I’m Sleeping Comfortably Now, Thanks to a New Mattress

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by Leah Leilani |

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Most mitochondrial myopathy patients rely on sleep as therapy for our disease. Yes, rest can be effective at regenerating lost energy, but there’s nothing comparable to a restful night’s sleep or a deep nap.

Without proper sleep, our bodies can rapidly deteriorate, resulting in organ dysfunction, an inability to take in nutrition, and possible hospitalization. For me, trudging through the day without a nap to reinvigorate my depleted energy is infeasible. Having a comfortable mattress is important.

When buying a new mattress, many factors should be considered. Is it the right one for you? Will it cause even more discomfort? Questions like these cycled through my brain as I recently searched for a new mattress. I also thought about the trauma-induced stress I once had after a disastrous incident with a memory-foam mattress.

While browsing a mall store one morning with my parents, we saw a memory-foam mattress display for customers to try out. Back then, memory foam was a new trend. Curious, I climbed onto the bed to see what the hype was about.

As I lay there, I began to sink. Gradually, I sunk farther from the ceiling and closer to the floor until I was cocooned in memory foam. I felt like prey ensnared in a trap. Noticing my distress, my mom tried pulling me out, but the mattress held me in like quicksand. We finally succeeded in hauling me out of the bed, but both of us were panting with exhaustion.

After my frantic escape, my muscles were reduced to jelly, too weak to keep me upright. Never again will I endure the treacherous treatment of a memory-foam mattress.  

I made a mental list of things I need in a mattress. I knew that anything similar to memory foam was out of the question. My main objective was to find something that allowed me to move freely and without difficulty while still providing support. Then I discovered the Purple mattress

During my research into Purple, one crucial piece of information was that the Purple mattress is unlike a memory-foam mattress in several ways. The most important of these is its buoyancy and responsive spring-back nature. 

Since taking the plunge and buying a Purple mattress, I often can’t wait to crawl into bed. I never realized how much comfort my previous mattress lacked until I switched. Although the Purple mattress has received some mixed reviews, my experience with it has been phenomenal. In the last few weeks, I haven’t had any neck or shoulder pain.

The only negative aspects I noticed are that the mattress’s grid design can be felt while lying on it, and I didn’t feel any cooling sensation the company claims to be a feature of the mattress. (This might be due to my sheets rather than the mattress.) 

Sleep is a type of therapy that is vital to my survival. Thanks to my new mattress, it comes more easily now. 

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