Futons

[Kimura-sensei]

Originally Posted by TronDD

And if I do fall asleep on my back, it'll cause me to have some horrifying dream where I'm about to die and I wake up startled.

Pity that I don't know pysch. I wonder what Freud would say...

[dreamless]

Yes, they are much softer than floors. Asian futons are almost like mattress without a boxspring but they have no springs in them. Closest thing I can think of is that they're like 2 mattress pads stick together, soft yet comfortable. That's why asian futons are better back support, they can never sag and lose precious back support.

So a futon is a mattress without springs? If that's the case, that means I sleep on futons every day! I hate mattresses with springs, I always use mattresses without springs ie. those thinner mattresses filled with foam or cutton or something, are those futons?

[Biohazard]

I switched back to futon, and i must say my back feels somewhat better, but my neck hurts a little... i had a bit problems to fall asleep because i used a matress for like 4 years *shrugs* but i think that will by itself .. futons = amazing

[Roots]

I don't think I'd go with the Japanese-style futon pillow if I do decide to get a futon. I sleep quite....violently so when I wake up in the morning usually my pillows and blankets and whatever else are all scattered across my room like debree. The makura (pillow) just looks too uncomfortable. I usually need at least two pillows to sleep well.


By the way no one has given me a price estimate yet. I don't even have any idea where I could buy a futon here in the US

[Yogo_Pogo]

Roots I'm happy to not be the only one with the weird kind of sleep. if i get a boyfriend he would probably end up in the hospital.

Originally Posted by Biohazard

I switched back to futon, and i must say my back feels somewhat better, but my neck hurts a little...

Maybe when sleeping on the back we have to change the type of pillow.

Originally Posted by Kimura-sensei

I might as well let everyone know... I'm 2nd yr chiropractic student, earning my D.C. and I'm also earning my M.D. If you guys are in the area, I can give you some

Since we have a professional i want to ask the question. What type of pillow should we use while sleeping in the following position:

a) on the side
b) on the back
c) on the stomach
d) random and weird
e) sleepwalking

[Jonte]

f) upside down
g) inside out


About the pillows, I have never tried one of those japanese pillows, though I think I'll pass on them. The pillow I use now is fairly thick though very soft, so it sinks toghether to be very thing by the time you fall asleep. Though I could think of having a thicker pillow if I start sleeping on my back. Sometimes I'd prefer I thicker pillow when sleaping on my side, to get my neck straight.

[Roots]

A sleepwalking pillow? I don't why would you need a pillow if you aren't laying down?

Off topic, I'm reminded of a funny story from a year ago. I was home alone for a couple weeks and one morning I woke up and found myself surrounded by pillows. So I guess I must have slept walk (never knew I could) and grabbed every pillow in the other bedrooms and took them all to my room and fell back asleep. It was funny

[Aegis]

I just recently swapped my mastress for a futon, bout 2yrs ago...i had room moving and space problem...IMO Futons are the best...they helped my back problem go away and..it doubles as crash pad for my friends...i still prefer a futon..but im lookin forward to try out a waterbed :P

[Kimura-sensei]

Originally Posted by Yogo_Pogo

Since we have a professional i want to ask the question. What type of pillow should we use while sleeping in the following position:

a) on the side
b) on the back
c) on the stomach
d) random and weird
e) sleepwalking

Er, I'm not a professional yet, sigh... just 2 more yrs... but I'll answer what I can....

About the pillows...... I'm no Martha Stewart... I know there's several types of pillows out there, can't suggest a particular pillow of ideal dimension for each situation. Ideally, a pillow should keep your head and neck properly supported so that the bones in your neck is in its natural curve (lordotic curve). So, a pillow that raises your head too high or too low isn't a good idea. Furthermore, each person is different... some people have a shallow or excess curvature of the neck, you'll need a pillow of appropriate height to compensate for that. I don't know if softness/firmness/particular material of a pillow makes a difference, but as long as your neck is supported in a natural curved position, I give it a thumbs up.

Although... that Tempur-pedic pillow is certainly a nice one. I've tried it once while sleeping on my back. It's great... I'll eventually buy one, perhaps in Janurary next year. I just need to come up with the cash. As for the tempurpedic mattress itself... I've yet to sleep in one. I'm curious if anyone has one. I've tried the demo models in the Brookstone stores (while awake, no sleep/nap). It's an odd sensation... I feel like I'm sleeping on my asian futon but without the floor applying pressure at specific points on my body. I do feel like I'm fully supported. That's gotta be #1 on my graduation gift list. ^^ I wonder if my folks can cough up $2k for it.

BTW: Waterbeds. Bad idea. Poor support, not good for your spine.

[Jonte]

Originally Posted by Kimura-sensei

Although... that Tempur-pedic pillow is certainly a nice one. I've tried it once while sleeping on my back. It's great... I'll eventually buy one, perhaps in Janurary next year. I just need to come up with the cash. As for the tempurpedic mattress itself... I've yet to sleep in one. I'm curious if anyone has one. I've tried the demo models in the Brookstone stores (while awake, no sleep/nap). It's an odd sensation... I feel like I'm sleeping on my asian futon but without the floor applying pressure at specific points on my body. I do feel like I'm fully supported. That's gotta be #1 on my graduation gift list. ^^ I wonder if my folks can cough up $2k for it.

BTW: Waterbeds. Bad idea. Poor support, not good for your spine.

Ive tried a tempur, and a waterbed. Since the person next to me in my dorms has a whiplash injury, he hurt his neck/back some time ago and got it.. His doctor told him to get a waterbed then eventually a tempur. the waterbed is pretty weird (and warm) to sleep on but still pretty nice. the tempur though,.. thats heaven. its like a biiig marshmellow, its heavy as hell but looks like a normal matress. when you lay down on it your whole body lust sinks into it. if your quick to stand up you can even see the outline of your body after youve layed there. also, if you are even alittle tired and lay down on it, chances are your gonna fall asleep before you know it. :P Happens to me too often. Its not his though, these things are soo expensive. He has borrowed it from his doctor untill he can afford his own, I think he said they are around $15-20.000.. And really, its just a matress :P

[Kawaii Gaijin]

I've slept on normal mattresses up until the past couple years where I've had a futon. The bad part about this is my futon is so close to the floor that the mess in my room creaps over it and I'd taken to sleeping on a bare patch of the wooden floor in my room with a blanket and buckwheat pillow instead of cleaning it off. I'm use to the hard floor now but I kept getting harassed about getting a "real bed" for my room again so about two or three days ago I had to clean my room up a little so I'm back on my futon but I'm thinking of putting my futon away and going back to the floor.

Ah! I love Roots avatar so I went out looking for which series it came from only to find that it has been licensed. Now I'm depressed because I only by imported anime and manga, even if I don't know Japanese, ever since I watched the Kids Klassics dub of GE999. Why did they have to give Harlock THAT voice? That dub hurt and infuriated more then anything else I can remember.

[Kimura-sensei]

Originally Posted by Jonte

He has borrowed it from his doctor untill he can afford his own, I think he said they are around $15-20.000.. And really, its just a matress :P

It's not that expensive, about $1k to $2k, depending on size and what model. Which is about the same price as many premium regular beds. Regular King size cost $2k, regular twin cost about $1k. I want the Extra thick model, about $300 more. The celebrity model has an extra bed padding on top, to me, I feel that it traps more moisture which makes it uncomfortable.

[Jonte]

Originally Posted by Kimura-sensei

It's not that expensive, about $1k to $2k, depending on size and what model. Which is about the same price as many premium regular beds. Regular King size cost $2k, regular twin cost about $1k. I want the Extra thick model, about $300 more. The celebrity model has an extra bed padding on top, to me, I feel that it traps more moisture which makes it uncomfortable.

hehe my mistake, I meant $1500-2000, then thought dollars for some reason. Was going to translate 10-15.000 swedish kronor.

[junko]

Originally Posted by Sephon

About that sleeping on the back thing, got me worried a bit since I always sleep on my stomach and sometimes on my side.
The thing is that I can't fall asleep while lying on my back, anyone have the same problem? And is there a way to learn it? I can' t just lie there for hours and hours, do I have to take drugs first or something? :P

I'd be happy to hear if anyone had my problem but knows a trick to shift positions.

I shifted positions about a year ago. It's hard, but not impossible.

Go to bed tired. Do something strenuous (like exercise) before hand. Or, if you need to, take a natural sleep aid, something with melatonin in it, but DON'T get into the habit of falling asleep this way.
Make sure you aren't hungry, or too full, either. Be comfortable. If you have any itchy rashes, wait until they clear up. You won't be able to do this if you're distracted.
Lay down on your back. Make sure your head is in a comfortable position. If you need to put a pillow under you back or legs, do so. Relax.
The next part is just basic meditation, but, if you don't know how to meditate, here goes.
Relax your muscles. Breathe deeply, over and over, until you calm yourself down. If you can't make yourself calm down, focus on your breathing, keeping it deep and even. Imagine yourself sinking into the bed with every exhalation.
Don't try to clear your mind, as this is impossible. Just let your thoughts flow. Don't try to concentrate on any one thing; but if you find yourself doing so, just go with it. Remember to breathe deep, but don't actively focus on it at this point.

This should help you drift off to sleep. It may take a while, but if you really want to do it, then it's worth trying. It took me three days to fall asleep on my back (gave up the first two times). I woke up after 7 hours, something I almost never do. It's good for people with sleeping problems. It's harder to breathe when you sleep on your stomach; you don't fell as well rested when you wake up. Well, hope this helps.

[Shousha]

When my ex gf lived alone, we bought a futon.
We ate on it, played psx on it, had incredible sex session on it, and slept.
And everything was fine.

So, If you're planning on buy a futon.... go right ahead! ^_~

*black with brown wooden finishes look spectacular on an apt.*