Early Retirement Extreme Forums

BRUTE wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 13, 2017 9:42 pm

brute finds that if the mattress is long enough, he doesn't need very much width, even a regular twin is probably too wide.

I picture brute being over 7ft tall and skinny....like slender man

Olaz wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 13, 2017 5:10 pm

This one + pretty sheets wins! ^^

I'm thinking of getting 2 Twins rather than 1 Full. I can always put them together.

Do it man! I've been enjoying mine so far. I've become so used to sleeping on it that sleeping on anything else is too soft.

go team FME (firm mattress extreme)

I sleep well on my back, but I do roll on my side or belly every night. You just need to get used to it, and it only takes a few days.

I <3 you guys

pillow talk. mattress is solved, but what about pillows? back sleepers don't need them. brute has tried just using his extended upper extremities as pillows, but somehow it doesn't feel right. he's currently using a pretty firm and flat memory foam pillow, but is interested in experimenting more in the pillow direction.

he's read that many non-bed-sleeping humans use stones or wooden blocks of a certain height as pillows to support their heavy heads. ideas?

Rolled up towel?

I have also been sleeping on a Thermarest, like Jean is. I mostly sleep on my back, the rolled up towel is good for that. I fold it in half when I roll over onto my side.

Dragline wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 14, 2017 10:15 pm

Rolled up towel?

weird texture, brute has tried it. brute actually prefers the idea of a smooth-textured pillow, like wood. not having tried it. but in regular pillows, he seems to prefer smoother and firmer.

Kriegsspiel wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2017 9:16 am

I have also been sleeping on a Thermarest, like Jean is. I mostly sleep on my back, the rolled up towel is good for that. I fold it in half when I roll over onto my side.

brute acts similarly, but it feels weird having to dedicate so much activity to the roll-over every time.

that's one of the downsides of a really firm mattress - a soft mattress absorbs some of the height differential between different sleeping positions, because as brute rolls onto his side, his shoulder simply sinks further into the mattress. on the firm mattress (or plywood), he couldn't possibly sleep on his side with the same pillow height he uses for back or front positions, because there are several more inches between his head and the mattress.

thus, varying pillow height needs to be accounted for by folding, adding extra material (brute has tried putting books under his pillow), shoving arms in there somehow.

on the other hand, this might simply be a case of accustomization. brute has recently found he's sleeping more and more on his side vs. his front, which might be a reaction to the increased effort of switching positions.

I had been sleeping on a futon mattress, so I just bunched up a pillow anyways. When I switched to the thermarest, I was using a pair of rolled up pants and a little square poncho thing inside a pillow case. When I rolled on my side I just finagled the pants on top of the square thing. But now I use a bath towel and it's firm enough that I don't need a 2 unit system.

I might get a pillow. Undecided on the matter.

Has brute considered adding extra material under just one half of his pillow, so he could switch sides of the pillow when rolling between back and side sleeping?

brute has considered, but not tried it. it seems that the pillow issue has mostly resolved itself. this whole week, brute's been sleeping fine with his regular old pillow. maybe it was just a matter of getting used to it after the mattress change.

I am in the process of removing the need for a pillow altogether, by gradually reducing the pillow thickness so that your body can adapt.
Katy Bowman inspired me to do this.

brute is generally more of a cold turkey strategist, but with pillows, it seems to really take a while. maybe neck muscles need to change.

You shouldn't need a pillow when sleeping on your back, but it is better to have something supporting your neck if you're sleeping on your side. A towel works fine and you can leave it next to your head so you don't have make a production out of changing sleeping positions. Fold the end over a little so there is a bigger hump under your neck than under your head.

You'll be more comfortable either way if you have your knees supported. Keep something under your knees when you're on your back and between your knees if you roll to your side. Again, a towel is enough although I prefer a little memory foam instead. I got this advice from my ortho when he was treating me for neck problems (occipital neuralgia). I couldn't believe that a pillow under my knees could cure my neck issues but it did within a month (along with a little PT).

BRUTE wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 13, 2017 9:42 pm

...where do humans live that are 3 feet wide but only 5 feet tall?

Denmark...

I also sleep on a z lite thermarest. I've experimented with using a pillow and not. I'm currently in favor of using a regular pillow ( I am mainly a side sleeper). Anything rolled up works though. If I'm out in the backcountry I'll roll up an unused top layer or use my PFD.

is the z lite an air mattress? brute has googled it, but can't tell from the picture.

It's not. It's more comfortable than a yoga mat, but it takes up less space. Foldability, makes it practical to sit on as well, and as I said, I had mine for 7 years now, and I don't think I will have to replace it soon.

brute will investigate if his current Thai mattress ever goes out of commission. (which it might in < 7 years due to its organic nature).