Oh precious sleep… No one has to tell us sleep-deprived, busy moms that sleep is important. We all KNOW it is important! But for some reason getting enough sleep often feels like a luxury few of us can afford. We do our best to handle the years of sleepless nights while raising our babies, and then do our best to handle the years of sleepless nights that come from an overtaxed schedule, and then do our best to handle the years of sleepless nights due to crazy hormonal fluctuations. When exactly do these years of sleepless nights end? When exactly do we find the right stage of life, the right schedule, and the right health conditions to finally get the sleep we need?
Last year, I suffered from horrible insomnia. I had lower back pain, TMJ, restless legs, and to add insult to injury I put on 25 pounds. All of those sleepless nights spent with a comforting late-night snack had wreaked havoc on my metabolism (not to mention my figure). Something had to change! In June 2013, I made a commitment to take back my health. I knew I needed to eat healthier, exercise, cut back on caffeine, commit to a bedtime, yada, yada, yada. But I also knew that I needed to SLEEP. Like today. I couldn’t keep tossing and turning and wishing and praying for it. My husband wasn’t sleeping much either due to all that tossing and turning. Most nights he resorted to sleeping in the guest room. Enough was enough.
Two years prior to this, we had purchased a “princess and the pea” mattress and it was expensive. I had insisted on this mattress and thought I would get 10 years use out of it. But in only two years time the foam had worn down and it had visible scoops and dips carved into it where our bodies lay each night. When sleeping on my side, my arm and hip would fall asleep and my back would ache. I would shove both arms under my pillow to try and support my neck and head. The pressure from my clenched fists underneath my pillow would push on my jaw and aggravate my TMJ. As much as it pained me to admit it, we needed a new mattress.
I was so irritated because we had done our mattress homework! We visited every mattress store in our area and laid on every mattress for as long as was socially acceptable. We tried mattresses with special numbers, mattresses with a memory, and mattresses with springy things. We tried all that were available in store from every mattress store within a 15 mile radius, and I thought we had found “the one”. But “the one” was hammocking my hips every night and aggravating my low back pain. I decided to reach out to friends and ask if they had a mattress they adored. Brooke from All Things Thrifty said that she LOVED her mattress and had never slept better. She did a mattress review for an Intellibed mattress on her blog. I had never heard of Intellibed before and was intrigued. I watched her webinar explaining the science behind mattress construction and I was sold. Foam alone breaks down over time. My “body indented” mattress was proof enough for me of this lovely phenomenon. Intellibed’s not-so-secret ingredient is a thick layer of waffle-shaped gel, callled intell-gel, made from medical grade materials that do not break down like foam. It supports you and is unlike any other mattress I have ever slept on.I contacted Intellibed last year and asked if they would be willing to work with me. They said yes and it has literally changed my life. I know that’s kind of a dramatic thing to say about a mattress! But an entire year has passed and I have been insomnia free. The reason I’m writing this post NOW is that I suffered from insomnia the entire time I was in the hotel at Haven. I could not wait to get home to my own comfortable bed again! I also couldn’t get over how much healthier I look in Haven pictures this year as opposed to last. You can see the difference in my appearance from our team’s picture from 2013 and last week in 2014. Granted, this year I lost weight through exercising, changed my diet, and stopped awkwardly posing for photos while smooshing my leg cellulite. (That always helps.) But SLEEPING like a normal human being has given me the energy and determination to accomplish my other health goals.
Below is a webinar I did last year with Bob Rasmussen the co-founder of Intellibed. It is loooooooong. We went a little crazy overboard during our chat. It’s bound to happen when you get two people talking who are excited about a product. But if you are in the market for a new mattress or want to say sayonara to sleepless nights, I highly recommend you look take a look at the following clips.
- Watch the beginning to hear my testimonial.
- Jump to 4:55 to hear some stats on how lack of sleep effects your health.
- Jump to 11:05 to learn what’s wrong with most mattresses. This is good stuff.
- Jump to 20:00 to learn about the construction of most mattresses and why it doesn’t give more comfort.
- Jump to 27:00 to learn about off-gassing. Kind of scary stuff.
- Jump to 31:39 to hear what is different about Intellibed and learn about Intelligel. Cures bed sores! Wow!
- Jump to 35:00 to visually see the pressure read out on how Intellibed supports your spine and neck compared to other mattresses.
- Jump to 39:00 to learn the different types of Intellibed mattresses that are offered.
So here is the bottom line. I LOVE my mattress. Love, love, love it! I’ve been sleeping on it now for a full year and during this time I have had ZERO bouts of insomina (with the exception of times I’ve been away from home and away from my bed). I have the King Posture Perfect mattress and the side sleeper pillow. My TMJ has subsided, my nervous legs are not an issue, and I sleep through the night. Now of course, I can’t guarantee that you will have the same results as I have, but I highly recommend that if you suffer from insomnia you reach out to Intellibed and see if it might be the solution for you. They were so great at helping me choose the best Intellibed for my specific issues and needs.
I’ve asked Intellibed if they would offer my readers a discount and they have agreed! Upon checking out, hit your “caps lock” button and type in “HOMESTORIESATOZ” to receive 10% off of your purchase. They also offer a 60-day trial period where if you are not satisfied with your purchase you can ship the mattress back for a return. Don’t hesitate to use their special “chat” feature on their site to ask any questions you might have. They are such a great company and I have enjoyed all of my conversations with their staff.
—>Click to learn more about Intellibed<—
Don’t you think the world would be a kinder, more tolerant, and much less grouchy place if everyone was well-rested? I think we all deserve that!
Disclosure: This post is weird because it’s not exactly sponsored by Intellibed and yet it’s definitely my endorsement for their products. I received a mattress from Intellibed a year ago to review and did so on my blog. However, I’m writing about my mattress again because I am passionate about the product. I was NOT asked to write this post. I think you deserve to know about a mattress that has changed the way I sleep! All thoughts and opinions are my own based on my personal experience.
ame says
sores. Bed sores. A bird soars, a plane soars, a bad bed causes bed sores.
Beth says
Ha! Good catch! Thank you. 🙂
Jessica Decker says
I am intrigued by the Intellibed product and claims. However, I am just really hesitant to pull the trigger on this mattress as the one we are looking at is $3500. It’s a lot of money to spend on a product I have never even laid on. Can you tell me exactly which model you have? Thanks.
Beth says
Hi Jessica, so sorry for the delay in response. I have been out of town for the last week and am still playing catch up. We have the Intellibed Posture Perfect in a King. And yes, it’s a HUGE investment. I was terrified that I would buy yet another mattress that I hated and ordering a mattress off of the internet and “hoping for the best” seemed very risky. However, I had already gone the route of lying on every mattress in town and that hadn’t worked for me either. Everyone is indeed different in their likes and preferences but I wholeheartedly love this mattress like no other. I had incredible back pain while out of town because I was sleeping on a hotel mattress. I don’t have back pain when I wake up from my bed and that is a blessing.
Shanna Gilbert says
I have an autoimmune disease and one of the symptoms of it is insomnia. Each year it seems to get worse and I can totally relate on how it makes you gain weight and feel terrible all of the time. We have an ancient mattress and I’m sure that doesn’t help things because I wake up with back pain daily. I’m so glad that you found a mattress that has helped you! You looked amazing at Haven!
Beth says
It was so fun to have a chance to talk with you at Haven Shanna! I’m so sorry that you have to deal with insomnia. It just makes everything in life so much more difficult when you’re not well rested. I hope you find relief! I have no idea if this mattress would help you or not, but if you’re ready to update I would look into it to see if it’s right for you.
Deb says
Wow, timely post! We’ve had our mattress for a long time. Lately I’ve been thinking it’s time for a new one. It looks fine and we flip it and rotate it regularly through the years. But my back hurts every morning. So many people joke in their 40s about feeling aches & pains all the time, I thought this is how it’s “supposed” to be, just a little achy getting older. Well maybe not!!
Beth says
I still get lower back pain but not when I first wake up. I get it throughout the day. Probably from my horrible posture while sitting at the computer.
Melinda says
I’ve been sleeping on an Intellibed for over eight years. I still love it. I can’t say enough how much my husband and I love this bed. It has been a lifesaver to me, no tingling arms, no hip pain, we miss it when we travel, we love our bed. It’s fun to see you talk about it, because we think it’s the nicest bed around!
Beth says
That’s so great to hear Melinda! Since I’ve only had mine a year, I can’t speak to my personal experience with it’s longevity. Good to hear from someone who can. Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer says
Thanks for the review–I’m going to listen to the webinar. So nice to offer us a discount also–how long is that discount code good for? thanks
Beth says
Hi Jennifer, I’m not sure how long the code is good for, but I’m hoping for at least another year or so. I know a mattress is an investment piece and that you need time to save and do your research.