How Night Bliss Came About

Night Bliss grew out of a loving collaboration between myself and my husband, Mike. We live and work in Petaluma, California, and are professional video producers who love helping folks tell their stories using the magically creative tools made possible by today’s digital technology.

For many years we snuggled together at night, but when my hot flashes began I became increasingly unwilling to sleep close because it was obvious that that triggered an intensely uncomfortable hot flash. For 18 months I stopped the worst with hormone drugs, but under my doctor’s advice tapered off them. The hot flashes started up again with a vengeance. I made it clear to Mike that nighttime snuggling was once again, off limits. Mike’s a very resourceful guy and he wasn’t about to give up so easily.

He researched the market place to see if there were any fans or other types of bed cooling products that worked for hot flashes. Although there were some bed fan and refrigerated mattress pad products that promised relief, nothing we tried was effective enough to ease my specific distress from frequent bouts of intense, short duration hot flashing.

So, teaming up with a couple of his tech savvy friends, Mike launched into a solution-oriented development effort.  As the testing began, I was asked to participate to help determine exactly how much wind was needed to counteract the internal body heat, and how best to operate it at night. Since I was the one suffering, I knew just what to tell them. After many months of trial and error (sometimes trying out really comical ‘Rube Goldberg’ type ideas – see photos on right) the design was completed. We were a goal oriented team and Mike and his friends listened carefully to my feedback and guess what? They got it right, in fact – exactly right. Finally, I was able to enjoy a full night’s sleep again – without anxiety. I love this guy.

It’s wonderful to be able to share that warm nighttime closeness with him without fear of that unbearable heat enveloping me. Actually, I sort of look forward to it because I know that with the push of a button, I get just the right amount of cool breeze for just the right amount of time. The body sensation you get by beating back that internal furnace transports you into a state of pure bliss.  Ladies, I kid you not.

We decided to name the product for where it takes me during a hot flash. I was so happy with my new fan that I started talking about it to my friends and relatives. He was pleased because I returned to being my sweet self during the day and came to bed with a renewed desire for nighttime closeness. As I started finding out, this night hot flashing problem is a way more pervasive issue than most people our age (including those in the medical community) were willing to acknowledge. And with more women now shying away from  risky drugs, doctors have become of surprisingly little help.

We’re interested in your experience with night hot flashing and what else you’ve tried that helps ease nighttime symptoms. Our links page was setup specifically to share those ideas.You can reach us through our Feedback page on this site, or call us directly at 1-707-762-8411, and if you choose to try our fan, please – accept our thanks and let us know how it works for you.

Thank you,
Ginny Rand    

(and yes, I'm still using my fan 3-4 times/night)