Chinese beds are usually one piece, not two, and therefore quite a bit more firm and less cozy. It's not exactly like sleeping on a box spring, because there is a thin layer of padding, but it's close. At first these beds felt really uncomfortable, but give yourself two years, you get accustomed to things you never imagined you could. Here's my apartment bed; it's a little hard to tell, but I had a box platform, then the boxspring style mattress on top of that.
I liked these box bed platforms, I imagined they were a design relic of the traditional 'kang' bed, where hot coals were placed in the box's empty space to heat the bed overnight. Believe me, with no indoor heat, I would've loved a kang bed!
Here's a bed at our favorite hostel in Chengdu. You can see the wood plank and thin mattress we slept on, and it's actually quite comfortable, I slept very well on this bed. (Not my legs, btw.)
-------
So, now I'm back in America, back to a big fluffy American bed...and it was really, really difficult for me to sleep on. My back and neck hurt all the time. I finally had to admit: my big American bed is now too darn soft and cloud-like. So this week I gave in to my Chinese characteristics and removed the top mattress, and I'm back to sleeping on just the box spring, with a foam topper. Ahh...so firm and familiar! And no more back aches.
Next time I have a sleepover, I guess it will need to be someone familiar with Chinese-style beds.
So interesting...
ReplyDeleteMy husband has back pain sleeping on our bed, but he goes to India and sleeps on a two inch cotton mattress, or whatever they have in the hotels there, and he slept just fine. Maybe I'll have to buy a twin mattress for my side, and let him sleep 10 inches below me on just the box springs on his side.
You're good to adapt so well!
ReplyDeleteVegas and I have an agreement: two mattresses side by side so we each sleep on what we like... his mattress is called "Granite" (not kidding here) and I've nicknamed mine the Marshmallow! You two would get along, haha!
Oh wow. I never think of things like that. The thought of sleeping on a box spring with just a foam topper sounds makes my back hurt. Its crazy to think how quickly our bodies adjust to things like that.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing to think of what we CAN get used too.
ReplyDeleteThe kang bed sounds really interesting!
So, from the last picture I take it that in China they have giant chickens who like to lay eggs on these firm beds?
ReplyDeleteFunny, how our bodies grow accustomed to things...and honestly, the flatter the bed, although seemingly less comfortable, the better I sleep. Go figure. When it's too soft, it feels nice but I get a horrible night's sleep. Waterbeds KILL me...even though I think they're so cool (especially the heated ones in the winter time!). Btw, sleeping over hot coals sounds a little scary (too much like the Cuban pig roasts we have every Christmas Eve...lol). :)
ReplyDelete