Coming Home Magazine

DO YOU HAVE A PRISTINE COMMUNITY & WANT TO BE FEATURED? E m a i l u s a t c o m i n g h o m e m a g @ a s s o c i a o n l i n e . c o m Image courtesy of The Condominiums at Carlyle Square Built in 2007, The Condominiums at Carlyle Square is a mixed-use development on John Carlyle Street in Alexandria, VA. The community features 145 units and a variety of commercial and retail spaces spanning four levels. The property is conveniently located in one of the newest districts in Alexandria, and is within walking distance of popular restaurants, upscale shopping, and the King Street Trolley that takes residents throughout Old Town and to the Potomac River. The Condominiums at Carlyle Square recently won the 2018 Best of Alexandria Award in the Condominium Complex category for the sixth year in a row. The Alexandria Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Alexandria area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value. THE CONDOMINIUMS AT CARLYLE SQUARE A l e x a n d r i a , VA Touch Bedding: When it comes to bedding, one mattress doesn't rule them all. Research the various mattress types—like memory foam, pillow top, or latex—to help decide which one is right for you. Pillows: Did you know that your sleep position is important to consider when choosing a pillow? Just like you can select pillows for firmness, you can also find pillows designed specifically for your sleep position (side, back, stomach, etc.). Sight Light can trick the brain into thinking it's daytime, thus leading to poor sleep. Try blackout curtains to keep any sun from peeking in. Or, cover your peepers with an eye-mask. We like this fun one from Ettitude. Taste Remember when your parents would give you warm milk to help you sleep? While mom has a pretty decent track record of good advice—those bangs, that friend, that outfit—turns out she was wrong on this one. Apparently, the idea that milk induces sleep stems from the fact that milk includes trace amounts of tryptophan—the amino acid the brain uses to build serotonin and melatonin. However, according to University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, there's no proof that milk makes you sleepy. Cut the caffeine! We all like a good pick-me-up, but it can take our bodies hours to fully metabolize caffeine, keeping you wired well into the wee hours if enjoyed later in the day. It's best to avoid caffeine—coffee, teas, sodas, etc.—after noon to make sure the buzz is gone before bedtime. Smell Studies have shown that certain scents have been linked to better sleep. In fact, there's an entire suite of products and practices dedicated to scents that impact not only sleep, but also energy levels, allergies and more—it's called aromatherapy and many people swear by the positive effects of using scent to improve sleep. Sound It only takes a quick search in the app store to see the many options available for meditation apps designed to lull you to sleep. A few of our favorites: Calm, Pziz, and White Noise. Mind Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, star of the BBC One show, Doctor in the House, advises, "90 minutes before bed, switch off all modern technology: tablets, phones, and laptops. This reduces the amount of mental and emotional stimulation which often keeps us awake. In addition, the blue-light that comes out of these devices can actually reduce levels of a hormone called melatonin, which is something that we need to help us drop into deep, relaxing sleep." Five More Minutes Eye Mask www.ettitude.com $20.00 BETWEEN KEEPING UP with daily responsibilities, binge- watching our favorite shows, and the fact that the internet doesn't have an off switch, it's no surprise that a Gallup poll found that 40% of Americans aren't getting enough sleep. And there are consequences. Studies have found that lack of sleep results in poor impulse control, poor decision-making, and it's been found to put you at risk for heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and more. We think the key to good zzz's is taking control of your senses, so we rounded up our favorite tips, old wives' tales, and products that claim to take you to la-la land. Bamboo Lyocell Sheet Set www.ettitude.com $138.00 Sleep Sense PRISTINE COMMUNITY 18

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