Your Bed and Your Back
It is not so easy to say “get a good mattress, for a good night sleep”. Try and go to a mattress store, lie on a mattress for 5 minutes and make a good decision on a several thousand dollar mattress. I did several times to my dismay. So have a lot of patients. The lesson is 5 minutes on a mattress may feel fine in the store, but does not equate to an 8 hour night on that mattress. Moreover, going to a hotel and spending 3-4 nights of restful sleep is a akin to a very good scientific experiment for your back and back pain.
Where Can You Find a Quality Mattress?
It turns out that hotel grade mattresses are usually a step up from store mattresses. Only the friendly store mattress salesperson would not have this conversation with you. They are there to sell a mattress in the store. Period. Many patients have similar stories, multi-sport athletes, years of heavy manual labor, traumatic accidents and multiple back surgeries resulting in chronic back pain. Often all relate similar stories of back problems, morning stiffness, back pain and poor mobility. Hot showers may help, and as the day wears on it gets easier, only day is followed by night and the circle is repeated. Buying a top of the line pillow top recommended by the mattress store sales person is no guarantee. Nothing beats spending the night or two on a quality upscale hotel boutique bed, and feel better to determine if it really is a good fit.
Some Hotel Chains Sell Their Mattress Lines
If this is the case and you find a mattress that suits you, investigate this.
Try and get the mattress label or sku # to help ensure you are getting the mattress you sleep on peacefully for several nights at a hotel.
Different back conditions may need softer or firmer mattresses. When arthritis sets in, a softer mattress with a plush pillow top is typically needed, but not for everyone. Again, test drive your bed for a weekend in a hotel to be sure.
There Are Multiple Mattress Lines by Various Companies
Find one that you are happy with. It is an investment that you may spend 6-8 hours a day in. The goal is a pleasurable experience, not one of agony. Think about it, if 1/3 of your life is miserable from sleeping on the wrong mattress, that is too much. The hotels that do sell to the public, are often cheaper than their store counterparts. Top mattresses can easily exceed $3-5,000. This is a major purchase, but far better than going through 3 mattresses and being dissatisfied.
Be a smart shopper and perhaps it will pay dividends for your back!
