My Bed and M.E
ID: A graphic with a light blue background with a dotted pattern in the corners. The words My Bed and M.E is written on it and there’s an illustration of a girl in bed in the bottom right corner.
Hello friends,
This month is National Bed Month and like many chronically ill people, especially those with Moderate/Severe M.E, my bed is very important to me. So I thought I’d tell you bit about why that is and what I feel are some of the important factors in ensure you bed is a cosy a haven as possible.
Since becoming seriously ill, my bed isn’t just the place I sleep anymore as I spend at least 3 days out of 7 each week in it resting. When you have M.E, your body doesn’t create it’s own energy easily and as such one of the main symptoms is high levels of fatigue. This means many people with M.E often are too sick to leave their bed for long periods of time. Resting is so important to help your body store up even small amounts of energy to help it cope with any small amount of activity you need to do. So my bed, and by extension my bedroom, has become a lounge, a dining room, an office/study, a library and at times even a kitchen!
Spending so much time within the same four walls, while beneficial for your physical health when the chronic illness you have requires plenty of rest, it can have an impact on your mental health. There are times when my M.E is flaring and I have no choice to be in bed for a good week or more, that I get to a point where my mood drops and I become incredibly down. So ensuring my bed {and bedroom} is as comfortable as possible and a nice place to simply live is essential.
So here’s a few things to think about if you are finding you’re having to spend more time in your bed that you would like:
Mattress:
For your bed to be comfortable, it all starts with a good mattress. Mine is from Silentnight’s Pocket Luxury range. It has a quilted top layer for extra comfort, an eco-friendly breathable layer under that and then a spring support system layer that helps distribute weight evenly when it’s laid or sat on. This layer helps support you body and can help ease any painful pressure points you may have while sleeping. It definitely helps ease the hip pain I can experience while laying down.
So if you’re looking for a new mattress, take your time and do your research if you’re able, as getting the right mattress will really help you feel comfortable in your bed.
Duvet:
Like your mattress, having a good duvet is so important as it also can make or break the comfort of your bed. There are so many to choose from that it can be overwhelming but thinking about when you need to help you and your body feel as comfortable as possible whether when you’re sleeping or resting throughout the day can really help. The main issue I have while in bed sleeping or resting is keeping warm, but not too warm and this varies throughout the year.
So, I invested in a couple of duvets to cater for my needs ~ a Winter one and a Spring/Summer one. Both are stuffed with temperature regulating material, which can help me stay either warm or cool depending on the time of year. They’re also anti-allergy which helps with dust control.
ID: A picture of Louise’s MacBook sat on her bed. Behind it are two pillows with a sloth drawing on them and the words Don’t Worry Be Happy on them.
Pillows:
When you spend most of your time in bed, pillows aren’t just for sleeping on, but they can help support you when you’re able to sit up in bed and as help you feel as comfortable as possible no matter how long you have to be in bed for. So choosing the right ones really does help.
Personally, until recently pillows have been the bane of my life! As I spend so much time in bed, using my pillows to help support me, I found they were becoming so flat so quickly and this led to an even more uncomfortable night’s sleep. So I finally decided to invest a little more in a set of pillows and after doing research for type of pillows would be best for me, I found some from Dunelm. They’re medium support for side sleepers and are classed as “forever full” which is definitely the case. I just give them a plump up each morning and before going to sleep and they’re just a comfy as when I first got them.
Bedding:
I’ll be totally honest, I love shopping for bedding! I find it’s a great way to not only add some comfort to you bed but also allows you to add some colour and fun to your room. The material you choose can help keep you warm/cool and again cosy! I’ve found having brushed cotton bedding in winter really helps keep me warm and a nice light cotton set for those slightly warmer months helps me to not get too hot. Also, I like to have a couple of sets to choose from when my bed is ready for changing as this means you can change your bed and collapse back into it without waiting for your bedding to be washed and dried.
I also think a bedspread or throw can give you some colour and also that extra bit of comfort on those especially down days and they’re always nice to lay under if its a bit too warm to be under your duvet.
That pretty much covers the fundamentals of how to help make your bed a nicer place to be if, like me, you have to spend most of your time in it. One finally little tip that I’ve learned over the years regarding duvets and bedding is to size up. So if you have double bed, buy a king size duvet and bedding as this gives you extra coverage down the sides of your bed. This will help keep you warmer during the colder days / months and also means you can wrap yourself up in your cover on those especially hard days when all you want to do is hide from the world!
ID: A picture of Louise’s bed. There’s two pillows with sloth drawings and the words Don’t Hurry Be Happy on them. In the middle of the two pillows is a small grey cushion that says Take Life One Cup At A Time.
I hope you’ve found something within this article that will help you make your bed as cosy as possible. If you have any other tips or anything I’ve missed, please feel free to leave a comment as I’m always looking to make my bed and by extension my room even more cosy than it already is!
Stay Safe. Sleep Well.
L x
