Sleep with Larry Miller

Life has become a little more difficult for most of us in the last several years, so I figured that moving into a new decade people might have different needs and concerns when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep than they’ve had in the past. Being in the mattress business for nearly 30 has allowed me to get information about how people sleep in lots of different ways.

I get research from the various mattress companies we work with, sleep studies from universities and private researchers, and of course lots of anecdotal information from the thousands of customers who’ve visited our stores in the last three decades. But I wanted more detailed info about what you, the consumer, need and expect from Sit ‘n Sleep so we can help you get the sleep you so desperately need.

That’s why we commissioned a Consumer Sleep Research study from Harris Interactive to find out as much as I could about current patterns of sleep. Here are some of the study’s findings:

• Well over one-half (58 percent) of adults often feel sick or not rested when they sleep on an old or uncomfortable mattress.
• Half of all respondents exercise less without a good night’s sleep.
• Almost 2/3 of full and part time workers feel that an old or uncomfortable mattress affects their performance at work.

A reader from Valencia wrote and wants to know my personal secret for a good night’s sleep. Well, there are several things that are a must: First, the room has to be pretty dark with no distractions. I turn off all electronics and sometimes use a wave or white noise machine to block out any sounds that might keep me from falling asleep. Also, I keep my room at a moderate temperature and make sure not to drink caffeine or eat sugar hours before bedtime. I even keep my alcohol intake to a minimum.

And, I know that as important as a comfortable mattress is for a good night’s sleep, it’s essential that I have a great pillow too … one that’s comfortable and not more than two years old.

Boy, I’ve never experienced the kind of rabid response I’m getting to Sit ‘n Sleep’s latest television commercial, but then again I’ve never worn a gas mask or cut a mattress open with a knife in an ad before.

If you haven’t seen our new Sit ‘n Sleep commericial, I mention that over a period of eight years your mattress can almost double in weight due to … well … sweat, dead skin and all the mites who move into your mattress to dine there.

Everyday people I run into are in disbelief. They can’t believe the mattress they lay on every night has so much going on inside… and not in a good way.

I feel badly that I’m the one who has to break the news to them but I feel obligated. That’s why the rule is: replace every eight!

I went on a trip to Japan in the late 1970’s and one night I ended up sleeping on something called a Futon. I’d never heard of one or seen one before. It was a soft mattress on a frame that you could use as a bed and then adjust to become a small sofa.

At the time I thought that was pretty neat.

I got back to California and the miniseries “Shogun” about Japanese warriors was a big hit, Americans were starting to eat sushi … so I figured maybe they’ll sleep on this bed/chair thing from Japan. At the time there were only two other places in all of Los Angeles where you could even find a Futon…

At the time there were only two other places in all of Los Angeles where you could even find a Futon. One was a tiny store in an area called Little Tokyo and the other was an even smaller store in a predominantly Japanese area of west Los Angeles. So I went ahead and imported a Futon from Japan and had the mattress part copied. But I had an impossible time finding anyone who could make the adjustable frame. Finally after many frustrating calls and trips everywhere I found someone who could make the frame…in Brazil!

Meanwhile, my dad (who was also my business partner) thought I was completely nuts. He told me, “Nobody is going to sleep on that bag of cotton!”