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- I need a new mattress and really want to buy one that is not doused in chemicals -- in other words, an organic mattress. I've searched a number of sites online and have been horrified by the prices. They are really, really expensive! How bad is it if I buy a regular old affordable mattress? And if it's really that bad, where can I find an organic one that won't cost a small fortune?

- Hey, I just found a great resource for this kind of question. Pollution in People is a project of several well-respected Washington-state environmental groups, and one aspect of the project is a guide to safer consumer products. Check it out, people. From what I've read, the current horrible thing to watch out for in mattresses and other upholstered furniture is polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. This is a group of chemicals usually applied as flame retardants, and now recognized as highly bioaccumulative and potentially quite dangerous. It is thought that PBDEs drift out of furniture and into house air and dust, which we then inhale. They have been linked to brain and thyroid problems in rodents and cats, and are considered especially dangerous to children, particularly because they accumulate in fatty tissue and are passed on in breast milk. This year, Washington became the first state in the U.S. to begin phasing out PBDEs, banning a common class of them known as decas. Hooray!

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- Is there one piece of green furniture that's a must-have?

- The mattress. Children sleep on that more than 12 hours a day, so an organic mattress is important. The whole incidence of SIDS [sudden infant death syndrome] decreased dramatically when we started putting kids to sleep on their backs, but I think part of the problem also came from children having their faces down in all the chemicals in conventional mattresses: polyvinyl chloride, phthalates, polyurethane foam, fire retardants.

- What can we do if our older children slept on non-organic mattresses when they were babies, and we didn't know any better?

- Even if kids come into contact with something harmful, a lot can be done with them at any age to repair the damage. It can be done with great foods: organic, raw foods that are rich in antioxidants. A daily vitamin and mineral pill is also a great safety net. Even better than that is finding foods that you can teach them to like. Berries are a wonderful source of nutrition. So are cherries, and kids love them frozen without the pits.

Washington state will be the first in the nation to phase out nasty fireproofing chemicals called PBDEs, which show up in the bodies of people and wildlife and may cause neurological damage. Yesterday, the state Senate passed a measure that will eventually ban home items containing deca, the most commonly used PBDE; the House had already approved the bill, and now the governor is expected to sign it into law.

Mattresses containing deca will be the first to go, starting in 2008; provided a safer fireproofing alternative is found, TVs, computers, and upholstery will have to be deca-free starting in 2011. "It's a great victory for children's health over the scare tactics of the [flame retardant] industry," says Laurie Valeriano of the Washington Toxics Coalition.

The measure passed 41 to 8, with dissenting Republicans arguing that risks from PBDEs are unknown (extensive lab tests notwithstanding) and that fireproofing alternatives might be ineffective. The phaseout is endorsed by the state fire marshal and state associations of fire chiefs and firefighters, but what do they know?

The night I spent on an air mattress ranks high in the Bad Sleep Hall of Fame. It felt like sleeping on a giant egg carton, so I let some air out. Then it was too soft. My shoulder hit the floor when I lay on my side, and if either my sleeping companion or I so much as twitched, the whole tormentatious bed would undulate for a minute or two. Don't put your guests in this situation. Unless you wish them to go and ne'er return. I can suggest a few alternatives to the evil, uncomfortable, cheap air mattress. It's possible to buy a good, comfortable air mattress made of rubber or latex. These not only avoid PVC but are also sturdier and more durable than their vinyl cousins. Or so I've read. Trouble is, you can't figure out which ones are actually comfortable without testing them out; you'll have to look around for reviews on the web, or just guess and be ready to ship it back if necessary.

A plain old piece of solid foam or latex might also work. In fact, I currently have a single foam mattress kicking around that I use for this purpose. It's incredibly lightweight. Your local foam store or an online supplier will happily sell you a large piece of firm foam -- unfortunately it is likely to be impregnated with fire retardant and health retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (like mine, which is a hand-me-down). IKEA, which is PBDE-free, sells foam and latex mattresses; some of the foam ones could be rolled up and left in the closet, and they aren't too expensive. If you don't have access to IKEA, look about on the web for latex mattresses. A latex (or foam) pad might be too hard and/or thin for some guests, so you could store a feather bed for use atop.

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My husband bought a regular air mattress from REI, the kind for camping, but it was like trying to balance on a big bubble. I'm really comfy on our couch, which is just latex foam cushions, so we tried a couple of foam things from various sources, and ended up selling them on, yup, Craigslist.

Now you'd think these decisions were all willy-nilly, but no. I've done my research, poring through online user-review sites, which didn't help because somebody loves and somebody hates everything. But at least by now I'm informed. I know all the return policies, or lack thereof. All the sales pitches. Are you a back, side or stomach sleeper? (What if I'm all three?) I know all about pressure points, memory foam, coil configurations and pillow-tops. I totally want to punch the Serta sheep, no matter how cute they are.

We even went so far as to look, just look, at those Swedish Dux beds with adjustable lumbar support, "personal comfort zones" and more springs than a Slinky factory, only to come out of the store doubled over in laughter. Wanna guess how much the cheapest one is? No, higher. No, higher. OK, I'll just tell you: $6,000! Hahahaha! That's for the no-frills nonadjustable one! And they go up to 12 grand! That's a car! Granted, a used Land Destroyer, but still!

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According to the established norm for most mammals — except perhaps for college students cramming for finals, bats and Amy Winehouse — my ultimate nighttime destination is the land of Nod.

I hear it's a peaceful place, full of fancy, adventure, perils, triumphs and sometimes moments in which to stand on a stage in front of thousands of people with no clothes on. But I can't speak from experience. I hardly ever go there because I lack the proper conveyance for my journey — a tender transport, a charitable chariot — and instead I linger in the mattress-shopping version of the "Twilight Zone" where the search for sleep is truly a nightmare.

As I write this, I am groggy beyond belief, my back is sore, there's a twitch at the corner of my eyelid and my right hip throbs with pain like a toothache. For the past year and a half, we have had a fine mattress. Not a cheap one, but a good Sealy Posturepedic pillow-top that seemed comfy in the 10 minutes I reclined on the store sample with the clerk's anxious face hovering over me like those scenes in movies when someone wakes up after fainting.

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Couples should consider investing in a quality mattress that gives them the proper comfort and support. "Beds do have a shelf life," says Bain. "Support wears out. Your body changes. So a new bed can have two effects: the proper rest and support benefit, and it can also have a psychological benefit."

Keep in mind that the recent firmer-is-better mattress mantra has been debunked. "If it's too firm, it puts pressure points on people," Bain says.

And when it comes to shopping for the perfect mattress, Consumer Reports recommends testing out the goods before you make the purchase. Kick off your shoes and lie on the mattress in the store for at least 15 minutes to see if you start feeling any aches or pains.

It's also important to shop around for sales and discounts, and research warranties. Customers can test the Sleep Number bed for a 30-day trial, and once purchased, it carries a 20-year guarantee.

In addition to a comfy mattress, couples can also benefit from a few bedroom rules.

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They say a healthy relationship starts in the bedroom - with a good night's sleep. But that's easier said than done when partners have completely different snoozing styles. Different weights, resting positions and comfort preferences can result in fights, exhaustion - and forget about the sex.

"If you're not getting enough sleep ... you don't feel as good. And so much about feeling sexy and romantic has to do with how you feel about yourself," says Julie Bain, co-author of "Sleep to Be Sexy, Smart and Slim."

Luckily, a breakthrough mattress on the market this week promises the ultimate personalized sleep experience. And believe me - when it comes to comfort, this bed is king.

My boyfriend and I spent a night testing the new Sleep Number Memory Foam Bed in the posh Plaza Hotel. Six inches of air chambers make up the heart of the mattress, while a 3-inch top layer of slow-response memory foam cradles your body and soothes pressure points.

Best of all, with the push of a button, a Firmness Control System adjusts the firmness on each side of the bed on a scale of 0 (feather soft) to 100 (firmest of all).

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Atlanta-based Simmons Co.'s profits had some bounce in the third quarter.

But part of that came at the expense of layoffs, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Privately held mattress-maker Simmons made $5 million on sales of $177.6 million for the quarter ending Sept. 29. That's versus a loss of $7.7 million for the same period in 2000, according to filings. Simmons also made $2.4 million on sales of $517.7 million for the nine months ending Sept. 29 versus a loss of $8.5 million on sales of $551.2 million for the same period in 2000.

The profit came during a time when Simmons is still battling declining sales, mainly because some of its customers have fallen by the wayside, including Heilig-Meyers and Montgomery Ward, which both filed for bankruptcy in 2000, and HomeLife Furniture Corp., which filed for bankruptcy in July. Including the impact of the ailing economy, Simmons reported a $23.2 million drop in sales quarter-over-quarter.

During the third quarter, Simmons also laid off 140 more people, partially accounting for an almost $20 million decline in selling, general and administrative expenses for the quarter. Those cuts came both at the corporate and factory levels, said William Creekmuir, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Simmons.

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Dallas-based Mattress Giant Corp. announced its acquisition of Philadelphia-based Nationwide Discount Sleep Centers. Financial terms were not disclosed. Nationwide, which specializes in the retail sale of bedding products, operates 48 stores in the northeastern United States. The acquisition gives Mattress Giant a total of 175 stores, making it the largest privately held bedding retailer in the United States.