People who know me well know I’m not writing about a dog, definitely not about a cat. I mention my husband often here… but, no, I’m not referring to him. I’m taking a little time this week to encourage you to consider a Bed Buddy for yourself or someone you love. It was at Bed Bath and Beyond that I first laid eyes on mine.
Whether it is just the way I’m made or the hobbies I enjoy, hobbies including playing the flute and crocheting, I carry a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders.
When I saw this package,
I wanted the relief that she’s getting!
The price was reasonable, so I took my new Bed Buddy home. And I used it. Often. I read and crocheted with it draped around my neck, always having heated it in the microwave. Then, a couple of years ago, a physical therapist gave me some great advice, a bit hard for me to follow, but great. She told me to lie down with a heat wrap for 20 minutes every night, giving my tight muscles a chance to relax. I followed her orders, resisting the temptation to multi-task, lying on the couch absorbing the moist heat, invariably falling asleep while Dave watched TV.
During my current round of physical therapy for a different condition, the therapist told of asking patients with neck pain how they’re doing, only to hear about the various stressful situations in their lives with no mention of the problem he’s treating. He explained that many times, stress is the reason for the pain as well as many other health problems. We need to address our stress.
A year ago, son Kyle was experiencing some unpleasant physical symptoms brought on by stress. I gave him a Bed Buddy, wondering whether he, being a usually warm person, would be able to enjoy the moist heat. As he tells it, in his apartment after a long day of work, he warmed the Buddy, turned on a favorite episode of Dirty Jobs, and wrapped the gift around his neck. Relief was instantaneous and he had a new habit.
When I wrapped my warmed Buddy around my brother’s neck, knowing of the pain he experiences, he exclaimed, “I have to have one of these!” making my Christmas shopping very easy.
As I’ve been dealing with back and hip pain this year, I’ve occasionally used an ice pack. But I’m a lover of heat treatment and have never put my Buddy in the fridge as the instructions suggest. I take my physical therapists advice, do the exercises, avoid bending over to pick things up, using medicine at times. And now, every night, whether I’m having pain or not, I warm up my Buddy and wrap it around the problem area, then drift off to sleep.
Some heat wraps provide aromatherapy, often lavender, but my Bed Buddy does not, except when I accidentally overheated the natural grains to the point of almost cooking them. A few more seconds and I would have had a fire…or popcorn! My Buddy came out with just one discolored (burnt) spot and keeps on doing its job.
You may be expecting a disclaimer about my being paid to write this review. Nope. I just want to share something very simple that might benefit you if you have muscle pain from overworking or stress. Or I may have just reduced your anxiety over this year’s Christmas gift shopping.
This Amazon.com listing mentions that the Buddy helps with hot flashes. So THAT might be a good reason to chill it!
Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6