Holding steady at 35

Our 30-day-money-back-guarantee-you-can-return-it-for-only-the-cost-of-shipping trial is over. I think. Maybe it was last week? Fortunately it doesn’t matter because the bottom line is: I heart my Sleep Number® bed!

It was quite the decision process to acquire this Registered Trademark bed. A few years ago, when we were first mulling the idea of finally replacing the slab of cement we’ve been trying to sleep on for over a decade, I did due diligence. Meaning, I posted a query on Facebook. And boy, did my friends weigh in! All sorts of accolades and huzzahs for the glorified air mattresses. One couple even said the only thing they don’t like about their Sleep Number® bed is that they can’t take it on vacation with them. So that coupled with a positively comfy lounge-about in a Sleep Number® store suggested we had found our bed.

But then we got cold feet. In addition to replacing the mattress, we wanted to biggie size our bed to a king. So suddenly this wasn’t just a mattress decision. It was headboard, footboard, comforter, sheets, pillows, and a (heated!) mattress pad decision. That was more than we wanted to undertake so we stalled.

Two years later, the after-market foamy mattress pad from Costco started getting lumpy and annoying. My insomnia was creeping up again. We knew it was time. So off to The Radisson we went.

Very cool place, the Radisson. The hotel chain offers Sleep Number® beds in some of their rooms. What better way to really decide than to sleep on it for a night…literally? So we packed a small bag and headed to the airport.

We both liked the bed and slept well enough for a hotel with thin walls. And we both liked the adjustability of each side’s firmness. But I woke up in some pain. I wasn’t convinced it was due to the bed, though. I was pretty sure it wasn’t. But the doubt bothered me a little.

So back to Facebook I went, to get encouragement and more details from all of my enthusiastic ® friends. I wanted to know models, toppers, materials, and controllers. I eagerly refreshed my home feed, waiting for the info to flow in. And flow in it did. From a bunch of different friends…who had very little nice to say about these apparently love ‘em or hate ‘em beds.

Stories abounded about horrible pain, lack of sleep, friends of friends who hated the beds, buyers’ remorse from coast to coast, warnings not to waste our money. My heart sunk. And my back hurt.

We regrouped and decided one more night at the Radisson was warranted. Much better to invest tens of dollars before spending lots more than that on a bed that supposedly can last longer than most mortgages. The next morning, I woke up better rested and in much less pain than the first Radisson trial…and than a typical night at home. I was relieved. Rob was happy and encouraged. We started searching for new furniture and kitten-friendly bedding.

In the comfort of my own home, it took me about a week to figure out what my Sleep Number® is. That week was sort of achy but once I settled on 35, I have been a very happy sleeper since. I also loved coming back from Santa Fe and being able to jump up to 45 for a few days while waiting for the travel spasms to settle down. And Rob is thrilled to have his own number and his own comfort. His willingness to quietly suffer on a way-too-firm bed for over ten years in support of reducing my back pain still humbles and awes me. And the kittens seem happy to have plenty of room to spread out, although Rob would prefer Sarah sleep on his side of the bed. Apparently she is a 35, too.

When people ask me how I like our new bed, I sound like a commercial. “My quality of sleep is much better.” “I love being able to adjust the firmness depending on my back pain.” “I was thrilled to come home to it after vacation.” Am I sleeping longer? That’s a tricky one to answer. Unfortunately, the bed arrived about the same time the summer solstice was getting ready to. And summer above the 45th parallel means the newspaper deliverers don’t need to use their headlights. So with sunlight streaming into our bedroom by 4:30am, I have been waking up much earlier than I want to. I will have a better researched answer to the length of my Sleep Numbered sleep in say, November. For now, I’m just grateful that the sleep I do get is restful and my back pain is a teensy bit better on an average day. And I am now researching blackout shades. You know, something to coordinate with the new comforter.