Body's Asleep While the Mind Wakes

Reposted from Yahoo Answers...

Can you be awake while your body sleeps?

Here’s something we all do – sleep.  But have you ever wondered if you could be awake while your body sleeps?  After spotting this question: Can you be awake while your body sleeps? on Yahoo! Answers and researching further, it turns out that such a phenomenon does exist. The following are two versions of this condition: Sleep paralysis, which according to  edicineNet.com, is “when a person suddenly finds himself or herself unable to move for a few minutes, most often upon falling asleep or waking up.”

And Lucid dreaming, which according to Dutch author and psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden in his 1913 article A Study of Dreams, “is a dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming.”
There are pills, sound machines, pillows, mattresses, etc that are supposed to make our sleeps deeper and more restful.  We know that sleep is an important part of the body’s natural recovery process and when a person lacks sleep it can affect memory, cognition, concentration, reflexes, and weight.
Sleep has become a precious commodity and more and more people are trying to get by on less.  So, what are your night time rituals? What prevents you from falling asleep?  Are you one of those lucky people that can fall asleep anywhere?

Please leave a comment below.

Think Twice Before Getting a Used Futon

I read a post today in Yahoo! Answers about a family moving into a new apartment and immediately furnished most of the apartment with new-bought furniture, all except for a futon. After hearing about a friend who was selling hers to replace with a new one, they took on her offer and got the used futon couch to place in the living room.

5 months into the move, their bed unfortunately broke, and the family was forced to sleep on the living room couch. The next morning, the entire family woke up with bites all over their body. After a few inspections around the house, they were convinced it was the used couch, since all the other furniture was brand new. They could not find the bugs and finally decided to just pull the thing apart. VOILA! There they were, the said bugs as well as eggs residing inside this used piece of furniture.

Needless to say, the problem was possibly not resolved in full, although the couch was in the end sprayed down, wrapped and disposed of. There's a reason why retailers are not able to take returns on cotton/cloth based furniture since it is by law that we are unable to resell the item. Infestations occur and used furniture needs to be fully exposed (like a frame in which you're able to see whether the pieces were infected) in order to guarantee that it is pest-free!

Next time you decide to purchase an used piece of furniture, make sure to fully inspect the said items. Or else the bugs will come for free, but the end result may cost you more than you have ever expected!

Halloween Enters Ghouls, Ghosts, and the Season of Giving?

Halloween is here! Time to dress up as your favorite monsters/characters and impress the neighbors with spectacular decorations! Halloween also marks the beginning of the end of the year, and comes the months of the holidays. Everyone is more generous with their pockets while stores are lowering prices as we get closer to the end of the year!

It is time to grab attention. What better way than getting into the holiday spirit with decorations?

Holiday decorations will be a good way to draw customers in. Bright colors and big signs combined with unbeatable prices.

Create gift ideas around the store, fit the theme of the holidays in terms of colors (i.e. black and orange for Halloween, red and green for Christmas) will all allow customers to be able to visualize better. What people need is impulse mixed with simplicity, creating simple decision making will allow them to purchase gifts, with ease!

The Importance of Sleep

Sleep. It is something we do daily. That's 7 times a week, 30 times a month, 365 times a year, over 25,000 times in a lifetime.

The most asked questions surrounding sleep includes how long should we sleep, which position is best for sleeping, and of course what type of sleep platform should be used.

Average Sleep Needs
Age	Hours
Newborns (0-2 months)	12 - 18
Infants (3 months to 1 year)	14 - 15
Toddlers (1 to 3 years)	12 - 14
Preschoolers (3 to 5 years)	11 - 13
School-aged children (5 to 12 years)	10 - 11
Teens and preteens (12 to 18 years)	8.5 - 10
Adults (18+)	7.5 - 9

And while the quantity of sleep is important, the quality is just as important.

Lack of quality sleep may reduce your response time, ability to process information, and adversely affect your health.

The many problems a working adult may face is the dilemma of sleeping enough hours, yet still wake up feeling as if the act of sleeping, never took place. 

During a normal night, we all go through 3 phases of the sleep cycle, light sleep, deep sleep and REM. The main objective to obtain a good night's sleep is to have enough deep sleep and REM to feel refreshed in the morning.

There are a few ways to ensure a better night's sleep.

• Exercise, preferably before evening. Maintaining physical health is good, yet extreme physical activity may cause sleeping difficult during the evening and night time for when it is time to sleep.
• Don't overeat during dinner. Mostly suggested by fitness professional for individuals on a diet, it is also a bad habit to sleep on a full stomach. A stuffed stomach may cause difficulty in sleep.
• The bedroom is meant for sleep. Leave all the electronics and other possible distractions out. The bedroom should be a place of zen; peaceful and soothing.
• Cut out caffeine during the day, and alcohol at night. Although it may be tempting to get a nightcap to induce yourself to sleep, problem is it may interfere with the sleep cycles and wake you up later.
• Sleep with the right support. Pillows where needed, regardless of the posture. When sleeping on your side, put a pillow between the legs. Have additional support beneath your knees when sleeping on your back. And when sleeping on your abdomen, have a pillow underneath the pelvis near the lower abdomen. Use a pillow under your head, only if it does not strain your back when sleeping on your abdomen.

When shopping for your new bed, many ask what type of material is "best" for comfort and support. The main thing is, one can never give a universal answer that will satisfy the comfort needs of every individual out there. Everyone has different preferences on comfort, whereas support is something that can be categorized more accurately.

Most Americans today sleep on a mattress. Usually with a foam, poly-cotton blend pillow top, and a spring coil core. Preferred by many due to the comfort level, yet causes back pain due to its structure. Typically a spring mattress will cause body aches depending on your sleep posture. The coils loosen as the weight distribution of your body is constant, thus the longer you use a spring mattress, the worse its support.

When it comes to futons for sleeping, the cotton based futons provides the same support throughout, regardless of length of use. Evenly distributed among the futon, the support provides enough cushioning to support the uneven weight and shape of the body. Although the thickness is preferred by most, thinner futons on top of a solid surface, i.e. tatami mats, provides the best support. And many doctors will agree, it is the preferred sleep surface for those with back pain, to sleep on a solid, hard surface that will still provide the proper support for the body's weight distribution.

Top that off with a doctor recommended neck pillow, the buckwheat hull pillows (a.k.a. sobakawa pillows). The sobakawa pillows are great in that it forms to the shape of your neck. The buckwheat hulls moves as you rest your head and neck over the pillow, similar to that of a memory foam pillow, yet it is 100% natural material, as remains cool as you lay on top due to the natural air circulation within the pillow. The buckwheat hull pillows provided through Yan's International Inc. are available in two sizes, both with a removable decorative cover. The cover provides both unique pattern design to allow individuality, as well as keeping the pillow fresh and clean.

For more information related to Japanese cotton futons, tatami mats or sobakawa pillows, feel free to visit our website and send us an email!

Futon Questions

Recently I had came across a question on Yahoo asking about how to select specific futons. I figured a lot of people are wondering about the same issue, so I am merely re-posting the Q&A here.

Question:

I HAVE A FUTON QUESTION FOR FUTON OWNERS! 10 points easy!?

I'm trying to buy a futon for this room I want to make into a living room in my basement and I need a futon because a normal couch wouldn't be able to fit through the door way to the basement its probably 2 feet wide so yeah but everywhere i look you have to buy the frame and mattress seperate. Is that the way it is everywhere? Because if it is then that sucks. If anyone knows or could recommend a futon to me thanks and the store where you bought it from!

Answer:

I think what you mean is you have the option to buy them separately, correct? Thing with futon is that the frame and the mattress can be purchased separately so you are able to customize to your liking. That way, it prevents customers from purchasing a set with a particular design not to their liking thus shying away from the decision. Most futon stores will sell BOTH futon frames, and mattress, even if they do sell them separately. It just makes more sense to carry both. The thing is, the futon mattress of one store, may differ from the next.

If you are purchasing a futon you have to consider these things...
What is it mainly used for? Is it a guest room? Is it for yourself? Is it mainly used as a couch for you to sit on? A lounger for you to relax in and watch TV/read books? Or it is mainly used as a bed? Or all of the above?

For a guestroom, you'll want to get a Bi-Fold Design (tell the sales if you're going to a store, otherwise look up "Bi-Fold" to find images and you'll know what I mean). It's very easy to operate to switch from the couch position to a bed position. More than likely you'll want a futon mattress of 8" or more on a bi-fold. Due to that it's very easy to operate, if you want something that you'll sleep on and sit on on a daily basis, get the bi-fold.

For something you mainly want to lounge in, get a bi-fold with a pull-out option.

For something where you want the most amount of sleep space, yet small enough to not take much room as a couch, get a tri-fold design (again, look up for images). These are typically called the A-Frames since as an upright position, the side view draws the shape of a capitalized A. Usually available with 3 settings, the upright, lounge, and bed positions. Very versatile, yet a bit harder to operate. In addition, the size (thickness) of your futon is limited on a tri-fold. You have the option to either get a 2-piece futon (2 smaller sized futon compared to the standard) in order to operate all 3 functions of the frame, OR you can get a thinner futon. The usual standard size futon for the tri-fold is up to 6" thick.

You can find a lot of futon selections online, but if you would like to try-out the futons before your purchase, I'd suggest finding a store near you by google (just type in keyword futon store and your zip code). You can also visit my website and I can direct you to a retailer nearest you!

Good luck in your search!

Hope this helps!

I am sorry if there was any misspelling or grammatical errors.

Online Presence

Where did you get your couch from? Certainly not from an online store was it? Did you have to search through the 5-6 furniture stores in your area to find what you like? Were you able to find what you were looking for?

It is amazing how the fact of an online presence for any company is so important now. When asked for the first place to look for anything, most people would answer online, or a specific way of searching for the item online (i.e. google, ebay, craigslist to name a few).

Just last week, after conversing with one of our store associate, she indicated that the customers found our store by Google. Apparently the couple were looking to purchase a sofa bed or a futon for a potential guestroom, and found our store given that it was the only location listed within the 15 mile radius from where they had lived. Through research into SEO (search engine optimization), Google as well as most businesses dealing with SEO will tell you that most internet shopper NEVER gets to the second page of a search. The usual breakdown shows 80-85% of shoppers only visit results on the first page, while the rest is spread among the second page and less than 1% from the third page on.

What does that mean to you or me?

Well, what it means is that most potential customers will not go to more than 3 stores to purchase what they are looking for. Yes, it is true that customers will purchase based on pricing when comparing between stores, but they buy based on potential benefits (i.e. features that cater to their needs). This is why it is very important to have a website, or some sort of online presence set up, to be even considered for those comparisons. Whether if it is a website, or as simple as a Google map store information.

There are many sites and blogs that discuss how to utilize SEO to generate additional hits to your online content, that would include Facebook, and even Yelp!

Tatami Mats - the how-to's and all you can know about Japanese Traditional floor mats

Tatami, traditionally used by the Japanese as flooring materials. Woven straw tops with condensed rice straw forming the center core, you can even find polystyrene foam or wood chips in the tatami mats as a less-expensive alternative. Currently there are 2 standard size for tatami. 90cm x 180cm or 95cm x 190cm (with half sizes for the respective sizing too). The tatami that uses rice straw often has bug-repelling paper back to prevent any contamination during its use. In addition, the edges on the sides are covered by woven cloth to seal off each side, and also gives it a more contrast look.

Nowadays tatami mats are also used on 9' x 9' platform as flooring for a sectional, on platform bed frames or even accessories such as nightstand and bench tops.

The straw core tatami mats, when fresh, gives off a fresh-cut grass aroma to fill the room with a natural springtime scent to bring nature indoors throughout the year. In addition, the tatami has therapeutic tendencies to help with bad back, aligns the back in it's proper posture for sleeping. The tatami mats stay cool in the summer time, yet still keeps you warm under covers in the winter time. Unlike spring or foam or even cotton mattresses, tatami mats has a lifetime, or more, worth of usage in which you will never need to replace, EVER.

Maintenance for tatami mats is easy. There's no tossing and turning, beating, or leaving out in the sun to air out. Simply grab a dry cloth, use a water spray (plant sprays) and lightly spray the tatami. Then wipe along the lines of the woven straw top, side to side. Do this once you have received your new mats, and afterwards as much as you clean. The tatami mats have little need to clean due to the tightly woven tops, allows nothing to slip through. A simple dust-wipe across the tatami tops will simply be enough.

One thing to remember is that the tatami mats have a natural color of green when fresh, since fresh straws are green. Tatami turns yellow after 10-12 months of use, depending on the exposure of the tatami mat tops to sunlight. Thus, if desired, you may leave the tatami mats out in the sun after wiping to hasten the process. In addition, the grass aroma the tatami mats give off will also reduce with this procedure. Keep in mind that the tatami mat will always have the natural straw aroma throughout its lifetime.

Deciding to get a new bed, or thinking of what to do with a new section of a guestroom? Visit one of the showrooms in San Francisco Bay Area in California, or email us for additional locations for a retailer near you. Leave a comment below for additional questions!

Be Prepared

Good practice is to always be prepared.

It is good practice to prepare for the worst, yet ready for the rest. You never know what will happen, so it becomes a constant battle to shoot for the best and be the best in whatever it is that we do. For example, to predict how sales will go for the next year, you read the trend that is being set this year, as well as previous years. For the months where sales are down, use additional promotions, advertising, and any other marketing strategies in order to drive up sales. For the months where sales are up, restock items and maintain good inventory to make sure back-orders are prevented as much as possible.

Being prepared also means a well-trained staff. Knowledge of new items, inventory, pricing shifts as well as upcoming specials and discounts will play a big part to promote and increase sales. Employees who would have to physically check stock every single time an item is being asked for availability becomes an inefficient process that utilizes unnecessary manpower for something that could be simply tracked beforehand. Although this may not always be true, always have a fast and efficient way to track inventory, either by maintaining a well-written tracking sheet, or having a planned-out method of communicating with the warehousing staff.

Lack of preparation often leads to disaster once adversity strikes. While it is not possible to prepare for all, it is possible to always have a plan to deal with adversity when it happens. From experience we are able to learn from our mistakes, and prepare for future occurrences of the past events. There is always time to prepare, and the sooner the better. So, start formulating today!

Futon - From Japan to America

The word futon derived from the Japanese meaning of a bundle of materials wrapped with cloth. Traditionally, futon in Japan is used as a sleep on mattress (shikibuton), comforter (kakebuton), as well as meditation thin square cushion (zabuton). The thickness tends to be thin for space-saving reasons, in order to put the nightly-used sleep accessories away during the day-time.

Futons in the US typically means the convertible frame that alternates from a couch/chair into a bed. Ranges in sizes from chair (27" wide) to queen (80" wide) sizes. Often made with solid hardwood, although metal frames are also a popular selection. Similarly, the futons in the US are also designed for space-saving. Most popular in smaller apartments, or shared homes. One of the favorites for college students. The typical futons come in 3 separate parts, the frame, the mattress and the futon cover.

Futon Frame:
Usually comes in solid wood, is the foundation of the futon. The unique design allows the futon to interchange between it's upright couch position and flat bed position. Most designs also comes with a lounger position, which is slightly tilted making it a bit lower than the upright position. There are two main categories that describes the positional design of the frame; A-frames (aka Tri-Folds) and Bi-Folds.

Like the names suggest, the "A-Frame" bends into an A-shape in it's upright position. Usually comes in 3 positions which includes the standard upright position, the flat bed position, and lastly the lounger position. The lounger position in an A-Frame is different from the Bi-Folds. In the A-Frame's lounger position, your legs are supported rather than just hanging off the front of the futon.

The Bi-Fold is the more recognized model design of the futon frames. The "Bi" refers to the "Two" folds that the frame goes under when it is in its upright position; first fold is where you sit on, second fold is the back support. A typical bi-fold frame has stoppers on the bottom to lock the frame in its many positions. The two main "locked" positions are the upright as well as the bi-fold's version of the lounger position. Not to be confused with the A-Frame's version of the "Lounger Position," the Bi-Fold's version is really just a slanted upright position to allow the back to fully rest on the futon mattress as you sit back.

In Mid-2008, Yan's introduced the new Loveseat Lounger Pull-out option for the Bi-Folds, which allows the A-Frame's more comfortable lounger position to be used on a Bi-Fold Frame. The pull-out option allows a third fold (on the frame) to be pulled out, extending the frame to provide a leg support.

Futon Mattress:
Built for comfort, and designed to bend yet holds it upright shape. Most futon mattresses used for the upright futon frames are in between 8"-12" thick. Usually stuffed with a mix of cotton blend and foam, whereas newer designs include visco, inner-springs, wool and poly-blends as well.

For Bi-Folds, a typical suggested futon mattress has to be 8" thick or more. Due to the upright position that the Bi-Folds hold, a thinner futon would simply not hold up its shape. While sitting on the Bi-Fold, depending on its main usage-purpose, different cares may be used. When mostly used as an upright couch or lounger position, the futon mattress should be turned 180 degrees (swapping the seat section with the back) every 3-4 weeks. When mostly used as both flat bed and upright positions, in addition to the 180 degrees turns, you should also flip the futon (back to front) every other month*.

For A-Frames, suggested futon mattress is from 3" up to 6" thick. Unless the upright-chair position is not used, anything thicker than 6" would not layover across the top of an A-Frame (thus the back sticks out). The typical A-Frame futon is mainly cotton-blend materials, or a wool mixed with cotton blend. Due to the limit on the thickness of the mattress, it is a less-popular design for a standard home use. Yet, due to the lower costs and the versatility, along with the third lounger position the frame offers, it is typically the most popular among college students.

*This method does not work for our ComFourPedic selection due to the visco topper is one-sided. 180 degrees turns will be enough for the ComFourPedic selection.

Futon Covers:
Nothing completes the futon like its cover. The cover brings out the unique fashion of the futon, personalizes the furniture to fit in any setting. Selections usually comes in two main categories, solid or printed design. A Yan's original design features a print-in-lay option, which is a canvas design to fit the compact Japanese fabrics into the wider futon mattress covers.

Solid covers are single color, plain covers that uses both 100% cotton material, or micro-fiber suede. Additional selections includes the vinyl fabric, as well as poly-blended materials.

Printed fabrics are split into two main categories, Japanese or Domestic US prints. The traditional Japanese prints uses a higher thread count cotton fabric, gives a more silky smooth feel to the cover. Whereas the domestic prints uses a more upholstery material that tends to be stronger and thicker cotton blend which is typically better suited in homes with pets.

Solid with print in-lay design was first introduced by Yan's (at the time known as Miwa Futon) back in 1991. The design featured a 3 fabric-selection option. Main selection is the printed fabric that is the center-piece of the entire design. The piping and border fabrics that follow accent the printed fabric and brings out an unique design that personalizes the cover. This design was to allow the more compacted Japan-imported fabric to fit into the wide 6'-7' bi-fold futons.

Lastly, there is the 2-sided feature, that either uses a print/solid design, double solid design or double printed design. The 2 sides allows variety in the cover design of the futon. Being able to use either side, the cover gives a 2-for-1 deal.

In addition to the cover designs listed above, custom designs are also available for the customer's choosing. Be unique, be creative and create your own signature design!

For a complete list of our Fabrics and Accessories, check HERE.

Accessories

Futons and beds look nice by themselves, but nothing will breathe life into a room like accessories. They are the lamps and plants, the pillows and duvet sets, the sheets and covers that accent the masterpieces behind them.

Many showrooms that I have seen are bland, and simple. These rooms are suppose to tell a story as your customers walk by.

The story of a boy, sitting in the living room with his sister watching Disney movies together.

The story of the lady, resting on the futon after falling asleep to her favorite late-night talk show.

With that picture in mind, now ask yourself, do you see it in your store?

Some stores may be missing pillows, some may be lamps, some may not have anything that accents their main presentation. The key thing is, accessories accents the room, and gives customer a more clearer image of what they could have in their home.

To check out our selections of accessories, Click HERE.

First

Just a post to get things going.

Currently Yan's International Inc. is located in Union City, CA. We manufacture futon, beddings and Japanese style home use furnishing items. (Visit our WEBSITE to view our catalog)

This blog will be used mainly for any updates whether if it is a business specific, or industry specific topics.

Quick tips for independent retailers:

• Maintain online presence. Whether if it is through social networking or website.
• Develop trained staff in order for them to educate customers in better understanding the materials used, operation, as well as being able to understand the construction of the product.
• Always suggest, never sell. Provide genuine and sincere suggestions based on customer desire. Main thing is to allow the decision made come entirely from the customers.
• Maintain high energy in the workplace. Emotions are expressed and passed on to customers. A happy sales will induce a happy customer!

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