On Mattresses
I consider a comfortable mattress, in most cases, to be necessary but not sufficient for good sleep. The definition of comfortable clearly varies by person and, over time, within-person.
I went to purchase a new mattress recently. I worked with Melissa at Jordan Furniture. I received a small discount for discussing Jordan’s mattress selection process in my blog. As best I can, though, I will provide a balanced assessment of Jordan’s process, sprinkled with my own opinions.
Jordan’s has a “sleep lab” with salespeople dressed in white coats playing “sleep technicians.” Having some experience in sleep labs, I found such clinical emulation entertaining. Also, I tried a memory foam mattress. Frankly, I am impressed by people accustomed to spring mattresses who have the courage to transition to memory foam mattresses. Lying down on foam is unique, and I’d recommend spending a night on the foam before buying. Coincidentally, we have foam mattresses in our sleep labs.
Melissa Mullen, District Bedding Manager at Jordan’s, and I first assessed my “pressure points” on a pressure-sensitive mattress. I apparently distribute most but not all of my weight on my shoulders and hips. Based on my “pressure profile” I required a small to moderate amount of coil density but a firm mattress. We tried several mattresses, but I preferred the very first mattress that Melissa selected for me, a firm coil mattress with a slight pillow top.
The process of buying a mattress was surprisingly pleasant. I lay down and bounced on several mattresses. Melissa did not tell me the price of the mattresses initially. My preferred mattress turned out to be quite inexpensive. Had I known prices, I likely would have been biased toward a pricier model. So, I appreciated not knowing prices. Given that I preferred the first model, I believe that Jordan’s sleep folks have developed some wisdom matching customers to mattresses over time. However, I agree with Jordan’s claim that the qualities that initially attract customers to mattresses in the showroom may not match those qualities that make a mattress appropriate in the long-term. So, I will update this blog once I have used my mattress for a month or so. As another caveat, Jordan’s emphasizes “spinal alignment,” an intuitively appealing principle endorsed by chiropractors and osteopathic physicians for which there is minimal scientific data.
And now I present the adult portion of this blog. Like sleep, sex is a different experience when indulged upon a foam mattress. If sex is a priority for you, you might want to demo your moves on a foam mattress before buying, but not in our sleep lab please. Get a (hotel) room!