Going to give the bed a try again.

[CathyA]

When I first developed fibromyalgia, I slept on the couch in the living room for a year. Then I started feeling really weird. My kids were young and were going to think mom always sleep on the couch. haha So I bought several egg crate mattress toppers and put them on the bed, and slept there for several years. I actually put 3 on initially, but felt like I was adrift in the ocean.

Then we built on a new bedroom that had room for a couch. I tried sleeping in the bed, but every morning I'd wake up sooooooooo stiff. So I started sleeping on the couch, and I've been there for close to 15 years.
DH also moved into another room, because I have sleep problems and he/the dog/the cat/his beeper/his cell phone, were always waking me up.
I feel weird sleeping on the couch and every time my son is home from college he keeps saying "give the bed another try".
So today I got the bed all ready. Moved all my stuff/cpap machine, etc. over to the bedside table. All the while, very sort of anxious and sad. Like I was moving away from a good friend!
The couch has been soooooooo comfy. But it is sort of sagging in the middle now. haha (just like me).
I washed all the bed linens and got everything ready and laid down in it, and dang, it felt awful. I feel like I'm laying in trendelenburg. (feet higher than the head), even with 4 pillows. I think its just an illusion. But it doesn't make me very happy.
I think what was good about the couch was that it had that big armrest for support and it DID sag in the middle. So now I'm thinking I need to somehow get my bed to let me sag in the middle. :help:
I was thinking of getting a big, thick piece of foam that would just go across the top of the bed. Dang this is a pain in the butt.
I certainly don't want to pay for a new softer bed, but maybe I have to. But don't you think 2 egg crate toppers would be soft enough?
I'm thinking about getting a big wedge pillow for the bed, in addition to everything else, for my GERD. But I'm not sure that would be enough to make me feel like my torso was up enough.
I probably should just stay on the couch, if I'm happy there. But I'd like to appear more normal.......and sleep in a real bed! Maybe lifting the head of the bed on blocks a little (like I mentioned in my other post), might be beneficial after all......if only to get me out of the feeling of trendelenburg.

I'm a little embarrassed to be telling you all this, but I figure the more input I get, the more I might figure out how to handle this.

I'll give it a try tonight. If I wake up really stiff, I can't imagine that it would get any better by giving it more time. What do you think? All suggestions appreciated!

[creaker]

I would say if the couch helps and isn't causing other issues, and the bed causes issues, sleep on the couch. There's nothing wrong working on a plan B (the couch will wear out eventually) - but why go to that before you figure out one that works? A good night's sleep is more important than just about anything.

[Rogar]

bed to let me sag in the middle. :help:
I was thinking of getting a big, thick piece of foam that would just go across the top of the bed. Dang this is a pain in the butt.
I certainly don't want to pay for a new softer bed, but maybe I have to. But don't you think 2 egg crate toppers would be soft enough?

I'm a little embarrassed to be telling you all this, but I figure the more input I get, the more I might figure out how to handle this.

I'll give it a try tonight. If I wake up really stiff, I can't imagine that it would get any better by giving it more time. What do you think? All suggestions appreciated!

I don't have many special needs for sleeping, but my old futon was getting hard and I have a bad shoulder that would bother me at night. I ordered a 1" thick memory foam top off Amazon. I can't remember how much it cost, but less than $100. It made a huge difference. They come indifferent thicknesses and the 1" was pretty much the thinest of the bunch. I can say that it is more firm than the egg shell things, but softer than a regular matress. I liked it so much I bought a quality memory foam pillow at the local warehouse store. It has a wide ridge at the front and back to support the neck and a depression in the middle to rest the head. It's taken some additional pressure off my shoulder at night and is comfortable.

Now, I'm actually considering a whole memory foam matress. So far I've heard mixed reviews about the knock-offs of Temperpedic, which are reasonably priced, and I can't afford the real thing. I slept on a Temperpedic as a guest with at a friend's house and it was very nice, but actually sort of wierd. Would probably take some getting used to.

Don't know if that helps.

[rosarugosa]

Cathy: If you and DH are OK with you sleeping on the couch, who cares what anyone else thinks? "Being normal" is vastly overrated IMHO :)

[Float On]

I absolutely hate the new bed we bought almost 2 years ago. It also does nothing for DH's bad back. Currently he ends up sleeping upstairs on a high quality air mattress and I end up on the couch most nights because the mattress makes me sore (too firm). We can't afford to buy a new mattress right now and are both afraid we'll make a poor choice again and it's hard to find something to match both our needs. It works for us. I'm considering selling the mattress set we've got on craigslist and then at least DH could move his airmattress back to our room.

[CathyA]

Thanks everyone!
Well, I gave it a try last night, and I was back on the couch within the hour! Maybe I'm just old and stuck in my ways, but the bed was uncomfortable, and the TV was too far away (can't move it). The couch was sooooo much more comfy. What adds to the problem is my cpap machine. Its not like I can just easily go back and forth to the couch/bed. I don't know what the magic is about this couch, but its perfect. (other than it starting to sag and I would like to have a couch that doesn't look like a bed all the time.
Float on...........maybe you need to get rid of your bed and put 2 air mattresses in there instead. Sort of a cheaper way to have an air number bed! You could each adjust the amount of air in your own mattresses.
For so many years a firm mattress was what everyone was "supposed" to need. Now I'm thinking soft is the way to go.
Maybe a really cheap mattress would work better for me, than all these fancy, well supported ones. I also wonder if the couch offers me a more secure little area to sleep on, rather than the expanse of a queen sized bed.
I might try taking little naps on the bed, to get more used to it. But for now, my couch is my BFF. hahaha