Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Mo' Comfort, Mo' Problems

Last week I realized that the pillows on my bed were somewhat lacking in the comfort department. Probably because they were each anywhere from 5 to 7 years old and had the approximate shape of a pancake. A very thin pancake. Enough so that I could stack all four on top of each other and still rest my head easily without bending my neck. But really, it could have been anything. All I knew was that I needed some new pillows.

So I went out into the world. Which of course means I went to Target, as there are two of them within a quarter mile of my house and the world is a dangerous place. One should always stay close to home if possible. Coincidentally, they were having a sweet sale on those memory foam type pillows, to the tune of 60% off regular prices. So it was only 2 dollars more to upgrade from a regular pillow, full of whatever normal pillows are full of (cotton or poly blend or gravel, I don't really know), to a deluxe pillow full of space age materials(tm) and cutting-edge technology(also tm).

Obviously I made the upgrade, because I'm futuristic like that. And really, I love it. I carry the new pillow around the house with me now, like a 5 year old with a blanket, and it's crazy awesome and totally does conform to the exact shape of my pointy head. It's true, the future is now!

However.

It's been something like 3 nights sleeping on this new pillow and omigosh do my neck and back ache now. Intense soreness up and down the entire length of my body, as if I'd been doing rowing exercises for hours on end. I can think of nothing else in my world that has changed, except the pillow. And I certainly haven't been rowing anywhere lately, so it's a pretty straightforward causation.

But I don't want to give up my new pillow of joy. Just like the box says, I do spend way less time at night tossing and turning (I used to wake up 4 or 5 times a night, lately it's maybe twice per sleep), and it really is awesomely comfortable. It's just going through the day at work with the incredible shooting pains and the resultant moaning that is causing the trouble.

Isn't that always the way? I finally have a comfortable night's sleep and I develop old-man back problems. I'm hoping that it's just an adjustment period, that my body needs some time to get used to properly supported neck issues while I'm asleep, like I'm correcting my crooked back issues while via bed-shaping. A fancy pillow is just like a scoliosis brace, right? That's totally possible. Let me have my delusions, whilst I clutch my wonderful new pillow to my chest.

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Incidentally, while I'm expounding on sleeping issues, I kinda really want to get a new bed. I still get jealous to this day that Frnak's bed is so fancy and tall, while mine seems to be a remnant of post-collapse Soviet Russia, in terms of features and appearance. Plus, the egg crate pad that I got to upgrade its status to "European Hostel level" is sized for a Super-Long Twin, while the bed itself is a Full. Meaning that not only is it only soft and sleepable directly in the center of the bed, the pad is so long that it hangs off the end and there are precipitous drop offs on either side of the bed. If perchance you roll over in the middle of the night, there's an incredibly high chance you're heading right to the floor, based on your accrued momentum. This is not conducive to sleep.

But I promised myself there would be no more large purchases in my immediate future, considering the acquisition of New Car and the resulting Crippling Financial Obligations it entails. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold out, though. The call of a new mattress, possibly a queen sized one with a pillowtop, is very strong in my mind.

2 comments:

frank said...

Biggie would be rolling in his grave.

Anonymous said...

It's normal. When I first changed to a new pillow, I had neck aches (is that what it's called??). After a while (can't remember how long), I'm back to normal. I can sleep 8 hours straight without ever waking up on that new pillow.