Hi TOM Organic! Your founder, Aimee Marks is such an inspiration! Could you share the story of how it all began?
We’d love to! Aimee’s passion and vision is still the driving force behind TOM Organic, and her story is pretty incredible.
It was actually during a high school design project that Aimee came up with the idea for TOM. While trying to solve the packaging dilemma of tampons always falling loose in her handbag, she started to look into what her sanitary products were actually made of. She was shocked to discover that the tampons she had been using for years were made of everything but cotton. Further research revealed that bleach, synthetics and dyes are all present in conventional tampons and Aimee felt a responsibility to share this knowledge with women around her. Every woman should have the opportunity to make informed decisions about the products she uses in the most delicate part of her body.
From here, the idea for TOM Organic was born and Aimee launched the first pure organic cotton tampons available in Australian supermarkets.
We’re all things sleep at The Goodnight Co. and according to a National Sleep Foundation poll, 33% of women say their sleep is disturbed during their menstural cycles. Other research suggests up to 70% of women notice a change in their sleep before their period starts. Could you give us a little insight into why that's the case?
There’s a lot going on in our bodies before and during our periods so it’s absolutely normal to experience changes in our sleep patterns. It’s important to understand that we experience hormonal changes throughout our entire cycle, not just when we are menstruating. Specifically, the week before our periods start, progesterone levels spike which can really zap energy levels and make us more tired than usual.
During our period, there are a number of reasons we might not be getting the quality sleep we need. Our hormone levels typically drop right before we start menstruating which can leave us anxious and affect our moods, not a good recipe for relaxing into a good nights’ sleep. Beyond our hormones, the physical effects many of us feel during our periods, such as cramps and headaches, can be difficult to sleep with. Couple all of this with actually managing our bleeds while sleeping and there are a lot of things to think about while trying to get some shut eye!
What are your top tips on how to get a good night's sleep during your period?
Taking the time to slow down and create a calming environment to help your body relax can really make a difference. Turning all screens off at least half an hour before bed and starting to slow down by reading a book, meditating or doing some simple stretches can help to reduce feelings of anxiety and calm the mind. If you suffer from cramps, experiment with some different methods that may help to reduce symptoms. Some of our favourite methods at the TOM office include taking a warm bath, applying topical magnesium, using essential oils (particularly lavender), sipping on a calming herbal tea, or warming up a good old fashioned heat pack!
As a female lead company ourselves, we'd love to know your favourite thing about being surrounded by all that girl power?
It’s so empowering! Women are wonderful at lifting each other up and our ethos at The TOM Co is to support each other 100% so that everyone has the opportunity to give their best.
What's next for TOM Organic?
There’s always something on the horizon here at TOM. We’re committed to the health of our community and environment, so continuing to make improvements on our product offerings is constantly at the forefront of our minds. Currently, we’re taking steps to reduce as much wastage across our supply chain as possible. We recently removed a layer of packaging form our pads with will see us reduce waste by a whopping 12,000 kilograms a year. Continuing to evolve our community programs in order to connect with, empower and educate women is also high on our agenda, so watch this space!
If you love TOM Organic as much as we do, you can head over to their website, here. Or discover more of our sleep tips here.
