OT bed sharing and tiredness

I tried one of those when we were mattress-shopping. I didn't like it; felt a bit like laying on a bed of wet sand. I did some research before we shopped; the consumer magazine (don't remember which one) said that

10 minutes or so on a mattress should tell you whether it's the one for you; there tests showed that longer test periods didn't really make much difference. I took my own pillow and tried out a bunch of them. The one we liked best was definitely not one of the more expensive ones; it was a conventional box spring mattress. We have been very satisfied. We bought from a local mattress company, where they assemble the mattresses themselves. They told us if we weren't satisfied after a couple weeks, they could adjust it -- add or remove padding as needed. The prices compared favorably with the major brand names we looked at and we were pleased with the service we got.

That being said, if a couple has very different mattress needs or preferences, a Select Comfort Sleep Number bed might be appropriate. We don't have one and have never tried one, but have heard a lot of good things about it.

Julia in MN

Hello, Anne,

I'm glad you are back in bed together! My 13 cents worth on a new mattress is to buy one! I bought a new mattress not too too long ago. I have a nice double-high waterbed frame so I only had to buy the mattress. The research I did said to buy one with the highest spring count you can get - until the price starts to excalate out of range, then go back to the next lower and be sure to get a pillow-top mattress.. This configuration gives tons of support and softness because of the pillow top. I added a memory foam topper (about 2 1/2" thick (heavy!) and then a pillow-top mattress pad. It's great! You never feel any movement from your partner and it supports you even if partner is heavier, etc. I got my mattress from the manufacturer and it cost $150.00. I do use a knee pillow which has been super...cannot sleep without it anymore - it goes in my suitcase before extra clothes when I travel! It takes about a week to get used to, but has helped with my hips like you can't believe! I also have a semi-circle "squishee" which is wonderful to cradle your neck or just hug. That goes too because flying (I go overseas to visit my grandbaby on 21 hour flights) and that squishee is an absolute life-saver. It also keeps you from ending up with your head on a stranger's shoulder! Acts like a newborn's head retainer.

Good luck! There's my 13 cents worth of info! Kay

A friend of mine bought a Temporpedic mattress pad (I think that's what it was) & she hated it as well. She didn't like the foam & it made her REALLY hot. She was glad they just tried the pad before jumping into the mattress.

I know there is a store in Berkeley that sells a mattress that is supposed to be something special.

It is also made from latex & I don't know how wide their distribution is, but it may be worth checking out.

Paul>

Pauline I lost the original post before I got a chance to reply so I'm piggybacking.

DH and I bought a new mattress last year that has memory foam in the top cushion part. I HATE it. It is HOT! Hot! hot! The mattress sags cause the memory foam retains the position you sleep in and over time it just doesn't bounce back at all. Now that being said, there may be more expensive better lasting mattresses than this one that has the memory foam, although it was expensive enough.

A couple of years ago my best friend bought a sleep number bed and swears by it. She says that she has trouble sleeping on anything else now. She also has sleep apnea and uses a CPAP. She said it has even helped somewhat with that. DH's sister also has a sleep number bed and said that she won't buy any other kind of mattress now.

So after all the problems DH and I have had with ours, I finally got him to stop by the SN store today and try them out. He really likes it and we will problaby get one after the first of the year. Gotta get past the holidays first. As much as he travels and stays in hotels, a good mattress at home is pretty important to him. I was concerned about the memory foam cushion in the one we were interested in because it made me hot. The salesman showed me this wonderful mattress pad that is designed to level out the heat distribution and cut down on it to make the mattress cooler. So we'll probably invest in one of those also when we purchase.

As far as being able to sleep in the same bed with DH. Well I have trouble sleeping when he's not there. When he's gone he gets to sprawl so when he comes home he still wants to sprawl. I usually get squeezed into a corner. I miss that when he's gone but more so, I miss not being able to reach out and feel him there sleeping or him him snoring. We've been married almost 16 years and I have no desire for to sleep in another room or bed even though his snoring keeps me awake at times.

Hugs, Mika

DH & I have had a sleep number bed for over a year and a half... LOVE it! I've recently had a sciatic problem and had to "up" the number from my cushy

35 to a firmer number (i.e. 65) and it really helped! Wasn't sure when we got it that I'd like it, but after a couple of weeks I wouldn't have traded it in for anything. I can't even feel him move in the bed, or get out of bed. BTW, our QI loves the softer numbers