I have been dealing with sleep issues lately so I have been particularly interested in 'greening" the bedroom. As one of the many people who suffer from sleep apnea in this country, I am always interested in making the most out of the sleep I do get. Thankfully, I will have new equipment in the next week or so and my husband will be quite gateful that he can sleep undisturbed again!

The bedrooms are always of concern to buyers, especially the master bedroom or, any mor, the master suite. They seem to be getting larger and more complex as we sleep both less hours and less soundly.

As any of you know who may have had sleep issues,one of the recommendations is that you do nothing in bed or the bedroom other than sleep...no television, no reading, no paperwork--I've even gotten email from people who were in bed with their trusty laptop....Our bedrooms house entertainment centers, exercise equipment and the library of reading we meant to catch up on. All of these things simply add more activity rather than restfulness and they are dust catchers that help pollute the bedroom air. I even saw a recent study that said we should not sleep in the same rom with our cell phones because we don't sleep as well when they are in the same room. Put the charger in the office or on the kitchen counter next to the coffee pot but get it off the nightstand!

Natural organic cotton and bamboo sheets and pillow cases are now widely available. Natural floor coverings are a good thing to use in bedrooms--tile, wood, cotton, wool, bamboo,cork, Stores like Bed Bath & Beyond and Crate and Barrel are a good bet and many items can even be found at places like JC Penney or Target.

The first matress maker in the USA to receive GreenGuard certification for its mattresses, certifying that they meet low VOC emmisions standards is Lifekind. They offer a variety of other bedding products as well at http://www.lifekind.com

Sweet dreams.