Want to learn how to get better sleep? Buy a new bed! Oh, wait – did I say get better sleep? Maybe I was mistaken.

A little history. Right before my DH and I got married, we both had water-beds. They were both wave-less, and had a box spring. I guess you call that soft sided.

Once we got married we decided to change a little, and went with a water-bed, again with a box spring, but this time, with water tubes. Ah… you can have your amount of water and firmness, instead of having to put up with a firmness or softness that you don’t like. Great idea!

Over the years, of using the tubes, it’s worked fine, except that I like a lot of water and firmness in the tubes on my side of the bed, and my husband likes a lot less. Picture this if you will – a nice half of the bed, level and firm, and the other half, a much lower, softer feel. If you looked at it from the end of the bed, there was a definite dip in the center. Now what fun if you rolled over the center at nite – you feel like you are going over a waterfall. I kid you not!

Add to that, we were sleeping on wedges that took up almost the whole bed – one for each of us – this is what you have to do as you get up in age, to prevent acid reflux!!

Making the bed was a pain – because not only did I have to change the bottom sheet on the bed, I had to change the cases on the wedges too. I had made what looked like pillow cases for the wedges, to keep them from becoming uncovered as you slept on them. My DH is a very restless sleeper. Not only that, but the bed was so low to the ground, even with the box-spring – that I had to bend down to do anything with the bed.

Enough!! We decided once we got our tax refund this year, we would go out and look for a regular bed. We went shopping at our local Mattress Discounters, and must have laid down on every bed in the store. We were really hoping to get a temper pedic – but it was so expensive… we decided on a pillow-top, firm Sterns and Foster. It was a little high to get up into, but I wanted the extra height.

It was delivered the next day – and it was even higher than it was in the store. I think the difference was the fact that the frame they were using in the store didn’t have wheels, and ours does. So you almost need a step stool to get into bed.  No problem! Now for a good nites sleep.

On our water-bed, I found that I would wake up at 3am, 4am, and 5am or so every nite – can’t figure that one out, I don’t have to go to work in the am, so why would I care what time it was?

Well, as you can imagine, we needed a few nites to get aclimated to the new bed, so I fully expected not to be able sleep well for awhile. We’ve had the bed for more than 2 weeks now, and guess what? I’m still waking up at 3am, 4am, 5am…. but at least the bed is higher, I don’t have to bend down to make the bed, nor have to stand up from the bed in the morning when I get up. Now I just slide off the bed and I’m upright! Anything to help me in my ‘old age’!

Sandi