Why I Sleep At The Wrong End of Hotel Beds

A road tripper's field report on America's sagging hospitality (the solution has been invented).

I just finished seven nights on the road - Best Westerns, Days Inns, Hampton Inns, the usual chain-hotel parade. The rooms were clean, the showers were hot, and the breakfast rooms all featured the modern symbol of American hospitality: waffle irons.

At some point in the last decade, fresh waffles became standard in chain hotels. This is one of civilization's quieter achievements. A hot waffle at 7:00 a.m. before a long day of driving is good.

But the beds.

Five out of seven nights, I found myself remaking the bed backward so my head rested where my feet were supposed to be. Why? Because the mattress sloped toward the headboard - the wrong way. Downhill toward my head.

I've noticed this my entire life. As a backpacking teenager, I always chose a sleeping spot with a slight incline: head uphill, feet downhill. Years later, I learned there was science behind the instinct. Studies have shown that sleeping with the head slightly elevated can reduce acid reflux, relieve back pain, improve circulation, and generally improve sleep quality (today my bed at home is designed for incline sleep and it does, in fact, relieve my acid reflux and back pain).

Many hotel mattresses slope toward the headboard and do exactly the opposite of what’s desired. Instead of a gentle incline with elevated head and shoulders, you're sleeping in a shallow human-shaped bowl - feet elevated, head sinking.

Five nights out of seven. That's not ideal.

Why It Happens

Hotel mattresses endure a repetitive form of wear. Thousands of guests sleep with body weight concentrated toward the head of the bed. Housekeeping repeatedly pushes mattresses back into place from the bottom, which may tend to puff them up. Over time, foundations bow, platforms sag, mattresses compress and settle into the shape of their history.

The result is subtle but noticeable: a bed that slopes the wrong way just enough to make sleep feel slightly wrong.

The Low Cost Fix

The solution is simple.

Rotate mattresses regularly. Inspect foundations and platforms for sagging. Shim up the head area if necessary.

Or…

If you run a hotel dedicated to wellness, consider getting bed frames specifically designed for incline sleeping, one that allows guests to sleep at their preferred angle, a bed like the DreamCline™ adjustable incline bed. Full disclosure - I’m a co-founder of the company that makes it. There are other solutions as well, such as wedge pillows and risers that can be placed under the feet of the bed.

Is it a fantasy to think hotels will take care of this problem? Maybe. But waffles with “free” breakfasts were once a fantasy too.

Until Then

Meanwhile, when I’m on the road, I'll keep doing what I do: strip the bed, flip the pillow, remake it backward, and sleep just fine.

But when you find yourself doing the same thing five nights out of seven, it stops feeling like a personal quirk and starts looking like a pattern.

And patterns eventually deserve solutions.

The author has logged more nights in mid-range American chain hotels than he cares to count and has developed opinions accordingly.

- Mike Marks