Sleep Chronicles: Moving Into a New Home

The list of things that contribute to sleep quality each night is a long one. Your environment, diet, exercise, relaxation routine, sleeping position, mattress and sleep accessories are just a few of the most important ones. But how often do we have the opportunity to totally adjust our sleeping environment? Not very often. But moving into a new home is a great opportunity.

This is a prime opportunity to take a hard look at your sleep patterns, tendencies and make a wish list of the things you’d like to change about your setup in order to get a better night’s sleep. Moving into a new home is the perfect time to refresh your sleep accessories: a new mattress and protector, pillows and you’ll be set up for success.

Adjusting to a new home and new routine can be a little challenging. But don’t sacrifice high-quality sleep by keeping your same bedroom setup the same if it wasn’t working for you in the previous home. This was exactly the opportunity that Sarah Phillips of 52 Thursdays found herself in — moving into a new home and wanting to approach her sleep environment from an entirely different perspective.

We asked Sarah to divulge her sleep habits, routines and preferences to understand how she’s using this big transition to prioritize sleep.

What criteria were important to you when choosing a new home?

My husband and I purchased our first home and a major fixer-upper together just about 5 years ago. After years of projects, blood, sweat and tears fixing up our home, we were ready to move on to something bigger and more comfortable. When looking for our new home, we knew we wanted a unique property with more land and that we found that in a waterfront home in Alexandria. We are so excited to be moving into our dream home!

What did you love about your new master bedroom?

The master bedroom is one of our favorite parts of the home. It’s very spacious and gets great natural light so it has a calming, relaxing feeling when you enter it. The view from pretty much every window is so gorgeous but we can't wait to wake up to a waterfront view every morning!

How important is the “feng shui” of your bedroom to you? How are you working (in addition to bedding) to get that right in this new house?

We want our new bedroom to functional but also stylish. We want to be extra thoughtful about the decor in the room and the placement of furniture because we don’t want to lose that relaxing feeling that the spacious windows and natural light add. We try to minimize the number of distractions we have in our bedroom so it can always be the place we can wind down and get a really restful night’s sleep.

How important is getting a good night’s sleep for you and your husband?

It's super important for both of us to get a great night’s sleep. We both own our own businesses, so we are busy and sometimes that work comes home with us! So when we hit the pillow, we are ready to get our quality z's in! It’s not uncommon for us to have long days, so that’s why our bedroom has to be that oasis for us, where we can relax and settle in for a good night’s sleep. Without a good nighttime routine, our brains would always be on!

Do you and your husband have any unique sleep habits?

Since my hubby and I own our own businesses, we work odd hours and sometimes around the clock. We are both night owls, so we are up late and like to sleep in when we can. My husband snores, so I put on a diffuser and try to fall asleep first so I don't hear him when I'm trying to go to bed! I prefer to sleep on my side and my husband usually sleeps on his stomach.

When was the last time you purchased a mattress? What criteria went into that purchase decision?

The last time we purchased a mattress was 5 years ago, from Mattress Warehouse, when we purchased our previous home. We looked for something that would fit my husband's sleeping needs. So we went with a California King that also was very firm.

I've grown to love it over the years, as I usually tend to like softer pillow top beds but this bed has been wonderful to both of us! We would have brought it with us but we turned our previous home into an AirBNB so we’ve been furnishing this new house top to bottom.

How did this new mattress purchase go?

We always thought we were sleeping pros and knew exactly what was best for our bodies. But the bedMATCH^Ⓡ process at Mattress Warehouse was so eye-opening! Our mattress is slightly different than we both would’ve picked if we just went based on previous experience.

The other new addition in this home is our adjustable base. We didn’t think this would be something we’d be looking for, but it’s incredibly comfortable! This way if we’re working late at night from our bed, we’re not strained or propped up with pillows. I’m also secretly hoping it helps my husband’s snoring!

What’s your advice to someone just starting the home buying process?

Take your time and make sure it checks as many boxes as possible. There are so many things that are important like the land, view, schools, location to work, etc. but don’t forget about the inside. After reading up more on the importance of sleep, relaxation and how to really rejuvenate, our bedroom setup became more important than it previously was. My husband and I are go-getters, so if quality sleep night after night will help us the next day, we’re going to make it a priority. And don’t assume that everything that worked in your previous home will work in the new one. Take the time to reassess and adjust if necessary. We’re so glad we took the time and now have a mattress that fits us perfectly.

Find the mattress that fits your sleep stage

We spend nearly ⅓ of our lives asleep, but our routines and preferences are not always the same. Different life stages can change our relationship with sleep and its essential that we respond and change accordingly. These life stages can include general aging, moving into a new home, pregnancy, environment or lifestyle. It’s important to have the right sleep system pieces — especially the right mattress.

Like Sarah said, the bedMATCH^Ⓡ results were a surprise but they’re so glad they completed that process when outfitting this new home. Our bedMATCH^Ⓡ process takes into account your body type, sleep habits and sleep preferences at every unique stage in life to suggest the best 100% sleep system that’s right for you.

A special thank you to Sarah Phillips of 52 Thursdays for sharing her story with us! Welcome home!