The Princess and the Pea

Do you remember the fairy tale of the Prince who needed to be convinced that his future wife was really a princess? When she could not sleep due to the hard pea - even through twenty mattresses AND twenty feather beds, he was finally convinced.

This story is undoubtedly grossly exaggerated and - until recently - I shrugged it off with a snort of disbelief and more than a little disgust. That is, until I discovered that pressure points in bed can be very detrimental to one’s health!

Taken to the extreme, pressure points lead to pressure sores (also known as bedsores) in people who spend a lot or all of their time in bed. People who are not able to move or turn themselves are the most vulnerable. According to the Mayo Clinic, Pressure points in a bed (or wheelchair) ‘…cut off the circulation to vulnerable parts … Without adequate blood flow the affected tissue dies”.

Even if you are not bedridden though, pressure points in your mattress can cause severe discomfort, sleep disturbances and pain. The most affected areas are your shoulders, hips and lower back but you may also experience pain or discomfort in your knees, heels and ankles. Pressure points can cause you to toss and turn during the night, preventing you from getting a good night’s rest. They can also cause you to wake up with aches and pains in your muscles, stiff joints and back pain.

It is clear that one of the most important investments you make is selecting a good bed. A good quality bed is not cheap and the wrong decision can cause years of discomfort and disturbed sleep.

If you share your bed with a partner, the mattress you select must meet the requirements of both. The way you sleep will also affect the best support for you.

If you sleep on your stomach, you should select a very firm core mattress to prevent your back from sagging through. However, you need to make provision for a thick enough comfort layer (the soft layer on top) to make provision for any body parts protruding to the front (bigger tummies and breasts need thicker comfort layers).

If you sleep on your back, most mattresses will meet your support and comfort requirements. Test your potential bed by lying on it the way you would at home – it should offer firm enough support while feeling comfortable and relaxing.

People who sleep on their sides, should be extra careful when selecting a mattress. A mattress that is too firm will cause pressure points on all the vulnerable spots. Too soft, and there will not be enough support along the length of your body. Be particularly careful of mattresses with specially reinforced sections. While these are often designed to help distribute weight and support evenly, they are invariably designed to meet the requirements of the average person. Now, if you are longer or shorter, heavier or slighter, or deviate from the norm in any other way, it stands to reason that the reinforced section may not meet your requirements at all. This can be disastrous where two partners differ significantly in their build or sleeping patterns.

Maybe the Princess had a point after all? Let’s hope they were as discerning in their selection of beds as he was in selecting his mate. Then they have no doubt slept happily ever after!