This week’s column will wrap up my thoughts on sleep. We have examined the importance of getting the adequate amount of sleep, doing the right things to improve your quality of sleep, and setting the proper environment for restful sleep. The next subject on this list is choosing the right equipment for the best sleep. The mattress you choose, the pillow you use, and the sheets on which you snooze all make up the difference in feeling well-rested and feeling as if you were just awakened from too short a nap.
I bought a new mattress about a year ago. I thought it would be a simple process. I’d just go into a mattress store, try a couple of the floor samples, and bingo I would buy the perfect one for me. Nothing in my life has ever been simple, so what was I thinking? Three months later I made my choice. Every time I talked to a different salesperson about mattresses I got a different story about which one was right and which ones I should avoid. There is a dizzying amount of information out there about coil counts and mattress ticking, box springs versus platforms, latex versus memory foam, flip versus non-flip, and the list goes on. One guy in a store in Atlanta told me it doesn’t matter which one you get because they are all the same anyway. I learned that the truth is mattresses vary greatly in quality and price so you must do your homework before you buy. First of all, go ahead and swallow the fact that a good mattress is not going to be an inexpensive mattress. You should spend one third of your life in bed, so make sure you spend it in a place that supports your good health.
Cheap mattresses can cause you to be in poor spinal health, and that leads to many more ailments than you want to know about. Set the upper limit of your mattress budget then start shopping. The perfect mattress is whichever one will make you feel supported and help to keep you in the same position all night. Tossing and turning create a restless sleep and contribute to back pain throughout the night and upon arising. Sleeping on a sagging, infirm, or worn out mattress will actually weaken your back muscles. If the back muscles are weakened the normal curves of the spine can become distorted. Pain follows this distortion and sleeping like this will aggravate an old injury or might even cause a new one.
What is the best mattress? The answer is a firm one. What constitutes firm? Firmness is a subjective issue. You have to decide for yourself what is firm for you. The one I finally decided on is one that is very firm underneath but has a 4 inch latex pillow top. It offers the best firm support but feels very soft and conforming to my body. Here is a list of what definitely suggests your mattress is not firm according to the American Innerspring Manufacturers Association: soft or sagging spots where springs give less support; creaks, groans, and other noises that indicate worn out springs; cracks and damage to the frame that weaken the foundation; general wear and tear on the mattress cover itself. Regardless of what your mattress warranty says, the average lifespan of a good quality mattress and box springs is 8 to 10 years. If you have persistent discomfort that occurs only while or after sleeping it is a good indication that you need to change your mattress. Most reputable companies offer a 15 or 30 day trial sleep period for your new mattress. Go into the stores, lie on every one in your price range, then pick the one that feels best to you. Lie down for more than a minute or two. See how it feels under your body. Take it home and try it out.
As far as pillows go, I personally sleep on a Tempur-pedic pillow that is made of the memory foam designed by NASA. This pillow is expensive (the one I use costs $150) but worth every cent. Since I began sleeping on this pillow my neck has felt over 50 percent better in the mornings and I have a difficult neck to deal with daily. I recommend it to my patients who have neck problems. I have slept on this particular type of pillow for 6 years now and will not ever be without it. I have since bought a travel sized one to use when I am on the road. The best sleeping positions are either on your back with a pillow under your knees or on your side with a pillow between your knees. The pillows that are best for stuffing under or between your knees are down pillows. They are easiest to form fit to your body and last for 4 to 5 years before they need to be replaced. If you are allergic to down, find a hypoallergenic micro fiber pillow to substitute for the pliability of down.
Finally, in the words of a good friend of mine, “Life is just too short to sleep on cheap sheets.” I remember going to visit a friend when I was in high school and I slept over for the night. We slept in twin beds and I distinctly remember the feeling of those little balls of fabric rolling under my skin as I tried to sleep. Those are called “pills” and are exceptionally uncomfortable. They happen if the thread count of your sheets is lower than 200 threads per inch of fabric. Trust me. It matters. Look at the thread count of the sheets you buy. If it is less than 200, leave them on the shelf. I prefer 400 thread count or more. They provide a luxurious feeling and are very soothing to the skin. Being born in the South, of course I still believe that cotton is king. Buy cotton sheets. The higher thread count cotton sheets feel like silk beneath bare skin and will encourage you to sleep better than any lullaby ever could.
So there you have it. I have relayed my opinions and some facts that I have dug up about sleep and the right equipment for it. Create a luxurious bedroom environment and rest up plenty during this winter and always. Treat your body well.