Gel mouse mat

A while ago I mentioned a gel mouse mat that I was trying out and, having had it for about 3 months, I am now in a better position to comment about it.

The mat is basically circular, but with one side flattened out and including the addition of a raised gel pad.

You rest your wrist, or ball of the hand, on the pad, thus elevating the level of the fingers as they wrap around the mouse.

I have persisted with this mat since buying it, but I honestly cannot say that I find it any more comfortable or easy to use than a regular flat mouse mat. In fact I would go as far as to say that it can actually make my wrist ache if I am using it for prolonged periods of time.

I assume (possibly incorrectly) that there are some ergonomic and muscular advantages to this kind of set-up, but in truth I have not checked out the facts.

Whether or not I will continue to persist with this mat I have yet to decide, but in my case at least I do not feel that I have gained any real advantage from using it.

Some feedback

It is a couple of weeks since my last entry, so I will give some feedback on the Kaymed gel bed that is now a few months old.

I am sure that this bed offers good support and assists my back, however my sleep patterns are still often disrupted and I do sometimes awaken with mild back discomfort or tightness.

I have also started experimenting with a contoured memory foam pillow which I “do not” find uncomfortable and which clearly does have a profile that works for my head and neck. It does take some getting used to and it is no good if you like to rest an arm under the pillow, however I do think that it has helped my sleep. The one that I am using is pretty firm, but it is also short on depth which is ideal for someone over 6 ft using a standard double length bed.

Other orthopedic products that I bought were the chair, gel mat and gel foot insoles, the latter of which have hardly been used, but which have still disintegrated.

Pretty disappointing given that I have provided them so little use and only weight about 185 pounds.

The multi adjustable chair is superb and I remain convinced that this item has dramatically improved my back’s health. I am also convinced that, aside from the height adjustment, the most important feature of one of these chairs is the seat tilt function. This function places you in a position where you automatically lean forward and support your own back and where the weight of your upper body is adequately supported on the chair. I would recommend this style of ergonomic chair to anyone.

The mouse mat is odd. To be honest I find the projecting gel support more of a hindrance than a help, even though I have persisted with it for a couple of months or more. This, no doubt, has ore to do with personal preference that anything else.

Disrupted sleep

Having spent a night away sleeping in a different bed I have become all too aware of firstly, the value of a good mattress and secondly, the difficulties of adapting to a less supportive mattress than the one that I am accustomed to.

The mattress that I slept on on Saturday is one that I have used a number of times and it is fairly new, hardly ever used, and a super king in size. Even so the change from the multi material body shaping mattress that I sleep on every day to this spring-only mattress was enough to make sleeping a difficult activity.

This highlights two factors. The first is that I had clearly adapted to a less than ideal bed support and the second is that it would appear that once you are “spoilt” with a good mattress it becomes difficult to get a decent night’s sleep on anything less. This is a minor problem in itself.

Also interesting was a conversation that I had with my in-laws (whose home we were visiting) and who both believed that a firm to hard bed was the best for the back and who both genuinely do sleep their best on a very firm mattress.

What this highlights is not the fact that some people are misinformed about beds and mattresses, but rather that we all like and adapt to different types of bedding and that what works for one, or is even recommended by “experts”, may not be right for someone else.

For my part I would certainly recommend a bed with some kind of memory foam, Latex foam or Gel structure as a top level comfort and support level, but this is not to say that it would work for everyone.

It is also interesting to note how many people are dissatisfied with very expensive beds by Tempur, Kaymed etc when so many other owners (like me) will extol the virtues of these beds and argue that their higher cost is money well spent.

Mattress topper - foam variety

I have mentioned mattress toppers on a number of occasions, but previously without first hand experience of sleeping on one. I can now correct that and give some direct feedback.

About 3 months ago we bought a foam mattress (firmness rating 9) to cover a stop gap between getting rid of an old mattress and buying a new bed.

Needles to say this “concrete like” mattress was firm beyond belief and we both found it impossible to sleep on. With a new bed on the way it was pointless replacing this mattress, so we opted to buy a foam topper to cover the new bed delivery period and soften up our sleeping surface during the interim.

We paid about £25 for the topper (very cheap) and it took the form of a series of quilted sections with a soft foam like filling. The topper was (is) about 1 inch in thickness when not compressed.

Our overall view was that the topper did soften the sleeping surface, however with the mattress in question it was still close to intolerable and we were elated when the new bed arrived.

You can get some additional detail about toppers on this - http://www.foammattresstopper.org informative site about bedding.

So what is the verdict?

I would make a strong assumption that, with a rock like mattress (such as the one we suffered with), a good quality mattress topper of a fair thickness (i.e. at least 1.5 inches) would enhance the sleeping characteristics. Indeed, I would guess that a memory foam topper would probably convert such a mattress into a very good sleeping surface. Our “minimal spend” was not however enough to do this, although it should be added that anyone who likes a firm mattress/topper may well love it.

Electrically operated chairs

We have been checking out some cars recently as we intend to buy a sports car for weekend use asap.

The model that we are interested comes with almost everything as standard and this, amongst other features, includes electric seats.

I bring this up because it is amazing how many cars now include power seat options. The vehicle that we are considering has 8 way electric adjustment of both seats and the seats are even heated.

Why then are such adjustments not included in home furniture.

Some living room suites have recline actions and extendable leg rests, but normally only to fixed positions and with no power assistance.

Dining chairs and have no movable parts and only ergonomic office chairs and chairs for the elderly that “rise and recline” have any motorisation. See http://www.orthopedicchair.net/ for examples of these.

It seems that in the home furnishing market an appreciation of orthopedic chairs and chairs with some level of angle, height and tilt adjustment is rare, if not unheard of!

This also becomes confusing as the cost of motors and remote control operation is now so low and affordable. Indeed, when you combine this with the increased awareness of spinal problems, care for the back, and generally looking after our posture, it would seem that there is a potential market out there.

I would guess that many people would happily pay for an electrically adjustable arm chair and that many would feel the same way about a “high use” office chair. So why are these products not widely available, particularly in the USA where “motorised everything” seems the norm.

Toppers and Kaymed bed

I will not reproduce the article here, but the information contained within it can be found at http://www.foammattresstopper.org and some advice on selecting the right mattress topper can also be found at http://www.foammattresstopper.org/choosing-topper.html. This second link summarises the different filler materials and the sleeping properties that they are claimed to offer. It will act as a guide to anyone considering buying a new topper.

It is important to remember that a mattress topper, which may cost almost as much as a new cheap mattress, will not revitalise an old, damaged or “past its best” mattress.

Never buy a mattress topper in the hope that it will save the cost of replacing an existing mattress that no longer functions as it should.

The Kaymend Gel Nest Ultra 1800

I have added a new post to the mini blog that I set up to offer feedback on the Kaymed bed that we purchased a short time ago. The first “proper” review of this bed can now be found at http://gel-beds.blogspot.com.

New entry to the Gel bed sub-blog

I completed the collection of orthopedic products purchases at the weekend when the Kaymed gel nest ultra 1800 bed was delivered about 5 weeks after the initial sale. (This was in accordance with the delivery information that we were given.)

I now have the multi adjustable ergonomic chair, the gel insoles, the gel mouse mat and finally the gel/memory foam/pocket spring bed which makes the “health” based buying spree complete.

As of now it is too early to evaluate the bed on comfort, “sleepability” etc, but the bed blog has a new entry at http://gel-beds.blogspot.com which covers the basics in terms of appearance, size etc.

The mouse mat too has seen little use over the last few days as I have been out of online (and indeed all IT) action since Wednesday last week.

The chair continues to function well and I will add an entry to the blog that I set up for that purpose in another few days or so.