Blog Posts by Good Housekeeping

Read these seven tips for why you may not be getting the best sleep possible.1. You sleep in cycles.
A full sleep cycle takes about 90 to 120 minutes, says psychologist Lisa Medalie, a behavioral sleep specialist at the University of Chicago. You go through four stages, starting with the lightest one and ending with rapid-eye movement (REM). "Usually people wake up for a couple minutes after each complete sleep cycle," she says.

2. You become a cold-blooded animal during REM sleep.
During dream-filled, REM sleep, your body isn't its own furnace. "We lose the ability to thermo-regulate ourselves," says Mark Mahowald, professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a visiting professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at Stanford University. But that's fine because REM periods typically last only 20 minutes or so, though they can be as short as two minutes or as long as 45, says sleep researcher Ursula Voss, a psychology professor at the University of Frankfurt. "You become a cold-blooded animal. You don't sweat in REM sleep."

Stock up on stainless steel flatwareSpring is officially here (thank goodness!) so you can expect to see lots of winter styles moving out to make way for fresh spring products and colors. Here, three product picks if you're looking to get a bargain this month!

Related: 12 Easy Spring-Cleaning Tips

1. Stainless Steel Flatware: Retailers are moving utensils out this month to make way for new styles. To find the best bets for your table:

• Look on packaging or pieces themselves for an "18/10" marking - 18 percent chromium and 10 percent nickel. Chromium gives flatware strength and keeps it from rusting, while nickel helps it resist acids and gives it a silver-like look.
• There should be no burrs or rough spots between the fork tines - pinch at the space and run your fingertips down it to check.
• Good knives are forged as one piece. The blade should be finely serrated, and have a little "give" so it won't break when cutting hard foods - grasp it at either end and flex to check for slight bendability.

Easter chocolates When I was little, one of my favorite parts of Easter was when my great-uncle Andy would visit, bearing a colorful basket filled with fake grass, jelly beans, and-always-a chocolate Easter bunny. Here in the test kitchen, we thought we'd relive our childhoods a bit and try some of the adorable chocolate treats that are available today. Our tasting* wasn't exhaustive - bathing suit season is approaching, after all! - but we pulled together some of the cutest and tastiest holiday chocolates out there.

1. Fran's Chocolates

Fran's, from Seattle, is a crowd favorite here in the food department.

12 piece assorted Easter eggs, $22

We loved all the flavors, but fell hard for the coconut and hazelnut crunch fillings.

Fran's 7-piece salted caramels, $12.75
We never say no to Fran's salted caramels - the green box and ribbon would be a classy addition to any basket.

2. Harbor Sweets

Robert L Strohecker Assorted Rabbit, $16.95

Named for the founder's

Check out these five ways to color your Easter eggsMany of these Easter eggs can be made in less than an hour with ingredients you probably already have right in your kitchen. Just grab some colorful produce, spices, vinegar and fresh eggs, then follow these simple steps:

Pink
1 medium beet, chopped + 2 c. water + 2 Tbsp. white vinegar

Place all ingredients in medium pot; bring to a boil. Let simmer 30 minutes, or until water turns deep red. Cool to room temperature, remove beet chunks, and pour liquid into a mason jar. Leave a hard-cooked egg in the dye for a few minutes to a few hours, depending upon the color desired.

Blue
1/4 head red cabbage, chopped + 4 c. water + 2 Tbsp. white vinegar

In medium pot, heat ingredients until water boils; simmer 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature, strain, and pour dye into two small jars. Leave a hard-cooked egg in the dye overnight for a royal blue.

Mustard Yellow
4 Tbsp. turmeric + 2 c. water + 2 Tbsp. white vinegar

In small pot,

Peel off the pounds faster with these eight diet strategies Who has the time to keep up with weight-loss research? It's so technical...and confusing...and often contradictory! And yet if you don't know what's going on in the world of calorie counting, you may not be seeing the pounds drop off as fast as you think they should. In one European diet-and-exercise study, for example, participants who were given detailed explanations of the research itself were more likely to improve (exercise more or eat better or both) than a less clued-in group. Fortunately, we have dug into the latest research. And as we did, we noted that a surprising number of dieting tactics accepted as gospel have recently been shown to be dead wrong. Knowing which still hold up and which are big (fat) lies can mean the difference between winning and losing at weight loss. Here's the lowdown.

1. To lose a pound, you must cut 3,500 calories

FALSE: This much-quoted equation doesn't account for the slowdown that happens to your metabolism as you drop pounds, explain

Try these tips for perfect skin in any climate1. New Orleans Climate

TOP SKIN DOC: Deirdre Hooper, M.D.

SKIN WOE: Acne, especially on your back.

SOLUTION: "Use your facial skin care on your body, but choose acne-fighting salicylic acid, not benzoyl peroxide (BP). If a BP lotion gets wet during the day - when you sweat, for example - it can bleach your clothes. Instead, use a 2% salicylic acid wash on your back when you get in the shower, leave it on for a few minutes while you cleanse your face, and then rinse it off." Try Clean & Clear Advantage Daily Soothing Acne Wash ($7.50, drugstores).

SKIN WOE: Little red bumps between the breasts, on your rear, and in other skin folds.

"Women think they have acne, but it's actually folliculitis - inflamed hair follicles, often due to an overgrowth of yeast on the skin. A common cause is working out and then leaving your exercise clothes on all day. Even wearing tight clothes like leggings at an event like our famous Jazz Fest, where you'll sweat in the heat and

Wacky beauty ingredients Ever read the label of your favorite lotion? Contrary to its name, there's more in there than just rose petals and green tea! Here, 10 weird (yes, even gross) ingredients found in the latest beauty products.

1. Urea
Talk about ick factor: Urea is an organic compound naturally found in urine. You'll often find it in moisturizers (don't worry, it's mostly synthetically derived), since it attracts and retains water in the skin. Find it in Eucerin Intensive Repair Very Dry Skin Lotion ($11, drugstore.com).

2. Cochineal Beetle Extract
Did someone say beetle juice? This extract, commonly listed as carmine, is a bright red pigment made from the bodies of beetles. Thanks to its vivid hue, it's typically found in color cosmetics, like blush and lipstick. (Steer clear of it by shopping for products labeled vegan.) Find it in CoverGirl Cheekers Blush in Brick Rose ($4, drugstore.com).

Related: 7 Anti-Aging Ingredients You Need to Know

3. Caviar
This extravagant

Woman dreamingEver wonder why you keep reliving the same strange scene in your sleep? Turns out, there's more to dreams than restless nights. Sleep experts weigh in on the meaning of dreams and the interesting ways they affect you.

1. No one knows for sure why you dream.
"That's the one part of sleep medicine we know the least about," says Charles Bae, a sleep medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. "I think dreams help people process the multiple kinds of sensory input that come in through the day." Some people report experiencing eureka moments during dreams.

In her book about Lyndon Johnson, biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote that LBJ dreamed he had a stroke and became paralyzed - and then a few months later chose not to run for president in 1968. "He had made a decision in his dream," says Myron Glucksman, author of Dreaming: An Opportunity for Change, and psychiatrist in New York City and Redding, Connecticut. "Dreams are like an internal diary. They're a nightly commentary on your