Monthly Archives: August 2021

When we were small, bedtime tended to be a well organised routine! Bathtime, maybe a glass of warm milk…then 7pm, up to bed! Brush teeth, wash face and if you were lucky, being read to for half an hour.

However we get older, those routines change and certain habits creep in, such as checking your mobile in bed, bingeing on the latest box set or eating late. Not ‘winding down’ before bedtime can lead to sleep problems like insomnia, which in turn affects our ability to perform our daily and/or work tasks. Without enough sleep, the brain cannot function properly, impairing your abilities  to concentrate, think clearly, and process memories. Over time, lack of sleep leads to anxiety, and stress, whereas sleeping well helps you to wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day.

Sleep is also an essential function to keep physically healthy. This is the time that your body goes into ‘repair’ mode, as well as keeping your immune system in good shape. Lack of sleep makes us more vulnerable to illness.

But how much sleep do you need?

The table below sets out the generally recommended hours of sleep for each age. It’s also worth bearing in mind that keeping regular sleeping hours will help your brain and internal body clock to get used to a routine.

Here at Devon Duvets, we’ve always been committed to a Zero Waste policy and we’re very close to achieving it! We wrote a blog last year about how some of our fabric ‘waste’ is used by other companies to create products -  and now we’ve found a wonderful local business who can turn our old pallets into fabulous garden furniture and a range of useful household items.

Keith & Keith Restoration was founded just down the road from us in Devon by Alan O’Livey, just before the pandemic in 2020. Having always enjoyed watching programmes about furniture restoration and upcycling, he was inspired to start his own business doing the same thing. He started out small, working from home, and using old pallets to make garden furniture, coffee tables and benches.

The business has grown rapidly in the past 18 months, and so Alan now has a workshop based in Plympton, where he is also now making commissions to order. He tells us that some customers have their own ideas about what sort of furniture they would like and so contact him to discuss these ideas. “I enjoy discussing creative ideas with my customers”, he says. “As a new business, it’s always good to keep moving forward and developing my skills.”

Branching out from old pallets, Alan now tracks down all kinds of old wood and other materials for his workshops and this means he has been able to expand on the types of products he makes. This includes coat hooks (with some great Dinosaur themed clothes hooks for children), mug rags, toy chests, cabinets and garden planters of all sizes.

Needless to say, we’re delighted that we’re able to work with another local busines in such a creative way. It means that Alan is helping us to achieve our Zero Waste policy and he won’t be short of old pallets that he can skilfully turn into beautiful and useful products.

If you wa