THINKBOX

Over the past few years I've been very happy to know I have made one of the best financial decisions ever.

How many of you are willing to pay some hundred thousand baht for a watch? How about for a bag?

I'm sure a great number of you think they are worth their astronomical price tag, even though, due to their "high value", the beauty, durability and technology of such goods are more often kept in a box than worn.

Well, I'm not here to argue whether or not people should spend a lot of money on luxuries. I myself am one of those people who wears an expensive watch. Yet, I have to admit it doesn't tell the time better than that of one 50 times cheaper.

But I am encouraging you to spend on something a lot more substantial. Why pay many months salary for something you use only once a month, such as a bag or a watch? Why not pay as much for something that supports your whole body every single night, 365 days a year? Yes, I'm talking about a mattress.

Buying a mattress is an investment that will pay off so evidently that you can even feel it in your bones.

When someone says you don't need an expensive mattress to sleep better, don't believe them. Trust me, you do.

Up until eight years ago, I was suffering chronic aches in my back, neck and shoulders. I later found out that the non-stop pains were caused by a spring mattress that I bought a few years earlier and had been sleeping on since. It was of a famous brand name and cost a little over 10,000 baht. Many may know that's quite a low price for a king-size mattress. Well, I didn't.

When the new mattress was installed in our bedroom, it felt right and comfortable. Complying with the rules of mattress care, we flipped and rotated the 6x6 platform approximately once a month. Yet, despite its 12-year manufacturing warranty and how it was claimed to be made with materials and technology that prevent back pain, we started to notice slopes and sags in our mattress after only two years, followed by a series of aches.

I don't exactly remember how my conversation with the manufacturer went regarding the warranty, but I know the process to have the mattress replaced (or, worse, fixed) was nothing any unsatisfied consumer would want to go through.

So, after several more months of physical and emotional torture, I decided to take the quicker and easier way out _ buy a new one.

For me to understand how those many layers of foam and spring coils in a mattress affected my quality of sleep was unimaginable physics. The only thing I knew was that cheap mattresses suck, and I would not risk my health and well-being with the financial bargain again.

My current mattress, which I regard as our smart investment, was purchased the same year I was pregnant with my son, who's now eight.

Though it was also a spring mattress made with modern technology by a famous brand and sold through the same department store just like the last one, it was 10 times more expensive. Certainly, to match the price, it has also proved to be of infinitely better quality. Of course, we were told to flip and rotate the new mattress once in a while. But considering its super-heavy weight, we've hardly done so. Yet, so far it still maintains its shape and offers perfect support to my muscles and bones.

My back pains were gradually cured and show no sign of return. Since then, I have saved a lot of money from not having to regularly hire a massage therapist or buy muscle relaxant pills. My days of work are much more energised and I've missed my bed even more when I'm away. Now, as I'm lying on my bed each night, I always feel the utmost comfort that I wouldn't trade for anything else in the world.

I've learned from my own experience that a bad sleep can harm not only your health, but also your quality of life. When your body is suffering or lacking in rest, your brain tends not to function well and your boss seems to notice. So a good night's sleep means much more than some hours in slumber land.

Now I will let you figure out for yourself how much a good mattress is worth, compared to those fashionable luxuries.

Vanniya Sriangura is a feature writer and food columnist for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.