Exercise and Sleep

“Excuse me… can you please help!” I said weakly. The large man in the muscle shirt ran over to me and pulled the bar with a twenty-five pound weight on each side off my neck. I could breathe again, and the man said to me as he walked away, “May not be a bad idea to get a spotter.” Being the hot-headed teenager that I was, but not dumb enough to say anything, my anger brewed inside of me as I digested this man’s innocent words. Later that night, after a sorry excuse of a workout, I lied down on my mattress and the ache in my back throbbed.

Have you ever worked out real hard, and then lied down on the mattress to feel that ache in your back? I always assumed that was a good thing, but then I later found out from a trainer at Spectrum Fitness that the ache in your back is not a good thing because it generally means you are lifting too much weight. Still in my teenage years of invincibility, it was hard news to hear. However, today I am twice as old as I used to be and I now understand that exercise is extraordinarily vital to healthy sleep.

Obesity is often attributed to many sleep problems; one of the most common sleep ailment is sleep apnea. People who are diagnosed with sleep apnea repeatedly stop breathing while they sleep. This condition can be scary because a loss of oxygen to the brain can lead to serious conditions such as stroke, heart attack and congestive heart failure. Not to mention that sleep apnea deprives the human body from receiving sleep that helps the body recover. Now, I am not a physician, so if you think you suffer from sleep apnea, then please treat that condition first. Once you have that condition under control, then consider getting with your doctor on a weight loss program. Studies have shown that weight loss often improves, and sometimes even cures, sleep apnea.

If you’re interested in a gym, then check out Olinde’s Mattress Superstore at Southdown’s neighbor, Spectrum Fitness Southdowns. Plus, Olinde’s Mattress Superstore provides a 10% discount to all Spectrum members if you are in the market for a new mattress as well J Spectrum Fitness Southdowns is located at 4355 Perkins Rd. in Baton Rouge or you can call them at 225-923-3490 or check out their website at www.southdowns.spectrumfitness.com

- Andrew Olinde, Jr.

The Dreaded Guest Bed

Okay, so you finally got your husband to put down the TV remote and clean the room you refer to as the “junk room.” You had the garage sale, and now you have the guest bedroom for your in-laws to enjoy when they are in town. So, now what do you do about a guest mattress set? What is the right amount of money to spend? You really should not be worried about price. You should be worried more about quality.

At least a half dozen times a month I will get a customer in the store who is strictly looking for a guest mattress set. They always start with the same thing: “This is just a guest bed, so I don’t want to spend too much.” At Olinde’s Mattress Superstore we do not want to go against a customer’s wishes, therefore I always do what is called “bottom-up selling.” I go to cheapest mattress set that we have and I have the customer try it out. Then I try to get them to the sweet-spot for a guest mattress set – see attached video of the “sweet-spot:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRA9L7DKToM 

Here are three questions you need to ask yourself. One, if your in-laws or best friend came in to spend a long weekend at your home, then would you feel comfortable having them sleep on a poor quality mattress for three straight days? The answer should be no, because you will probably feel embarrassed if your best friend came down for breakfast on a Saturday morning holding their aching back. Two, at most, how often will a guest be on your guest bedroom mattress set a month? I have never had a customer say more than 10 times a month. Therefore, you can multiply the expected life of your guest mattress set by at least three times. And believe me, the salesperson should know how long a mattress set should last. Three, would you feel comfortable moving your current mattress set into the guest bedroom, and upgrading your own mattress? I have no answer for you on that one.

From a consulting point-of-view, I try to let my customers know that if question number three is out of the question, then you need a good quality mattress set that will not break the bank. At Olinde’s Mattress Superstore we have three great options: the Restonic “Gentilly II Gel Series,” the Sealy Posturepedic “Colonial Park,” or the Restonic “Bristol.” Each mattress set is not priced too high, is quality-made, and has a life-span of at least five years if it were slept on full-time; therefore, these guest mattress sets should last at least fifteen years.

If you are in the market for a guest bedroom mattress set, then feel free to come into Olinde’s Mattress Superstore’s two locations (4201 Perkins Rd. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana or 10218 Sullivan Rd. in Central, Louisiana), call me at 225-378-3003 or email me at andrew@olindes.com.