VENTEUR spoke with Ron Rudzin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Saatva, about how to make the most of our sleep. Established in 2010, Saatva is the original DTC mattress industry disruptor, founded on the principle that everyone deserves healthy and restorative sleep on a quality bed. Saatva's nine handcrafted, eco-friendly mattresses are made to order in the US with premium materials that meet the highest health and environmental safety standards. The company remains at the forefront of the retail transformation, with a nationwide rollout of immersive, state-of-the-art viewing rooms where visitors can experience the full range of products and explore the brand with the help of the latest retail technology. Through accessible prices, complimentary white glove delivery, and 24/7 customer care, Saatva provides customers with a superb mattress buying experience that embodies Smarter Luxury Sleep's meaning.
Before founding Saatva, Rudzin spent his career investing in and managing businesses in the home furnishings industry. Then, in 2007, he had a simple idea: make the most luxurious and comfortable mattress possible and sell it directly to the customer with no retail markups. So, he launched the Saatva luxury innerspring mattress in 2010. The combination of old-fashioned customer service with the modern efficiencies of e-commerce quickly put Saatva on the map.
A native of New York, Rudzin serves on the board of PENCIL, which connects New York City public school students to success through partnerships with local business leaders. In addition, he is a frequent writer and speaker on entrepreneurship, e-commerce, and brand-building issues.
Everyone should aim for 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night. Sleep is paramount to enhancing problem-solving and boosting mood, among many other benefits—all of which help drive personal and professional success. It also helps you feel better and more energized throughout the day.
While every individual's sleep needs are different, a few things characterize "healthy sleep." First is the ability to fall asleep quickly. For most people, it takes around 10 to 20 minutes. If you typically fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow, that might signal you need to get more sleep regularly. On the other hand, if you toss and turn for an hour before you fall asleep, you might have a sleep problem such as insomnia or another condition that is interfering with your ability to fall asleep.
Another measure of healthy sleep is staying asleep without frequent waking. Most people have short periods of wakefulness during the night, but if you're experiencing healthy sleep, you should be able to fall back to sleep quickly.
REM is one of the five stages of sleep, accounting for about 25% of sleep time. It gets its name from the rapid eye movement that characterizes this sleep stage and is the time when dreams are most common. Other sleep stages, including deep sleep, are known as non-REM sleep. Nevertheless, REM is vital because it is associated with retaining memories and information from the day. The older you get, the less time you spend in REM sleep.
Fun fact: During REM sleep, you enter into paralysis when your muscles stop moving, and your body relaxes to prevent you from physically acting out vivid dreams.
Sleep is much more complex than we think, but it's also vitally important, as is the process through which we guide our bodies to better, deeper sleep. Building a sleep routine should incorporate activities that help you relax and also be something you look forward to every night.
Consistently engaging in preferred activities helps create an evening ritual that promotes sleep. I recommend:
Sleep is an activity you must prepare for, like any physical activity. First, you need to create the right environment. I take a warm shower every night before bed, wear fitting pajamas, and set my bedroom to the right temperature. I need a pillow under my leg to help with spinal alignment. I prepare and motivate myself for sleep and encourage others to discover their unique sleep routine to make the most of their rest.
Lack of sleep affects your immune system, brain function, and mental health. Sleep is crucial for keeping your brain healthy. It boosts creativity and consolidates memory by strengthening some neural pathways while reducing those it doesn't need. It also improves cognitive function and protects against dementia. It's important to remember that the brain's ability to clear out the toxic waste buildup only operates during sleep. Studies have shown that it also reduces depression. Your body also produces infection-fighting antibodies while you sleep and hormones that protect you from infectious diseases and strengthen your immune system.
Our devices emit sleep-disrupting blue light. That's why it's a good idea to turn your phone off about an hour before you're ready to sleep.
At Saatva, we see ways technology can contribute to quality rest. For example, specific sleep apps on the market can play soothing music and natural sounds and even offer guided meditations to help you unwind. As a brand, we also offer products like our Adjustable Base Plus, a bed base that has settings such as zero gravity and gentle massage for customized comfort and better sleep.
