A mammoth undertaking

I’ve had the new bed, mattress, and memory foam mattress-topper several weeks now, and they definitely are making a difference. You can buy the mattress-toppers in a range of depths, typically from 1″ to 4″, and I chose 3″ deep as a compromise between comfort, weight and cost. Too thin, and my bony hips won’t get cushioned enough. Too deep, and the price goes up and I’d worry about it being too heavy for me to manoeuvre.

There is one minor problem, which is that the memory foam has a pretty strong chemical smell when first unpacked. It also arrived folded and rolled up very tightly, and took several hours to revert to its original shape and size. Once I’d prized it out of its wrapping and put it on the bed, I opened all the windows and aired it for half a day, which helped. The smell is clearly fading, and was bearable to sleep with that first night, though it still hasn’t entirely gone.

Apart from that, it’s all good news. The combination of a new lump-free mattress and topper really is supremely comfortable, and it certainly feels like I’m sleeping better. The bed frame is comfortable when I sit up in bed, and doesn’t dig into my back the way that some of the designs did. And the mattress, even with the topper on it, is just about light enough that I was able to turn it around top-to-bottom when I changed the sheets. I don’t say that it was easy, but it was manageable, and if it helps even out the wear in the mattress then it’s worth the effort.

Most of all, it’s really nice to be able to stretch out and sleep diagonally across the bed if I want to, without any lumps or dips subliminally forcing me back onto my own side!