Sleep: Angelina Mahany of Angie’s Showroom On Why You Should Make Getting A Good Night’s Sleep A Major Priority In Your Life, And How You Can Make That Happen

When turning in, avoid using your gadgets. — We all know taking your phone to bed is a distraction. You want to watch something, respond to someone or read something and before you know it, the alarm clock goes off.

Getting a good night’s sleep has so many physical, emotional, and mental benefits. Yet with all of the distractions that demand our attention, going to sleep on time and getting enough rest has become extremely elusive to many of us. Why is sleep so important and how can we make it a priority?

In this interview series called “Sleep: Why You Should Make Getting A Good Night’s Sleep A Major Priority In Your Life, And How You Can Make That Happen” we are talking to medical and wellness professionals, sleep specialists, and business leaders who sell sleep accessories to share insights from their knowledge and experience about how to make getting a good night’s sleep a priority in your life.

As part of this interview series, we had the pleasure to interview Angelina Mahany.

Angelina Mahany is a CEO and Founder of Angie’s Showroom and the creator of the Angie’s Luxury Bags, a sustainable resell ecommerce platform. She is also a Marketing Professional, a Business Owner, and a Fashion Designer based in Ormond Beach, Florida.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your backstory?

Yes, sure. My name is Angelina and I am originally from Moscow, Russia. I used to be a ballerina. At that point in life I thought dance would be my whole life and by accident, I switched to business. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Corporate Management, and also a Master degree in Marketing. I have worked for large corporations for some time in Russia and France, then I received an offer from a start-up company in Cyprus, so I took this chance and moved there. After that I moved to Austin, TX, where my future fiancée was living. Long story short, when I realized there is a huge gap in the lingerie market, I decided to start my own business at this point. I wanted to show the US clients something they had never seen before… Lingerie that has it all. Quality, comfort and sexy styles at an affordable price! So Angie’s Showroom was born. So, I guess I can say that I have broad experience in different spheres. My biggest dream (especially after Paris) was to work with fashion and to create something for women. I know different languages and got to know different cultures, this definitely impacted on starting my own company.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this particular career path?

When I worked for different large corporations, I always thought that this was it, this is my path. I wanted to become a Marketing director and CEO of some large firm. But when I got this offer from a financial services company in Cyprus, my mind was changed completely. I found out that you can create everything from zero. That you can think outside the box and your ideas can be heard much faster and easier. Grow something small to something big. That the world is huge and you can do everything you want basically. So, when I finally moved to the U.S., (and you know that the United States is famous for start-ups and for the spirit of entrepreneurships.) I thought that’s my chance to start my own business, to be my own boss, and see how it goes. So, I started reselling business of women’s fashion accessories mainly handbags, and 2.5 years later — my own Luxury handmade lingerie brand — Angie’s Showroom. Here I am, ensuring that women get what they deserve and wear it all with confidence.

Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the sleep and wellness fields? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?

Research shows that what we wear to bed impacts our sleep cycles hence affecting the sleep quality. This is why despite me wanting you to hit the bed in style, I have factored in what material, size and quality you should have on. A good night’s rest equates to a beauty sleep. As Angie’s Showroom has it, you deserve it all. A great night wear and a great night’s sleep. With this in mind, my high-quality sleepwear or nightwear are made of silk and satin. This are well known great materials for night gowns because of their breathability and high moisture absorption.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

Oh yeah. I recently landed on the Book “Get Awesome: Above and Beyond: Where Passion Meets Purpose” by Jeff Lavin and voila…. It is like my life’s story. Starting my journey setting up the company in a new country, it has one’s mind all over the place. Am I doing it right? Should I try this? Will this work or not? What kept me going was that this is my passion. I needed to get my head in the right space, surround myself with great cheerleaders and mentors who have experienced the same or something similar. That’s how relatable the book was. Here I am keeping on. Steering towards Getting Awesome.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?

I love the quote from Coco Chanel — “Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable”.

Before, I always thought that you can kind of make everything right, and failures or bad luck won’t be an issue. That you can be protected from everything again if you make things right basically by using theory, best practices, your knowledge and etc.. However, when I started Angie’s Showroom I struggled with many things, how to sell the sets, how to ship, where to find inventory, how to advertise the lingerie, where to advertise and etc. I tried many things and 9 out of 10 were failures. I opened a retail location in a dying Mall, and closed it. But I didn’t give up and I am still trying new things, brain storming new ideas, investing more money and see how it goes. So, I do know that I will be successful and I am not afraid of failures anymore, because I know they will happen. Having your own business, it is a pretty stressful job, every day you have some issues that you have to deal with. So, you just need to be ready and move forward.

Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. Let’s start with the basics. How much sleep should an adult get? Is there a difference between people who are young, middle-aged, or elderly?

All factors constant, and adult should sleep an average of 7 hours a day or more. Some can even hit 10 hours a day. I am somewhere between 8–10 hours.

There is a slight difference between the sleeping patterns of people who are young, middle aged and elderly. Let’s say you sleep less as you grow old. While young people can do 8 to 10 hours or more in a day, adults and the elderly sleep around 9 hours or less.

Is the amount of hours the main criteria, or the time that you go to bed? For example, if there was a hypothetical choice between getting to bed at 10PM and getting up at 4AM, for a total of 6 hours, or going to bed at 2AM and getting up at 10AM for a total of 8 hours, is one a better choice for your health? Can you explain?

Both are factors. One needs to go to bed during the night and one also needs to sleep for the right amount of hours during the night. Studies have demonstrated that the timing of sleep matters, and it’s best to sleep as much as possible during hours of darkness. It is said that sleeping at night helps align the body’s circadian rhythm, or its internal clock, with its environment. So yeah, get enough sleep and let it be at night.

As an expert, this might be obvious to you, but I think it would be instructive to articulate this for our readers. Let’s imagine a hypothetical 35 year old adult who was not getting enough sleep. After working diligently at it for 6 months he or she began to sleep well and got the requisite hours of sleep. How will this person’s life improve? Can you help articulate some of the benefits this person will see after starting to get enough sleep? Can you explain?

Great question. Majority of us have interacted with someone who did not sleep well and I bet they can attest the mood is never the best. When you are not well rested the energy levels are usually low leaving you irritated even by the little things. There are a lot of benefits such a person gets when starting to get enough sleep. Their mood changes for the best, their energy level goes up, concentration and productivity improves and the person’s social interactions improved. Unless visible, you will notice some of the health improvements in the person. Sometimes even one’s weight is affected with improper sleep. This is because a good night’ sleep is important to one’s health.

Many things provide benefits but they aren’t necessarily a priority. Should we make getting a good night’s sleep a major priority in our life? Can you explain what you mean?

Oh yes. Like I said, a good night’s sleep impacts positively to your health. When you are unhealthy, you will not have enough time to achieve that which keeps you up since you may end up spending time at the hospital or making enemies with your grumpy mood. I always say, one’s body has no spare part. Give it its due before it gives up on you. Sleep is one of it.

The truth is that most of us know that it’s important to get better sleep. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the 3 main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives? How should we remove those obstacles?

That is sadly true.

1. We feel we have deadlines to meet and sleeping is not one of it
2. I am wasting time when I could be doing something else
3. I will miss out on something.

This are some of the blockages that prevents us from taking the information.

What we need to do is plan our time accordingly. There is time to meet deadlines and there is time to rest. We need to realize that Rome was not built in a day. Rest, keep working tomorrow. In the end, we can never have everything. But what you need to have is great health, happy mood and the energy to face the next day, or work. Get enough sleep.

Do you think getting “good sleep” is more difficult today than it was in the past?

Yes. We have more distractions. We use phones a lot, Wi-fi, TVs and all this blue light that is killing melatonin and we can’t fall asleep easily. It is recommended to switch all of your devices and stop browsing your phone for at least 1 hour before we go to bed. It’s better to read a book. ☺

Ok. Here is the main question of our discussion. Can you please share “5 things you need to know to get the sleep you need and wake up refreshed and energized”? If you can, kindly share a story or example for each.

I will share the simplest steps we can easily follow.

1. Wear loose clothing to bed. — This will allow circulation and your skin to breathe. I remember reading somewhere that Research shows that wearing binding clothing at night can also inhibit melatonin production which is responsible for regulating your sleep cycles, and if your body’s circadian rhythm is off balance, then this could really affect your sleep quality.
2. Loose the bra when you tuck in. -With the misconception that wearing a bra to bed will prevent sagging in the future, it will instead cause one a number of issues including hindering circulation as well as unnecessary pressure on your chest affecting how you breathe. Go braless to avoid any discomfort and ensuring you get quality sleep.
3. While some would choose to hit the bed in their birthday suits, choose proper nightwear material and size to bed. — Comfort is key when asleep. You don’t want to keep waking up in the middle of the night adjusting the pressure on your shoulders or tummy or neck or the sweat is too much and you are all wet or it is like you fell asleep on tops of a mountain. Wear the right material and the right size.
4. If you are a socks lover, well the good news is, keep it on when you turn in for the night — Research shows that when your feet are warm, it helps you relax and fall asleep faster. Turns out warm feet lowers your blood pressure preparing your body to sleep.
5. When turning in, avoid using your gadgets. — We all know taking your phone to bed is a distraction. You want to watch something, respond to someone or read something and before you know it, the alarm clock goes off.

What would you advise someone who wakes up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back to sleep?

Track your sleep pattern and days activities. Find out if you are sleeping too early, or you are stressed or have something weighing you down enough to not sleep well. Find out, is it the meals you take before bed Bottom line, one needs to know the reason to be able to find a proper solution to it.

What are your thoughts about taking a nap during the day? Is that a good idea, or can it affect the ability to sleep well at night?

I think if a person likes to nap and feel that he/she needs it, it’s completely fine. You can rest enough, and after a nap start working or doing your chores again. Our bodily needs are different. For some people it helps them to be more productive or re-energize. I too do take naps here and there. Sometimes when I do, I wake up feeling kind of “crashed” or takes me long to fall asleep. So, I’d rather go to bed early.

Wonderful. We are nearly done. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Sara Blakely — Founder of Spanx. I just want to talk to her, and get inspired, ask some business-related questions. I love her story, and how she created her brand from zero.

And I also love Richard Branson, I think he is amazing, he is so passionate about everything he does, and he seems a very nice person too. It would be interesting to get to know those people in person to see how they are in real life, to find more about their personality.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can follow me on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/angies.showroom/

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/angieshowroom.usa

Website: https://angieshowroom.com

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!