I'VE recently realised that your bed is a bit like your favourite shoes. They're so comfortable and such a cosy fit that you don't consider life without them until - suddenly - they're worn out!

This unhappy realisation hit me about the same time I was thrown by my horse, Shiloh, who was having one of his teenage tantrums.

My left hip took the impact of a spectacular mid-air somersault as I ended up in an undignified heap onto the ground.

That night I was stiff and sore and my bed was - to coin an apt phrase - a nightmare! I found I couldn't lie on my left side or my back without discomfort and pain but I couldn't lie on my right side because there was a bumpy lump where the spring had suddenly popped through the mattress.

I took off in search of a therapist and new bed.

My first pressing call was to a therapist who could put me right and I found it in Felicity Coleman at Eclipse, Hereford, who not only sorted my bruised and tight sacroiliac joint but also gave me sound advice on what bed to buy.

A senior therapist, Felicity clinically assessed my spine and I discovered riding a horse wasn't good for my back as I had some joints at the top that weren't great - probably from all the falls on my head. Meanwhile, the left and right level of the sacroiliac joint at the base of my spine, which had taken the last whack, was somewhat skew-whiff.

However, riding had kept me supple and fit so although the back needed a few tweaks, the rest of me was okay although Felicity reminded me about posture and the benefits of sitting correctly.

Put a bed on your priority list suggests John Day, the manager at Saymors, Ross-on-Wye. 081109-4

"The spine is in an S-shape and you should try to keep to it as much as possible," she advised. "When you slouch you create a C-shape and holding that position can seriously affect the back.

"Look for a bed that will comfortably support you and until you can sleep on the level again, support yourself with a towel between your knees."

So the search was on for a new bed. I ended up at Saymors, of Ross-on-Wye, and had the benefit of manager John Day's 10 years of experience.

"Some people ask for advice and others don't want any help," he told me.

"Most people don't put beds on their priority list. A bed is one of those necessary things they need but they don't give a lot of thought as to what would suit them which is a shame because we spend a third of our lives in them."

For me, however, time was not on my side. I was an urgent soul looking for comfort and a tranquil night's sleep and was also very willing to take all the advice on offer.

John decided that I needed a medium firm pocket-sprung bed. Pocket-sprung coils are individual and, he explained, would shape around my body, helping with all over support and keeping me from tossing and turning.

My budget was around £500 which, I happily discovered, would go further as the store had a sale on.

A delivery day was agreed and, following its arrival on the said day, I looked forward to tucking myself that night.

I had bought new sheets, a duvet and pillows to mark the occasion and after a therapy treatment (hot bath) I was ready.

I had even positioned the bed so my feet were pointing to the east, as advised by Feng Shui experts.

As the minutes distressingly ticked slowly into hours, it felt like the longest night of my life. My well-sprung mattress didn't even allow me to alleviate my position by tossing and turning.

I looked woefully at the clock around 2am, made a cup of tea at 3am and, as the night sounds changed into the dawn chorus, wondered if the dog would like an early walk. She didn't appreciate the request, lying quite restfully immersed in a dream of her own.

Maybe I wasn't facing east after all?

The mystery was solved after another two virtually sleepless nights. My body, having adjusted to my old bed, had to be allowed to get to know the new one.

"Sometimes it can take people up to two weeks to settle into a new bed and some people also say they ache in the morning," John soothed.

He was right, in the next few days my body did, thankfully, adjust, I discovered my feet were east and now, as my pocket spring wraps itself around my body, I can dream for England!

Matress Matters l Pocket spring mattress Luxurious, with individual small springs housed in separate fabric pockets, the springs work independently to respond to individual body weight. A pocket spring mattress is ideal if there's a considerable weight or size variation between you and your partner (pictured far right). Turn regularly to ensure even settlement.

l Memory foam Reacts with body heat to form around the shape of the body within minutes. Firm mattresses are recommended for those who sleep on their back and stomach while soft mattresses are suggested for those who sleep on their side.

Memory foam is said to help many problems like arthritis, bone and joint problems, spondylitis as it helps to disperse accumulated pressure points away from the vertebrae.

l Open coil spring system Made by inter-twining coils of high tensile steel linked together by a tighter coil of steel running either horizontally or vertically (far left). The spring unit is then often surrounded by a steel rod to hold the diameter firm.

3:19pm Tuesday 1st April 2008

Print   Email this