Raise your hand if you’ve ever had this day: You tossed and turned all night and hardly slept a wink. The whole next day was filled with yawns, caffeine, impatience with your spouse and no energy for the kids. You threw together an unhealthy dinner for the family because by the end of the day there just wasn’t anything left. Then you ended the day counting the minutes until you could climb back into your uncomfortable bed just to try again and hope for better results.
Overall, your lack of quality, restful sleep affected every single person in your family. We’ve all been there, and I’m on a mission to find a solution for all of us exhausted moms. I’ve been there – I am there – and I think I’ve finally found the cure. Bring me your tired, your weary, and I will take you to the Sleep Number® Store.
The importance of restful sleep
Times and mindsets are changing and studies reflect that. Did you know that now they say that solid, restful sleep is just as, if not more, important to your overall health than daily exercise? Respected publications like Time and Shape Magazine even say that sleep is the most important factor in health and weight loss. According to Shape Magazine, “Not sleeping enough—less than seven hours of sleep per night—can reduce and undo the benefits of dieting, according to research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.”
In the study, dieters were put on different sleep schedules. When their bodies received adequate rest, half of the weight they lost was from fat. However, when they cut back on sleep, the amount of fat loss was cut in half — even though they were on the same diet. What’s more, they felt significantly hungrier, were less satisfied after meals, and lacked the energy to exercise. Overall, those on a sleep-deprived diet experienced a 55 percent reduction in fat loss compared to their well-rested counterparts.
In addition, lack of sleep contributes to food cravings and sabotages your gym time because who wants to go to the gym when you’re already exhausted? So, it seems a good (or bad) night’s sleep affects every part of your life. From the quality of your marriage and relationships to your ability to be a patient and involved parent to even the actual physical makeup of your body, it all rests on the condition of your sleep. (Pun totally intended.)
My Sleep Number bed
Choosing a bed to fit both my husband and me was going to be a task. My husband is a hot sleeper, likes a super firm bed with a totally flat pillow and sleeps on his back due to severe shoulder issues from breaking his collarbone.
I, however, like a soft cozy bed with a big fluffy pillow, because I’m a side sleeper. We tried the overstuffed comfy ones. I liked it but he didn’t. We tried the memory foam. He liked it, but I felt like we were sleeping on a glorified brick. He also says I snore (lying is not nice), and I know for a fact that he snores. Many mornings have been ruined by bleary-eyed “discussions” complete with finger pointing, overly dramatic reenactments and threats of future use of recording devices.
I had heard a lot about Sleep Number and the fact that you could customize your individual side of the bed to fit your comfort level, which was exactly what we needed. Walking into our local Sleep Number store I was expecting the usual “parking lot” of mattresses and to just go bouncing from one to the next, but our time there was much different. The entire Sleep Number in-store process was more like sleep education than it was a buying experience. We were taught about body mechanics and the overall importance of a good restful sleep.
The excitement of finding your sleep number
However, the most eye-opening part of the whole day was actually finding our Sleep Number® settings. To do this, they have you lie on their bed with embedded technology that can see on a screen exactly where your pressure points are. There is an entire process of going through the numbers to find your ideal softness, finding something that works for you—your very own Sleep Number setting.
But if you’re nervous about getting it wrong, don’t be. The beauty of a Sleep Number mattress is that you’re never married to your number. You can change it whenever you like for better, more restful sleep.
Moms, remember when you were 9 months pregnant and couldn’t find a comfy spot? Imagine how nice it would have been to be able to soften up your bed in seconds to accommodate the growing belly. Tweak your back at the gym? Time to go a little firmer for more support. With an adjustable Sleep Number bed you will always find your ideal comfort level, and with their 25 year warranty, that’s a good thing because it looks like you will have it for a very long time.
In case you were wondering, my Sleep Number setting is a 35, and I even found the most amazing fluffy pillow ever. And for my husband – 35 as well and he picked out the very same fluffy pillow! It’s like I don’t even know who I married!
The Sleep Number Difference
Sleep Number beds do more than just offer maximum comfiness, they solve many other sleep-inhibiting issues too. Remember when I said my husband lies and says I snore? Sleep Number has got it handled with Partner Snore™ technology. At the touch of one button on your side of the bed, your spouse’s side will raise just slightly to reduce snoring. Are you a warm sleeper like my little furnace of a husband? Certain models have temperature balancing sleep surface which absorbs excess heat and then releases it back to you as the night gets colder.
Sleep Number also offers one-of-a-kind SleepIQ® technology which is sensors in the bed that track your sleep, movements, and heart rate and sends the information to an app that rates how well you slept. This allows you to make adjustments the next night, ensuring you the absolute best sleep you’ve ever had! It even connects to your favorite health tracker! All this in a mattress that has been rated the highest in customer satisfaction for 2 years in a row by J.D. Power and will last you twice as long as an innerspring for about the same price.
Our new Sleep Number i8 bed gets here tomorrow afternoon, and I seriously cannot wait. Stay tuned to Savvy Sassy Moms for an upcoming review of my new bed with all the ins, outs, and my honest opinion. In the meantime, if you are even considering buying a new mattress, do yourself a favor and visit a local Sleep Number store first, you will be so happy you did.
This post is sponsored by Sleep Number, however, all opinions are my own.
Have questions about Sleep Number beds that you want answered? Leave your question below in the comments and I will do my best to answer them in my next post for you.
