Am I expecting too much from my perfectly good mattress?
Sometimes I'm not sure if my aches and pains, and particularly lower back issues aren't related to other factors. I'm always ready to blame my mattress, it seems. The reason I say this is because my back is terribly fickle these days. One day my mattress (latex and coils) will feel just great the way it is. Then the next day my lower back hurts. I tweak the layers a bit or add a softer topper. But no matter what I do, it never seems to feel perfect. I'm talking about my back and sometimes other body parts. I'm beginning to think if I made a point of 1.) Exercising and stretching more 2.) Losing about 20 lbs. 3.) Going to bed earlier....my back might feel better all the way around. Then, hopefully, I can stop trying to configure my mattress to "cure" the aches and pains. Maybe I shouldn't give it so much responsibility! I'm realizing that we need some teamwork here for this 'perfect match' to work the way it should. <BR><BR>Off to the gym....I guess....:-) |
Re: Am I expecting too much from my perfectly good mattress?
Have you ever thought about an adjustable base? There is no miracle bed (as one member mentioned), but maybe the closest thing to one, is one your able to adjust. The reason I mention this, is everything medical draws a conclusion that an adjustable bed (not an airbed) can alleviate a lot of aches and pains. I haven't seen any flat beds in hospitals that I can remember. Any time your able to articulate your body position;(elevating your head and foot area) it can greatly relieve a lot of common problems people experience when lying flat. If you get a chance to look at these types of sleep systems, 'you should'. Unfortunately, a lot of mattress sales people don't have the proper training to demonstrate such beds. It may take some foot work, but they're out there. Call around first and ask questions about adjustable systems. A knowledgeable salesperson will answer your questions with confidence. They aren't cheap, but if your in pain, they are well worth it. Good luck This message was modified Sep 20, 2007 by Good_Sleep
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Re: Adjustable foundations
I would echo this sentiment. I was at a Relax the Back store and the saleslady laid me down on an adjustable bed and raised the head a bit, and the legs a bit, putting me into what she called the "Zero G" position, and it really was comfortable. When she laid me back down flat I felt like I was being bent over backwards. Flat felt positively unnatural! What turned me off was the price and the weight. If you think moving a mattress is hard, wait till you have to move about 300 lbs worth of steel adjustable base to the third floor of an apartment building. I don't know if they are worth a hoot, but there is such as thing as an adjustable euro slat foundation. Not as fancy as a Leggett & Platt (the name in adjustable beds), but maybe worth a look if the cost and weight are show stoppers? Here is some info on adjustable beds from someone we know. http://www.flobeds.com/adjust/index.htm This message was modified Sep 19, 2007 by haysdb
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Re: Am I expecting too much from my perfectly good mattress?
I honestly think you've got an excellent point. Whenever I have stayed in the hospital, and particuarly when I was in there for a week twice with knee surgery, I always adjusted the bed so my head was just a wee bit elevated. I never slept on it totally flat. Some of that could be because hospital beds are so narrow and hard. Anything to make it more comfortable!<BR><BR><BR> |
Re: Am I expecting too much from my perfectly good mattress?
You can take a look at the 'mattress genie" with a Google Search. It's on sale at multiple places online including amazon.com. Looks like a king size unit only costs $149 which is cheaper than most mattress toppers. This gadget goes under your mattress and inflates in a wedge shape that will lift/flex your mattress to elevate your head (guess it would also work at the other end of the bed too. If either of us suffered pain during sleep I would try this (cept it wouldn't work with the weight of our waterbed mattress plus we love our mattress) so take a look if you care to - this looks like a pretty creative little gadget to create a "poor man's" adjustable bed that you can put in your rv or take to your hotel room when you travel. Jim |