Background: Perhaps you've heard of my back problems and numerous back injuries by now. My old bed wound up sagging after years of good work, then its replacement started sagging after just a few months of work. Sleeping was anything but restful these last few months, and it often took sedatives just to get close to sleep. This frustrated me because I liked the area of a full-sized mattress; I WANT to like my bed--I don't want to have a problem with it.
So let's shorten this long story; nobody ever told me to use horizontal slats on my frame--to eliminate sagging. Nobody ever mentioned that a full-sized bed frame has no middle support for a mattress, and/or that a queen frame (which easily slides down to fit a full-sized mattress) comes with a mid-rail--to eliminate sagging. My mother, and all of the other useless women I foolishly listened to were WRONG; it turns out that I was RIGHT to keep my box springs and mattress ON THE FLOOR, EVEN, FLAT, and with NO sag--as I did from 1985 until 1994. I was brilliant. The lousy advice to 'move up' to using a bed frame is a prime catalyst (if not the main cause) for my back pain in the last decade. Thanks again to all you lovely ladies, by the way. Grrr.
I went bed-shopping in 2004, and found a good price on a great pillowtop back-supporter mattress. This doesn't mean shit to you, but let me tell you what it means to me: restful sleep on a flat surface. No more turning over and looking at an edge of the bed that's 8 inches higher than the spot I'm laying on. I'm sure that they'll come back eventually, but I haven't had a hangover yet. I haven't missed a day of work yet either (scratch that--I missed 1 while writing this), and the one day I forgot to set my alarm for work--I still woke up and made it on time (that is true, actually). And then there was one more day that I messed up my alarm and woke up at the time I should have been at work; because of good sleep/no back pain, I was able to get to work less than an hour late--thanks mostly to the new bed. There's none of that familiar back pain when I sit up or get out of bed, either. I still cringe and wait for it; I still sit up in slow motion--I do a pre-emptive grimace every morning, it's just that now there's nothing to "back" it up (ha).
My bed is now a sanctuary; heaven on earth. And it's all mine. I get to experience what sleep is supposed to be--a powerful regeneration in preparation for a new day. So; I get to start over, and do it right this time. I should thank God for so many things; thanks for now that my back is only as messed up as it is, and that I can appreciate my wonderful new sleeping situation. Here's hoping that all of you can find a new appreciation for something that is a part of your daily life. I've got a good bed AND a good woman; most guys aren't this lucky.