I've been nickle and dime-ing my bedroom for years, chasing an image of the perfect, snuggly sleeping chamber.  A dark shade here, a humidifier there, wave sounds, soothing colors... but a recent lower back problem pushed me to take a comprehensive look at the bed itself.   Needless to say, I have a new bed . . . and mattress. . . pillows . . . and, okay, well, pretty much everything.  Hey, don't we spend, like, a third of our lives in bed?  So, anyway.

The way I see it, whether you're prone to crappy sleep or 'just okay' sleep, we all can improve our odds by optimzing our beds for snoozing.   We also have lots of products for those who spend most or all of their time in bed.  Read on . . .

BED CHECKLIST FOR BETTER SLEEP

Get a bed that's big enough.  You and your bedmates (pets included) need room to stretch and flop.   Can't afford a new bed?  Put a Want Ad out to your local Freecycle group and get one for free!  I just used Freecycle to find a home for my King Simmons Beautyrest mattress.  It felt so good to give it directly to someone who really needed it.  Get and give.  Makes the world go around.

Your Mattress.  If you feel like you're sleeping in a fluffy canoe, then your bed might be too soft.  On the other hand, if there is no give at all, your mattress is essentially flattening the normal curve of your spine and it is too firm.  Too soft, get a new mattress.  Too firm, add a topper.  

Here's what I found when buying a new mattress:  Ignore the brands.  They try to confuse you with all these fancy names and crap and I've heard that Leggett and Platt makes all the innerds for the big name mattresses anyway.  Who wants to spend thousands of dollars on a mattress?  Don't buy on price or you'll get royally scammed.

Don't get caught up in coil counts either, or stats.  It's all sales voodoo.  Go for what feels comfortable to you.  I go for firm, but that's because of my cranky back. 

Pillowtops are expensive, but alluring.  Before getting sucked in, remember that they are pretty much a massive rip-off because really they are just layers of foam sewn onto the top of your mattress.  Save yourself hundreds of dollars and re-create the effect with an egg-crate mattress  pad or memory foam overlay.  We sell a ton of them.  Note:  I love sleeping on memory foam and I even have a memory foam pillow, but when you first buy it, it smells horrible.  The odor goes away after a few nights though.  Trust me.  I nearly threw the dang stuff out.

Ignore mattress thickness.  Thick mattresses are not any better or worse than thin mattresses as long as you have innersprinig coils and the right comfort level for you.  You can get the same effect without the extra padding on top of the innerspring.  Besides, thick mattresses are heavy to carry, require special deep sheets and often times are so high that they hide your headboard. 

Box springs are also unnecessary except to raise the mattress.  Consider a platform bed frame or just put your mattress directly on the floor.  I've done both with great success.  In fact, I haven't had a box spring since I don't remember when.

Bottom line when mattress shopping:  Buy the cheapest most comfortable mattress you can find.  The rest is all marketing hype.

What about specialty beds?  If you like to read, relax or lounge in bed, or if you are bedridden, you will want to take a look at Allegro's Flex-A-Bed line of adjustable beds and flexible mattresses.  They come in every size, they're super affordable and they can be completely customized.

Or, on the cheap, you can fake an adjustable bed using an elevating leg rest and a bed wedge.  Brilliant!

If you are have trouble getting in and out of bed, or you are bedridden, incontinent, or elderly, here are some other products to consider:  Bed Rails, Bedpads, Mattress Covers, Pressure Reduction, Trapeze and Bedside Tables. 

For hospital beds, we carry specially designed hospital sheet sets and semi-fitted top sheets.

For everything, see our entire Beds or Shop by Category in Bedridden or Insomnia.

And finally, here's a major topic that deserves equal but separate consideration:  Pillows!!  Read Why Your Pillow is Gross and How to Pick a New One.

Nighty night.  Sleep tight.  Don't let the bedbugs bite. 

psssst...  (whisper).... thanks for buying your stuff from AllegroMedical.com.

-v