One of my other big hobbies outside of gaming, film, cooking and generally staying out of most trouble (unless otherwise necessary for a good story later on) is sleeping. I’ve been been known to fall asleep almost anywhere at the drop of a hat. In fact, if you go buy me a hat and hand it to me right now, I could drop it and fall asleep before it hits the ground. Okay, I’m not that good, but I’ve definitely mastered the fine art of snoozing on any relatively flat surface. This is naturally both a very good as well as a very bad thing. Very good as in I can curl up on anything from a lumpy hardwood floor with a scratchy burlap blanket to a nice Italian leather sofa and zonk out with ease. Very bad as in my poor back, neck and other body parts have been through the wringer thanks to some of my sleeping choices over the decades…

I’d bet most of you a relatively new nickel that you barely think of what you’re sleeping on each night other than the hope that it’s not too cold or too hot, your blankets don’t get swiped by a bed-mate or pet and you manage to get a solid 7 or 8 hours and wake up with nothing aching when all is said and done.

Technogel (which is used in products ranging from quality insoles to artificial limbs) makes for quite a spectacular bedding material, as I found out as soon as I stretched out on a Vive Estasi mattress a few months back at the Rand Luxury Review. Of course, Technogel’s Brittany Colatrella (who looks as if she sleeps very well indeed) was smiling down at me and asking how the experience was. I was already drifting off into a slow snooze, so I though it was some angelic face popping through a cloud (harps playing and all!) and not a happy PR person with an honest inquiry.

Alright, I wasn’t REALLY dozing off that quickly, but man, did I feel like doing so when I lay down and my body and head (yes, they make pillows as well!) felt very properly cradled. Technogel is strangely cool (in a good way) to the touch and according to Colatrella (and the research I did later at home), makes for excellent bedding material because it keeps you cool in the summer and from overheating in the winter, which are both great things for getting a decent rest.

Of course, a mattress made with this material and other fine quality goods doesn’t come cheap at all. But in the grand scheme of things, when you consider how important a good sleep is to your daily life (and yes, there’s an actual National Sleep Foundation, spending a few thousand dollars on a bed that’s going to actually make your life better isn’t as much of a “luxury” as it is a necessity.

Of course, that would mean trying to get government subsidies and tax rebates for this sort of purchase (and can you IMAGINE the furor over this in the land of cable news idiots ranting out of context about every darn thing?). But in that prefect dreamland I’m imagining, no one would be spending a night on a crappy mattress no matter what their income level. Hell, I’d like to believe we’d ALL sleep well knowing people all around the world were bouncing out of bed ready to tackle whatever the day hits them with…