Did you know that the average American spends approximately six years of his or her lifetime sleeping? That’s roughly 53,000 hours spent in bed. Which is why it is so important to have an adequate mattress. The National Sleep Foundation recommends spending at least 15 minutes lying on a bed in various positions prior to purchasing it, but how many of us can say that we spent that much time testing out our mattresses before taking them home? I didn’t.
In fact, I distinctly remember my husband and I both rolled our eyes when the mattress salesman told us about a customer who fell asleep for more than two hours on the display bed during a visit to the store. But, there is a lot to be said for trying out a mattress. In fact, I wish we had spent more time testing out our mattress prior to shelling out hundreds of dollars for it. I know we fell into the trap of thinking any new mattress is better than an old one. Then there was the issue of my vanity. I’ll admit it. I was (ok, to some extent still am) just not one of those customers who felt comfortable rolling around on a display bed in the middle of a store full of people. Let me take this opportunity to say—don’t be like me. It’s not worth it. Get on that display mattress and roll, roll, roll. Sit, lie, curl up, spread out; bounce up and down if that’s something you normally do on your mattress. Get over any and all inhibitions prior to entering the bed store… and this is why.
We ended buying a king size mattress that was considered the “top of the line.” After paying for the mattress, the delivery charge, and the new king-size sheets I couldn’t wait to spend my first night in what I thought was my dream bed… or at least the bed that would help me achieve sweet dreams. No such luck–I tossed and turned for hours. The mattress was just too soft. (Much softer than I remember it being in the store.) But, then again, I only spent about 45 seconds on it while we were in the store, so why should I have been surprised? Don’t make the same mistake.
We still have the bed. These days I am so busy I barely spend time on it anyway… and at this point the narcolepsy I have acquired since the birth of my daughter has alleviated any problem I have sleeping… anywhere.