Did you know that not getting enough sleep can decrease your ability to think and reason? It can worsen depression, increase the chance of heart disease or diabetes, and it can even cause you to gain weight.
I get an average of 4ish hours of sleep on weeknights and maybe 8 on weekends if I’m lucky. This isn’t uninterrupted sleep. I get up for multiple reasons. If my wife didn’t swear I don’t snore much and I never wake up fighting for breath, I’d think I have sleep-apnea. For a more sound sleep some people use sleep headphones.
So why am I having so much trouble? I made a mistake a little over nine years ago. I bought a mattress that was too soft. This might not seem like a bad thing, everyone likes softness. It wasn’t bad at the beginning but over time it’s gotten much worse.
I noticed the second year we had the mattress that I had trouble sleeping more than 9 hours. (I vaguely remember when I wasn’t busy and 9 hours was a short sleep on weekends) I’d wake up with aches and pains and still feeling tired.
I assumed it was all due to allergies, being overweight, or those wonderful bodily changes you experience in your mid-twenties. I kept assuming it was these issues. When I’d go on vacation I’d assume I slept well because I was exhausted from the day and not think twice about it. It took my wife complaining about aches and pains and having trouble sleeping for me to realize it was the bed.
So why did it take me years to figure out? One reason, the platform bed is freaking comfortable. When you climb into it, it hugs you and life is amazing. It takes at least a few hours before you start to feel like you’re being contorted by maniacal fluffy-cloud demons.
My wife and I finally bit the bullet and decided to buy a new bed when one of our favourite stores had a sale. We decided on a mattress that was right in the middle between firm and soft and we bought one that was half off but higher quality than our old one. To choose mattress, I mean a good one, is very important. The old mattress is also sagging in odd and uncomfortable ways so I don’t feel bad replacing it.
It’ll be delivered in 2-3 weeks and I hope it helps me feel better rested. If not, I’ll speak with my doctor.
Thank goodness for coffee!
Éric
Wow… thank you for writing this. It makes so much sense! I may have to look at another mattress, too, as my sleep patterns are horrible. I switch between my bed and my uber-comfy living room couch, sometimes a few times a night. 🙁 I think that since my race crash accident, my body needs a level of support & comfort for sleeping.
Glad I could help!