There’s a lot of things that we know are harmful to our families – bad food won’t help with health or weight. A lack of exercise is going to zap their energy and turn us all into couch potatoes. Too much screen-time can result in headaches. We know all of that.

While a ninja blender can cut up your fruit for a smoothy and a treadmill can get us running – there’s one piece of furniture that might be overlooked in our pursuit of health in the home.

It’s the bed. There are plenty of health benefits to owning a good bed, and on the flipside, a lack of sleep or interrupted sleep could be disastrous for the health of you and your family. BedTimes Magazine took a look at the benefits of a new bed:

“Through our research, we found that new bedding improved sleep quality by 62% and sleep comfort by 70.8%, and reduced back pain by 55.3% and back stiffness by 50.7% over a four–week period. We also found that lower back pain was much more prominent for those sleeping on cheaper beds and older beds. But regardless of their personal bedding systems, participants experienced immediate reduction in pain and stiffness and improvement of sleep comfort and quality when sleeping on new mattresses. The reduction in pain and improvement in sleep became more prominent over time, and participants improved regardless of age, weight, height or body–mass index. Moreover, when participants were assigned to high and low pain groups based on initial evaluation, both groups experienced a significant reduction in pain when sleeping on new mattresses. Even those who reported minor problems sleeping showed significant improvements in sleep quality and comfort—at levels similar to those who were poor sleepers.”

[Photo courtesy of Jennifer C./flickr.com]

They did the hard work, so we don’t have to, and it’s clear that new bedding or a new bed entirely is going to have immediate benefits to our health as well as our sleeping habits.

What do we look for in a good bed then? Firstly – it needs to be solid and stable. Your mattress needs a good support so it can support you! A creaky and shaky bed isn’t going to help, and you may feel like you’re napping on a sinking ship! As for the perfect bed? It doesn’t exist – you simply need the right one for you. A good mattress goes a long way, and this is the Best Memory Foam Mattress – a good mattress is going to gift you an hour of sleep that a lesser mattress will take away. Most mattress types have their cons as well, so try to get a mattress that you can try out as everyone is different.

[Photo courtesy of  Didriks/flickr.com]

Of course, you need pillows that keep your neck and head in line with your body for comfort and some breathable bedding is a good idea. A number of sets for different temperatures will help.

A good bed – it could do wonders for your health and for your bedroom!

Long before there was an international recycling moving, the tradition of quilting had taken on one of its key tenets. Women and men who made quilts were able to repurpose old clothing or remnant fabric in order to make bright, unmatched large squares for bedding. This was an especially useful technique during times of war when food, clothing and other essentials had to be rationed. Savvy seamstresses knew nothing, no matter how far it seemed beyond repair, was wasted. Every worn and torn garment could have a new purpose. The patchwork quilts at Linens-n-More honors this tradition with their wide array of bright patterns.

[Herringbone Square Quilt]

Priced from just above $100 up to about $390, this bedding is hand quilted and made of 100 percent cotton. One pattern that breaks with the usual color scheme is the Herringbone Square quilt made by Donna Sharp. The squares are gradients of a grayscale, and the quilt comes in king, queen and twin size varieties. Sharp’s quilt is staged in a room that continues the chromatic design. It pops against a white rug and is accessorized with black and white photography, black small furniture and large black and white art pieces strategically leaned against a distant wall. It is easy for any viewer to imagine the quilt draped cozily across his bed.

[Kettle Grove Quilt]

The eye-catching Kettle Grove Quilt provides a slightly different approach to patchwork design. The squares are small and uniform, and the alternating light and dark patterns help the lines look sharp. This variation on the design is a reminder that age-old traditions can always have some merit in modern times.