Dreamscape Part 3 – The importance of dreams in our lives
In the last two blogs we have explored the realm of dreams and nightmares to understand to some extend how they work. The importance of dreams and what they do for us while we rest is vital. During the night you can work through many anxieties and stresses that burden you in your waking life. Sleep and dreams go hand-in-hand as psychological release valves for all the things that your conscious and subconscious processes on a day to day basis.
In this third part of our Dreamscape blog series we here at Millbrook Contract Beds have turned our attentions to digging deeper into this heavily layered, meaning laden universe where the impossible becomes possible and the dreams we experience open our minds up to the limitless realms of the imagination.
So why is dreaming important? Why do we need it?
The real question is; do you sleep in order to dream or do you dream in order to sleep?
Dreams act as more than just fantasy plays for the subconscious; they are actually integral to shaping and conditioning the personality and behaviour of the sleeper. A person who is deprived of dreams through poor quality sleep, whether it is from audible disturbances, sleep disorders, worn out contract beds, unbalanced room temperatures etc. will noticeably suffer shifts in mood and character the following day.
Dreaming is our literal escape for both mind and body. It allows your brain to work through issues (ones you are both aware and unaware of) and it leaves time for your body to rest and regenerate. Dreaming is a key part of being human.
What has scientific research found on the subject?
Studies have found that people intentionally woken up before drifting into REM sleep (where dreaming begins) are left impaired for their general daily functioning. It has been argued that it is not just the sleep deprivation but also the denial of the brain’s release and its allowance to dream. Test have been conducted over the years to prove this definitively and evidence emerged that test subjects experienced disorientation, depression, short temper and irritability the next day.
The deprivation of REM sleep has been shown to cause over-sensitivity, loss of concentration and in some cases memory loss.
Obviously dreaming is an important element of remaining healthy both psychologically and physically revitalising a person for their next wake-up call. Dreams act as metaphor and enigmas in our heads to help us fight our demons, our fears, our worries, all the things that play on our subconscious and inform everything that we do in our day-to-day live. So when viewed in this context dreaming is actually VERY important.
Our experience in the area of sleep and dreams has led us to build up our contract bed collections over the years in order to provide the best quality sleep experiences. If you would like to contact us please do or you can follow Millbrook Contract Beds on Twitter.
We hope that you continue to have sweet dreams in the meantime…
Rock-a-bye-baby – what makes commercial beds so comfortable?
The eternal question among contract and commercial bed manufacturers is “what makes a bed comfortable and how do we optimise that?”
Here at Millbrook Contract Beds we invest every single bed we make with love. And we’re not just saying that either. Every commercial bed that we manufacture is lovingly handcrafted and designed. We’ve learnt over the years to invest our contract bedroom furniture with an unrivalled quality, so we can actually answer this question…
What makes commercial beds so comfortable?
Well, it has a lot to do with the mattress of course and what goes into that mattress, but it very much rests on (no pun intended) the quality of the bed base. The bed base comprises many of the qualities which make commercial beds durable and most of all, comfortable.
First, let’s talk about the mattress.
There are four types of mattress that can be purchased for commercial bed buying purposes:
1. Pocket sprung is the most common type of mattress. The individual springs reside within fabric pockets and are independent of one another. These springs react to the pressure and positioning of the person who lies on top and contour to suit the shape of the sleeper.
2. Open sprung/open coil is a mattress comprising of circular springs that weave together to make a single spring unit. By applying pressure to one of them, you apply pressure to all of them. All the springs are connected together.
3. Orthopaedic is universally considered the best choice of mattress for people who suffer with back pain or have trouble getting to sleep. Millbrook has a special range designed to suit people like this – The Therapy and The Purity. The idea behind them is that they support the spine in the correct alignment whilst avoiding localised pressure points. Orthopaedic mattresses are designed to mould and contour to the shape of your body.
4. Foam is regarded as the least impressive of mattress designs. You’ll hear most people refer to them as Memory Foam as they work with the sleeper’s natural body heat moulding to the curves of the body. Memory Foam is generally designed to relieve uncomfortable pressure points. However, finding a reliable Memory Foam mattress can be a task as many of them merely ‘sink.’ The best Memory Foam mattresses spread.
Of course, every mattress has its own benefits and inherent values it’s just they just won’t always be compatible with every person. Comfort can often be a subjective experience.
The next step of identifying what makes commercial beds comfortable and why, is looking at the bed bases:
1. Slatted base is definitely the most common bed base out there and used on bedsteads. The bed base is made up from wooden slats that support the mattress offering a firmer base. However, this is not necessarily the most comfortable option just because it is the most common. People who used wooden slatted bed bases experience many problems down the line.
2. Sprung edge is widely considered one of the finer bed bases. A Sprung Edge has springs to make the base more supportive helping to avoid uncomfortable hard edges. Sprung Edge bases work in conjunction with the mattress, ultimately making the mattress last longer.
3. Platform top is constructed of wood with a padded base making the bed feel firmer. This is suitable to those who prefer a really firm comfort option with their bed.
4. Sprung slatted base uses curved wooden slats that adjust to the sleeper’s profile. The idea is to get the slats to work in synchronicity with the mattress exerting and liberating the pressure sensitive areas.
Comfort comes from design, material and combination. The design must be of high quality and the bed base well-built with the right materials and fabrics used for the inside of the mattress. Comfort comes from various factors combined, and as we all know comfort can be in the eye of the beholder.
Of course, never underestimate the degree of comfort that comes from good quality duvets and pillows! Our next blog will address this aspect of commercial beds in more detail.
Contract and commercial beds are very much about combining science and art together to provide optimum sleeping solutions with choices to suit everyone.
The importance of a good night’s sleep with Millbrook Contract Beds
Since Millbrook Contract Beds started blogging last year there has been a variety of issues (both current and ongoing) explored from topics like;
Maintaining your contract beds
The hospitality industry’s preparations for the 2012 Olympics
Interior design advice and options
In that time we have covered a lot of ground, but we also want to remind our readers that we consider the number one principle in everything we do to be getting a good night’s sleep. Period.
It’s the most important part of our job – making that happen.
So we’re getting back to basics this week with a new series of blogs on the importance of a good night’s sleep, why it matters and how to get it…
Sleep is crucially important to a person’s health and well-being, but there are plenty of obstacles between the average Joe and a good night’s rest. It’s funny, when you ask most people about why they can’t sleep very well they rarely ever blame their contract beds and mattresses. It’s always something else! From work stresses, kids driving you mad, unsurpassable workloads, heavy financial burdens, relationship troubles, but never the bed! While all these factors do contribute to a bad night in bed, a large majority of the time it really is the bed that is the issue.
It is the essential element of sleep as we all know.
However, with that said, there are a variety of factors that determine whether or not you have a good sleep. Most of these factors are within your control to change and relatively easy to prevent.
So what should you take into consideration when trying to get to sleep?
1. Background noise
Living in built-up areas or near busy main streets means that you will frequently hear noises from outside such as traffic, car horns, sirens, neighbourhood parties, dogs barking, voices shouting, loud music and various other bangs and crashes. The best way to tackle this problem is by closing your windows at night. Yes, even on those hot summer nights. If noise in your area is keeping you up, you need to shut it out. If it is hot in your room get yourself an automatic fan or install an air conditioning system to keep the room temperature cool while you drift off. Alternatively, you can invest in some ear plugs to muffle the bustling sounds from outside of a city or town that never seems to sleep.
2. Midnight munchies
Don’t under any circumstances eat or snack before you go to bed even if you feel the rumblings of hunger in your stomach. Don’t actually eat while you’re in your bed either! Eating food, especially carbohydrates and especially late at night, will increase your body fat stores. The consumption of food can give the impression to your body that you are not ready to sleep and it will re-energise you for another couple of hours. This only serves to keep you awake for longer periods. Also, while we’re on the subject of eating, don’t eat in bed. Snacking on food leads to crumbs. Those crumbs will end up scattered across the mattress sheet and go on to irritate your skin causing you to toss and turn during the night.
3. Insomniac
If you just simply cannot sleep, avoid laying in bed. The very act of not sleeping makes you restless. The real cure for this mild form of insomnia is to actually get out of bed and do something relaxing before getting back in. Read a book or a newspaper, or watch a bit of television for a while until you feel sleepy again. Have a bath or shower before bed to help relax your muscles.
4. Comfort quality
The comfort and quality of your bed can be the difference between blissful sleep and torturous nights of tossing and turning. Check your mattress and bed frame. There will be blogs that go into detail on this subject later on. If the mattress is old and lumpy, you need to think about getting a new one. The worst thing for your body, particularly your back, is a worn-down, uneven mattress and rickety frame that hasn’t been flipped or maintained for a long time. A good way of knowing if your bed has really passed its sell-by-date is if you can hear the squeak of the springs when you shift around. Beds should not be torture devices, they should make you feel relaxed, comfortable and most importantly of all, sleepy. And remember, if you buy a new bed, it’s always best to buy a new frame AND mattress, rather than make the mistake of buying a new mattress on its own! A new frame is crucial to the support of your body – so just replacing one of them won’t necessarily give you long-term comfort when it comes to sleep!
5. Sleep environment
One final tip; try your best to make sure that your bedroom is an environment fit for sleep (complete with a nice new bed if necessary) where the sounds of the world are drowned out by the calm. Get rid of the televisions and computer consoles and all the distractions that should not be in a bedroom.
We hope you find your comfort zone, if you would like more advice on getting a good night’s sleep or finding the right bed, please feel free to contact us at Millbrook.
Hospitality industry may be the key to economic recovery – Millbrook Contract Beds
Millbrook Contract Beds has had a vast experience in dealing with the hospitality industry for many years now. We keep our finger on the pulse of this sector and the developments within in it in order to stay ahead of the future demand. Recently, we’ve been following the hospitality industry’s prominence and growing significance during the economic downturn.
According to reports in the media and from government studies, the hospitality industry is currently leading the way in aiding economic recovery in the UK. During 2011, there was a tremendous growth seen, particularly around the time of the Royal Wedding in April. Since then the figures have only increased with a positive effect on hotelier operations nationwide. With 2012 proving to be a very big year for the UK in general courtesy of the upcoming Olympic Games and the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, the hospitality industry is extremely well-positioned to begin taking the economy in the right direction.
One of the main hindrances at current is the lack of competitive prices on offer. The higher VAT rate has been a major factor in this problem. A majority of EU states have reduced the VAT rates on accommodations and attractions in their respective countries, which makes the UK a lot less competitive than our friends across the channel.
Millbrook has been doing its part to help reduce the burden of cost for hoteliers with our contract beds and contract bed options. Through giving them the very best in contract bed quality for bargain prices it will hopefully offer an alternative solution to those businesses that engage with us and use our products. Commercial beds are a huge part of this process and hoteliers cannot operate without them, for obvious reasons.
Considering that the UK hospitality industry contributes over £46 billion in wages and profits to local economies every year, it’s time the industry got cut a break by its suppliers. That includes those of us that supply them with their commercial beds! It’s been documented through research and studies in the last year that many local authorities in the country are highly dependent on the industry as a whole and its contributions to economic prosperity.
Through the creation of new employment opportunities and a wealth of new business transactions, this industry is one of the supporting pillars in the contemporary era of British economic recovery. It needs to be championed as such. What is good to see is the encouragement coming through from the government and local authorities to see the hospitality sector grow and generate as many new jobs as possible.
2012 looks set to be a collective success across many industries as long as we can hold it together and keep prices competitive, standards high and growth steady.
Millbrook Contract Beds is dedicated to being a solid friend and business partner to the hospitality industry in the coming months and years, and we hope that everyone is ready to show their support come 2012 in the new year.
Follow Millbrook on Twitter and Facebook to join in with our discussions and community.
Looking after your Commercial Beds
If you’ve had a busy summer you may now be looking at renovations of your business and therefore you may already have purchased your new contract beds or indeed you’ve got better things to do than worry about some maintenance.
It’s a big investment for any business a purchase of any product and even in a competitive market-place quality is a massive concern for buyers, who need the best for their pounds so we always try to encourage a mixture of good buying and looking after your contract beds to help you get the very best from your contract and commercial beds.
If you have invested in a new contract bed and have taken the best advice in terms of the type of bed you actually need, it’s important to spend a bit of time thinking about how you can look after it once you’ve had it installed in the room.
So let’s start with the basics. If you’ve purchased recently, then you may be interested to know that a contract bed mattress can last up to approximately 7 years. However, you have to remember that more use (or less use) will affect the life span.
But another area which is often forgotten about is the amount of care you give to your contract bed mattresses. This can actually have a bearing on its lifespan, along with size and weight of those sleeping in the bed!
Mattresses with more individual pockets are generally considered the best quality and of course the way in which the mattresses are crafted also matters. A machine built mattress will generally not be as good as a hand crafted one, because that has been individually stitched.
A good quality pocket sprung mattress will generally offer exceptional sleep to your guests and will last a reasonable length of time if you look after it. Simply turning a mattress regularly will help it last a lot longer and you may even consider things like mattress protectors that are washable and will help to keep the fabric clean but also a good vacuum will help!
While it can be difficult during busy times to undertake maintenance, as it gets a bit quieter before Christmas, it’s probably worth trying to give your contract bed mattresses young and older a bit of TLC.
And of course one final piece of advice is to ensure your guests don’t treat the bed like a trampoline (it does happen). Obviously a contract bed is not designed for this kind of use, so it’s always worth politely informing guests of this if you’re concerned.
For advice of any kind you can always contact us for information on our contract beds and commercial beds or indeed if you’re wondering how you can rejuvenate your rooms on a budget, then it’s always worth looking at our latest ‘trade only ‘ offers.
ACADEMIC COLLECTION – THE CAMPUS CONTRACT BED
If you have been following our blog series you will have seen us go through our contract bed range and profile the specific benefits and features of each of the contract beds that we offer. Millbrook Contract Beds has been designing and supplying contract beds and hotel beds for almost 60 years now. Our expertise is unrivalled and our experience is unparalleled. In this here, our final blog, we will profile the contract bed called The Campus.
Now The Campus is a contract bed ideally suited for the task of presenting an aesthetically pleasing, space-saving bed for the discerning hotel owner or academic establishment. It comes in full range of sizes from single to super king to zip & link.
It is a smart design as far as contract beds go. It features open coil springs that operate at a standard comfort level. The mattress itself has a fresh design in an easy to clean stitchbond cover. This can be an incredibly beneficial upside for when beds need cleaning and turning down quickly during the busy periods.
Due to the fact that we have entered summer, a lot of Universities and campus accommodation increase as people begin the round of summer courses and corporate events. The one thing you want to be able to meet is optimising and maximising your capacity and fill rates. This is paramount for any establishment who wants to offer a good services to visitors. The Academic Collection is designed to tailor to this need. You can pack up these contract beds or pack them away in quick smart time. The bed frame of The Campus is available with fixed or detachable legs to make such fast changes possible.
If you have a family or a group of people wishing to book a shared room you will know that there can be nothing more useful than an easy to roll out contract bed for additional sleeping arrangmenets. This season can only be helped by The Campus’ addition to your contract beds. There are of course two other designs in this range; The Conference and The Residence. Don’t forget that your accommodation can make a guests stay even better, as they feel refreshed for the day’s activities. They define luxury and comfort, two things all guests long to feel once they step in through the front door. Rooms should be functional, clean and somewhere thatyour guests can relax at the end of the day. So remember where you can find the most luxurious, comfortable and relaxing contract beds.
This concludes our profile series on our Millbrook contract beds collection from the International, to the Healthcare, through to the Academic. All ranges are implicitly well manufactured and presented. For more information on any of our ranges or any of our contract beds, please get in contact with us for further details.
Hotel Contract Beds – The Hotel
Millbrook Contract Beds has profiled the details of the International Collection from The President to The Executive to The Club Class in this ongoing blog series. In today’s blog we will be looking at the last in the International Collection range: The Hotel contract bed. The goal is to identify what their main benefits are and how they can be best utilised within the hospitality industry in terms of practicality and cost effective economy.
The Hotel contract bed has proven it worth over the years and is one of the most popular hotel contract beds amongst hoteliers and hotel services, hence its apt title. It’s called The Hotel for a reason.
The Hotel is comprised of open coil springs with a deep mattress and hand-finished cotton upholstery. Now this offers bed buyers a classic firm option, generally considered the most suitable for hotel guest experiences. Most guests generally require standard comfort mattresses but there is a demand from some guests for firmer mattresses and firmer beds. The Hotel contract bed gives the option.
The Hotel contract bedThe worry many hoteliers may have when buying new contract beds for their businesses is economy of price. This is understandable, particularly in today’s climate, which is why Millbrook Contract Beds offers this quality, highly popular hotel contract bed at an affordable price. What else could be better? Quality comfort, versatility and economy.
Of course, quality and price are not the only factors to consider in this scenario. A large part of hotel experiences can come from the aesthetic of the hotel itself. Therefore, The Hotel contract bed has been designed to fit in with any decor via its choice of leg and fabric options. It comes in different sizes, as do the entire International Range. If you want more space, the Zip and Link option is a must. If you want maximise comfort in the sleeping arrangements you can make it a Super King. It’s all doable and all possible. What’s great about this particular bed is that it can suit the intimacy of an independent bed and breakfast or the large-scale luxury of a hotel chain.
Millbrook Contract Beds has been in the business for 60 years now. We know what makes a good contract bed, how to tailor them to the hospitality industry’s needs and how to ensure that they give a good night’s sleep. This concludes our blog series on the International Range. Please feel free to contact us for more information for some free and impartial advice on bed buying or bed care. We are more than happy to talk you through the processes.