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What's the Thing About the Spring?
November 21, 2011.
You're feeling buoyant and happy when you walk with a spring in your step. There's only been a couple of snowfalls and we are already looking forward to Spring. The high school and university basketball seasons are underway, and we applaud the youngsters with springs in their legs. A cake is done when it springs back after your touch. Ergo, springy is a good thing.
Yet people will tell me they don't want any spring in their mattress. Huh? What's the opposite of springy? Dead on your feet, dead of winter ... I could go on.
The point is that there is nothing wrong with a lively innerspring mattress. There's some energy in those tempered steel coils, so that when you want to turn over you get a little boost. As soon as you begin to roll to one side, the springs in front deflect and respond to your body, just as the one's behind you release and give you a wee push. If the bed is too "dead," your body may not like the extra effort involved.
Sleep scientists say that it is normal for the body to move while sleeping. Small adjustments in your sleep position help to improve blood flow, reduce pressure points, and accommodate a partner sharing the bed. Sleep studies show that bedmates often move in concert. Most of us are not aware of this natural movement. We drift along on our ship of dreams. We wake up and say we slept like a log.
Clearly, too much movement may be a sign of sleep disturbance. Tossing and turning is not a good thing; too much movement is an awakening cue. Other things in sleep environment are awakening cues as well: sounds coming from the busy road in front of your apartment; too much or too little heat in the bedroom; too warm in the micro-environment (between the mattress and your bed covers); too little space (dogs, kitties and kids need their own beds). Sound, light, temperature, even a tummy that was too full at bedtime ... all of these may cause you to be restless and not get a great sleep.
So, let's be fair to the innerspring mattress. Keep an open mind when shopping for a new sleep set. And consider that a more forgiving mattress (springy, in other words) may add some new dimensions to your nightlife. Sleep Smilin'.
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