Nearly two years ago, I suffered a cardiac arrest. I could have died. For the first time in my 41 years, I faced my mortality; the fear that I could die. The hospital bed seemed a million miles away from my own bed, and even when I got back to my bed, it felt alien, and sleep often evaded me.
Of course, a lack of sleep just compounded my mental health, the less sleep I got, the more anxious I got, which meant even less sleep: A vicious circle.
Recently, TEMPUR, the mattress company, got in touch. Having been in the business for 167 years, they are no strangers to world of peaceful sleep. Their products, including mattresses and pillows, are renowned for their innovative ways to give us that sound night’s sleep.
TEMPUR material was originally designed to cushion astronauts as they took off and landed. But how can their experience possibly help the way in which I sleep?
Actually there are quite a few …
An astronaut has to be not only physically fit to endure space travel, but also mentally. As they blast away from planet Earth, they know there is a chance that they will not return., They will leave family and loved ones behind. As they float around in space a million miles from home, I’m sure those thoughts sometimes become anxious ones. As I lay awake all those nights, as my mind turned that these could be my last waking moments. Had I told everyone that I loved them enough? Would my kids still be happy growing up even if I wasn’t there to nurture them? But also the more mundane things, that I let the kids have sweets on a Friday after school, that all the birthday banners and candles were in the cupboard under the stairs …
Although a TEMPUR mattress can’t protect me from another cardiac arrest, nor can it give me the therapy to not worry about the associated anxiety, it can, just as it does for those NASA astronauts, cushion me softly, and relax me into a deep sleep. The science behind a TEMPUR mattress is that it reacts to your weight and body warmth, to mold to you personally to provide pressure support that is right just for my body. Once in the ideal sleeping position, hopefully the good dreams will come and a restful night will follow.
I’ve come a long way from those early days, and I don’t feel as scared to sleep as I used to, indeed, I try to live my life to the very best, each day.
Writing this article has really made me think: Often we can’t imagine how these extraordinary people must possibly feel as they blast off into outer space, but if we stop and think it over, our everyday experiences are extraordinary in their own way, and we can feel fear and worry about not being with loved ones. After all, we’re all only human, and often just need a good night’s sleep
This post contains sponsored content from TEMPUR. All words and opinions are my own, and the pictures are from Pixels and my own collection.
The post Sleeping In The Stars appeared first on trulymadlykids.co.uk.
