Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. - Cyril Connolly
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Pain in the ***
I usually get by on about 6 hours of sleep a night. On weekends, I stretch that to 8-9 to catch up. Lately, well, maybe more for like six months now, I've noticed that it's really uncomfortable to sleep longer than about 6 hours at a stretch in my bed because my lower back is killing me. I end up tossing and turning trying to find the sweet spot, and then end up getting out of bed all stiff and sore. I've even gotten up, gone downstairs, and slept another hour or two on the couch - which is a lot firmer than the bed.
The culprit? My mattress. I realized with sudden horror that it's over 20 years old. And when I changed the sheets last week, and found a metal wire from a broken spring sticking out of it, I knew the end had come - a long time ago. Since the mattress was perhaps the first piece of furniture I ever bought as an adult, and since I was poor when I bought it, I'm sure I only paid about $250 for it from one of those discount mattress warehouses. Its lifespan has been well exceeded.
So - what to buy? The publishers of Broadsheet (i.e. parents), have one of those Tempur-pedic mattresses and just love it. I have to admit, having tried theirs, I like it too, but they are $$$$ (about $1,600 for the mid range queen size). But, is that too much to pay for something that lasts another 20 years and you spend 1/3 of your time on? It's still less than a good sofa or dining room set. I think I may go ahead and get one, but I'm open to other suggestions.
So...anyone out there want to recommend a mattress?
You can get Tempur Pedic or the knock off on E Bay or the internet. I got mine from a mattress manufactuer in York Pa. They will make it any size you want. The price is much less than anyplace else. Just get it at least 8" thick. It is great. I bought the pillow at Sam's Club. Invest in your mattress, it's worth it.
Consumer Reports suggests coil mattresses with a count of at least 600. Everything else is bunk. The more coils, the more support. at about 1200, coils become redundant though.
As you get older, you'll consider that money well spent.