Flipping Olympics and the Night of Horrors. Shall We Blame the mattress?

Tossing and Turning in bed may make your morning miserable. You wake up feeling like you have not slept at all, more tired than when you retired to bed the previous night. To solve the problem, we need to find the roots. Let’s dig into it.

Too much stress, underlying medical conditions, sleep disorder are very serious reasons for tossing and turning and require a help of a specialist. if you think you may have any type of a sleep disorder you should consult a doctor and follow the recommendations.

But, let’s take a closer look at your mattress. An old mattress or a wrong mattress choice may be a simple explanation for a poor night’s sleep and cause tossing and turning all night. Why does it happen?

It happens because the mattress is uncomfortable, and you cannot stay in the same position for a long time without shifting positions during the night. Let me describe what is going on with you:

The Night of Horrors.

You lay down and are trying to go to sleep. Slowly you are drifting off to sleep and going into deeper stages of sleep to restore your body. But suddenly a message goes to your brain: “Hey, I am not comfortable, switch a position”. So, you change the position. Another few minutes into the routine, another message goes to your brain: “Hey, I am still not comfortable, switch the position “. The body will send a message to the brain every 15-20 minutes stating the discomfort, begging for a shift in position. This happens over and over again, and it begins, as I call it, Flipping Olympics.

Here is the problem with “Flipping Olympics” – Every time you turn, twist and flip, the whole process of you trying to get through Sleep Cycle and reach deep sleep is disrupted. You are caught in an endless loop. You are cutting off your time from DEEP SLEEP stage, which is your “charger”, restoring and providing you with energy for the next day. Think about your cell phone or laptop – How long will it last if it is not fully charged? The good night’s sleep is paramount to a human being as water, food and air. Sleep is a biological necessity and sleep deprivation is the worst thing you can ask for.

So, the root of this problem is UNCOMFORTABLE MATTRESS. What makes it uncomfortable?

Lack of Proper Pressure Relief.

It causes discomfort on your pressure points.

Lack of Proper Body Support.

It causes body and spine misalignment.

Wrong Mattress Firmness Choice.

Too soft or too firm mattress causes spine misalignment.

1. The lack of proper PRESSURE RELIEF.

  • It causes discomfort on our body’s pressure points.
  • What is Pressure Relief? Simply put – the mattress gives you a floating sensation or that you are weightless. Technically – the weight of your body is distributed evenly across the mattress’s surface (especially when you are on your side). It doesn’t accumulate on your pressure points (shoulders, hips, knees and ankles). Read more about Comfort and Pressure Relief.

2. Lack of proper body Support.

  • It causes body and spine misalignment, resulting in lower back pain.
  •  Support – what keeps a body (of any shape and weight) and a spine in perfect alignment. Read more about Support.

3. Wrong MATTRESS FIRMNESS choice.

  • Too soft or too firm mattress causes spine misalignment, resulting in muscle pain, hip, neck and lower back pain.
  • Mattress Firmness – varies from extra plush/soft to extra/ultra firm. Mattress Firmness is an individual preference. When choosing a mattress firmness, one should take into consideration preferred sleeping positions and body weight. Read about Mattress Firmness recommendations for different sleeping positions.

The agony of the Nights of Horrors can only be relieved by a good night’s sleep, which one can accomplish by getting the appropriate mattress. The goal is to move and re-adjust as little as possible, if not at all. Getting through the sleep cycle without interruption is the ultimate goal.  You want to get to DEEP SLEEP stage and stay there, so, your body can be recharged.  Real life example for DEEP SLEEP stage is when your partner wakes you up in the morning, and says “Did you hear that Big Bang outside?” (around 2am). Your reply “I did not hear anything “. That is deep sleep. You were lost to the world!

Waking after such a productive night can only be euphoric. We have 7-to-9 hours to make our next 11-to-13 hours the best that they can possibly be! We are only as good as the previous night’s sleep.

As a conclusion – The Right Mattress is gateway to better sleep. You can find helpful resources on this website such as: How to pick the right mattress.