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.
When people meet me at social gatherings or recognize me on the street the first thing out of their mouth is usually, “you’re killing me Larry!” The next thing that happens … they want to know what kind of mattress I sleep on.
Recently a customer told me that his mattress was the worst I was ever going to see. He told me to prepare my delivery team for what they were about to witness when they dropped off his new mattress and carted off his old one. I had visions of a bed riddled with bullet holes, covered in blood and cordoned off with police tape. And that vision got me thinking about all the used mattresses I’ve seen throughout my almost 40 years at Sit ‘n Sleep.
To the legion of concerned Irwin fans, I am happy to announce that Irwin is very much alive, rested and ready to step back into the recording studio after a brief hiatus to pronounce that I, Larry Miller, am killing him! 
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.
