the importance of sleep – [technogel review + giveaway!]

good morning everyone! i’m really excited about today’s post because i get to review an absolutely amazing product, giveaway one of those great products, and talk about a topic i’m pretty enthusiastic about….sleep!

[first, the winner of the oxo giveaway has been announced]

as part of my phd program, i have the opportunity to hear all kind of speakers and seminars around campus. i usually try to stick to those topics that are related to my central area of study – obesity. you’d be surprised at how many different topics can really be related to obesity though. case in point: a couple weeks ago i heard a seminar on the relationship between obesity and sleep.

that’s right.

obesity is linked to sleep. poor sleep, that is.

i won’t go into all of the interesting information that i learned during that seminar, but here are a couple of takeaway points:

• both quality and quantity of sleep are important
• it only takes one night of getting too little sleep to impair your daily functioning
• many people have no idea that they’re functioning below their potential since so many people are chronically sleep deprived
• the best way to determine how much sleep you need is to go to sleep at a routine time each night and sleep until you naturally wake up – after a couple days, you should notice a pattern*
• most people need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, but there are some (very few) who need less and some who need more
• one night of disrupted sleep led to consumption of more calories the next day
• there are metabolic disruptions associated with sleep deprivation
• there have been pushes by the academic community studying sleep to create laws similar to drunk driving laws for sleep-deprived driving – they have proof that it is just as dangerous, but these types of laws would be very difficult to enforce

*note, this doesn’t mean that if you stay in bed and keep waking up and falling back asleep on saturday mornings that you need 10 hours of sleep per night…

i think the last three points really stood out to me. not only does being sleep deprived contribute to a higher calorie consumption the next day and changes in metabolism, but it can be dangerous to yourself and others.

but why am i going on and on about sleep?

well, i was given the opportunity to review a technogel^® pillow recently, and it has totally changed my sleep!

i have never really had trouble falling asleep or getting my needed 7-8 hours of sleep per night. however, the quality of my sleep wasn’t the best. i’d wake up regularly (living in an apartment right next to the main entrance doesn’t help that) and get up to use the bathroom a couple times a night.

additionally, i was asking brad to adjust my neck constantly – literally, at least every other day – because of neck pain and headaches.

so, i knew something had to be done.

my technogel^® pillow arrived a little over a week ago and i’ve been using it every night since then.

i chose to try the anatomic pillow since it was recommended for mainly side or back sleepers and people who like quite thick pillows – that’s me! i do like snuggling up on my stomach sometimes, but brad always yells at me for doing that because it’s really not good for your back at all. having a pillow that is specifically made for side or back sleeping sounded good to me.

see those contours? my neck fits perfectly in there to make side and back sleeping very comfortable!

about technogel^®

• technogel pillows are high-quality and made in italy
• they have gel inside that is the same material found in dr. scholl’s inserts and other products

photo source: technogel^®

• the gel has 3-d deformation to perfectly support your head and neck
• it has a cooling effect – the thermoregulation technology disperses your body heat through the pillow – i love this. no more waking up and flipping my pillow over to lay my head on the cool side
• it is also odorless and hypoallergenic
• check out this video if you want to learn more:

my thoughts

• the pillow is heavy! it must be from the gel, but i was surprised when i picked it up. it’s definitely sturdy and well-made though. this pillow will last me a long time!
• you can really see the contours – that made me nervous at first.
• it is so comfortable. the first thing i did was lay it on the bed and test it out – and then brad, my mom, and stepdad tried it too. we all enjoyed how it felt right away.
• it really does stay cool! i would honestly flip my pillow over several times a night before – not with technogel^®!
• i haven’t been bothering brad for a neck adjustment every other day anymore! actually, i don’t even remember the last time i asked for one – i believe it was before the pillow arrived!
• i don’t wake up as much during the night. unless i drink a ton of water before bed, i’ve been sleeping all the way through the night – that’s huge!
• it is a little expensive. the retail cost is about $160 for this pillow. that’s about 25x more than the $6 pillows from kohl’s that i had before. however, after trying it for a week, i would absolutely spend that money on this pillow. it is so worth it!

so, in summary, i love this pillow! i told brad when it arrived that he could try it out too, but now i’m having trouble sharing. i am going to have him sleep with it a couple times, though, to see what he thinks. i think he should get one for himself!

that’s a happy sleeper right there!

*****

are you wanting to try a technogel^® pillow for yourself now?

well, you’re in luck! join fitfluential for a twitter chat thursday night at 8pm (central time) for a chance to win a pillow of your own! just follow the hashtag #Technogel and join in the conversation.

*****

want to double your chances of winning a pillow? in addition to trying a pillow for myself, i get to give one away to one of my readers!

the winner of the giveaway may select one of any of the styles of technogel^® pillows: deluxe, anatomic, contour, or travel pillow. you can read more about the different styles here and watch the video above for a good description of which pillow might be right for you.

how to enter:

1. (mandatory) leave a comment on this post telling me which technogel^® pillow you would choose and why you need a new pillow.

2. (optional) tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment saying you did. something like –> I want to win a @Technogel pillow from @sarahlearnsblog – http://j.mp/JLaPvI #Technogel

details:

1. giveaway starts now, tuesday, may 1, and will end friday, may 4 at midnight central time. winner will be announced on may 5.

2. winner will be selected by random.org

3. limit of 2 entries per person.

good luck! this is definitely a giveaway that you want to win!

full disclosure: FitFluential LLC compensated me for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tagged as: product review, sleep, technogel