No one really thinks about the mattress they sleep on. Often times it’s a piece of forgotten and taken for granted furniture.

People generally change out the dining and living room furniture before they buy a new mattress and box springs. At least my husband and I fell into that category. But let me ask you a question….how long do you generally sit at the dining room table or on the sofa? My guess is probably anywhere between 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on how long the football game goes into overtime. Now, answer the same question about your bed? The answer should be at least 6 to 8 hours per night, every night of the year, with the exception of vacations. And by the way, if you stay at even a moderately priced hotel, chances are their mattress is more comfortable than the old thing, you failed to replace.

My husband and I had our mattress for 17 years….now before you all start with the OMG’s, think about when you last switched out your mattress? I guess with us, the feeling was, “there is something more important we need to spend that money on….” I mean, our children had a better mattress set than us. So where am I going with this?

OK, we finally bit the bullet, bought a Simmons Beautyrest firm mattress with pillow-top. We shopped around for a couple of days, and by the way….I found out, you have to lay down on those mattresses in the store. Don’t be shy about it either, take off your shoes and really lay down….like you would at home. Do you test drive a car before you buy it? Expect to pay in the range of $1,000.00 to $1,500.00, for a pretty good one and if you have to have the “sponge mattress,” that sucks your body into it….what’s it called? Tempurpedic….well then, you’re talking $4,000.00 minimum.

What I’m getting at fellow stress reducers…is that ever since we got that new mattress, we have both been sleeping like babies. My husband has back issues, and he has not complained once since sleeping on this mattress. The bottom line, is you need good rest to be able to face the next day. You need a retreat, a bed that is comfy, cozy and inviting. And other than the actual mattress set, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on the headboard and pillows. As a matter of fact, I reused my original headboard and painted it. Purchased the pillows for cheap at the local Hobby Lobby on sale.

So next time you are considering a new sofa set, think about your own comfort and the amount of time you sleep on that old worn out mattress.

Please have a less stressed day. Mercedes.