

You screw the fixing bolts in to the holes provided in the base and then lower the headboard on to the bolts. This fixing allows you to adjust the headboard height to suit your mattress.

if you have any questions or are not sure about anything then please feel free to call us for advice at any time.

You spend roughly one third of your life in your bed and it is also a very large and noticeable piece of household furnishing. If you are in the market for a bed or mattress then you have more than likely seen advertisements for products delivered to your door for rock bottom prices. These services often operate from small premises or home with little or no running costs and just simply turn up and deliver the products from nowhere. The reason we wanted to get your attention for two minutes is to just explain our position in the market and what is is we do for our customers.

We run a medium sized showroom (a bit from the beaten path, away from the shops which helps keep our costs down) in Armley where we have over 50 different mattresses which you can try until you find the right one for your budget and comfort preferences and also browse the beds we have on display which include all of our top sellers. There is free parking and we make it easy to find with directions easily available on the website and signage out on the main road so you can see us when we get here. When you get here you will meet Bobby, the owner who is here to spend time with you, one on one and help you find the right products.

There is an old saying that our grandmothers used to tell us which is “buy cheap, buy twice” and it certainly applies to beds and mattresses although we may tweak it a bit to be “Buy without seeing, buy twice”. What we mean is that whilst there may be attractive offers online for beds and mattresses it really isn’t a product you should buy without seeing and trying it out first for the reasons we mentioned above. If you buy a bed or mattress without seeing it then you are leaving yourself open to all sorts of problems. It might not be the right colour or style or more importantly it might not be the right comfort for you. Mattresses vary so much and you really have no idea what it is going to be like until you actually get on it and try it.

Visiting the showroom in person (we like to call it our “test-station”) allows you to see, touch and feel the product allows you to physically inspect the product you are buying. We encourage all of our visitors to lay down on the beds and get a real feel for it. We have foot mat protectors on all of our display beds so people can have a full lay down. We offer this service to help ensure you get the right product for you, the first time. Another benefit is that you are dealing directly with the owner of the company and there is a physical premises where you can go for customer service. We pride ourselves on the service we offer helping people find the right products and we are here to offer our expert advice which you may not get without the showroom service.

We may never be the rock bottom cheapest out there for beds and mattresses but we fight hard to keep our prices low and we are still much cheaper than the high street stores. The purpose of this post is to show you what our service is and what the benefits are. You may see beds cheaper online but they aren’t backed by our showroom and customer service. Also, without a middle man such as us there is less come back for you and the whole buying prices is just less secure. We could do away with the showroom and website and all those costs and bring our prices down to rock bottom but we don’t want to because form experience, customers just end up having problems.

Thank you for your time reading and best of luck in your search! We are here to help if you need us just a click or phone call away. This service is here for your benefit so please use it and get your purchase right the first time.

Good sleep improves your mood, mental health and overall performance throughout the day. You should wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day after a good nights sleep. Not getting enough quality sleep on a regular basis can trigger many serious disorders and conditions. We have put together this top ten list of tips to help you relax at bedtime and get a quality nights sleep for your health!

1. Read a book as this can reduce your stress level by up to 68%. When your read regularly before bed then brain will get used to it and will start to use it as a signal that your body is getting ready to sleep.

2. Have a nice hot bath and relax , again this is another effective way to relax and unwind and lower your stress levels.

3. Have a good stretch especially if you suffer with backache stretching is proven to reduce the amount our body aches also helps to disperse /reduce lactic acid and the benefits can last most of the day resulting in increased mobility and decreases in pain levels.

4. Don’t eat too close to bedtime or drink too much coffee as coffee is a stimulant and this can cause difficulties getting to sleep. If your body is busy digesting food then it won’t be able to focus on getting quality sleep.

5. Do 5/10 minutes of exercise before bed as this releases toxins in the body that helps us to sleep.

6. Get a comfortable mattress as this can aide and increase the quality of sleep you can have.

7. Learn how to relax and switch off at bedtime as this really does increase our quality of sleep.

8. Get in to a routine. if you set yourself a time for getting ready and going to bed and stick to it your body will naturally adjust to fall asleep at that time each day.

9. Darken the room around you. Dimmer switches can be installed for cheap or you can buy lamps with dimmer switches fitted. If light is getting in to the room for streetlights or early morning sun then you can invest in some heavier curtains to combat this.

10. Get quality sleep. People sleep in a cycle and if that cycle is disturbed you may not properly reach the end of it and benefit from a full nights rest. Drinking too many liquids before bed is not recommended as getting up in the night breaks your sleep cycle, also some people also say strenuous exercise in the hours before bed leads to disturbed sleep.

If you are looking for the perfect nights sleep then look no further! BF Beds’ showroom is in LS12, Armley Leeds. We are situated at the top end of Town Street with free parking for customers. We have over 50 types of mattresses to try an a full range of beds on display from divans, ottomans to sleigh beds and super kings. If you are in the market for a bed or mattress then come down and see us first!