Well Rested

Sleeping well?
by Rebecca Crichton, NWCCA Executive Director

Mattresses and how they affect how we sleep fall into the category of “non-trivial,” one of the few mathematical terms I like using. Let’s just say the topic is significant.

Join any group of aging folks and bring up the topic of whether they sleep well, and you will discover how few people say they have a good night’s sleep. The reasons can include over-stimulation from the many light-emitting devices we are addicted to, political and relationship concerns, physical discomforts — and bad mattresses.

I started the “What mattress do you recommend?” discussion with everybody I know. As in all personal decisions that relate to large amounts of money, require research and affect one’s overall health, I discovered the wide range of different solutions people make about what sleep on.

I finally bought a mattress from the Seattle-based, family-owned Bedrooms and Beyond due to good recommendations about service and quality. The words below, from the Bedrooms and Beyond website, apply to everybody and are worth remembering as you consider your own sleep comfort.

“Choosing a mattress is a decision that can literally affect the quality of your daily life. We sleep on a mattress every night and without a good mattress our sleep can be uncomfortable. In fact, research has shown that without good sleep, your health can deteriorate over time as well as your performance at home or at the office.”

I like my choice and I also know there are many other acceptable choices that people will discover. One thing worth remembering if you are shopping for a new mattress in stores: give yourself enough time to lie around. Don’t just bounce on the edge. Lie flat, curl up, try the positions your body assumes when you sleep. A few minutes of feeling what’s below you will prove worth it when you factor in the literal years you will using it.

We have several links related to sleeping well, some of which include mattress suggestions.

Further Resources:
More available on our Sleep Resource page.

Best Mattresses for Seniors: A different guide, this one from MattressAdvisor.com.

Complete Guide to The Health Benefits of Sleep: This guide “aims to raise awareness about the dangers associated with lack of sleep, causes of poor sleep patterns, and offers tips and advice for creating a healthy bedtime routine.” Offered by Sunday Mattresses & Beds.  

How Seniors Can Sleep Better: A guide to the Why, What and How of sleep for seniors, presented by Purple, a mattress manufacturer.

Sleep Guide for Seniors: Offered by Mattress Help, a website created by “a Techie, a Writer, and a Mattress Guy” to help people sleep better by “finding the right mattress for them.” Mattress companies do not pay them for their reviews; they do, however, have affiliate relationships with some companies and receive “a small commission at no additional cost” to the consumer.

Inclusion in this list does not imply endorsement.