For me it was “buy high quality pillow” because you sleep for one thrid of a day etc. I needed a new pillow anyway so I came to the store and bought the best they had. And it was … ok. Like it’s a fine pillow but my sleeping haven’t improved really, it’s basically the same. So I was disapointed :(

So, which life pro tip disappointed you?

  • @Crismus@lemmy.world
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    631 year ago

    “Happy Wife, Happy Life”

    Some women will never be happy with you because you weren’t her first pick, just what she settled for.

    You can’t make someone happy, who is unwilling to try making themselves happy. Relationships have to be equal partnerships.

    Life is so much better living alone with my dog the last 10 years.

    • @Pregnenolone@lemmy.world
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      421 year ago

      I don’t think anyone below the age of 50 has seriously believed in “happy wife, happy life”. It’s very much a boomer mentality of “pick someone you don’t love and suffer through the relationship forever”

      • @Cinner@lemmy.worldB
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        1 year ago

        I did for a bit but the years went by and sure she’s happy, but am I?

        It’s been 5 years and we’re still together.

        I think we both know it’s time.

        It’s rough, man. Kids.

        My dreams are screaming at me.

        Am I supposed to ‘follow my dreams’? Is it literal?

        I’m not sure what I want anymore, whether I’d be happier single. My subconscious yawps but I ignore it.

        Last night I was cheating with 3 of my ex’s, at once, in my sleep. She said I was sleep screaming again, but I only remember the spice I felt for life. It’s been so long.

          • @Cinner@lemmy.worldB
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            41 year ago

            It looks worse than it is because I tried to make it poetic. Though, therapy only works if you’re actually honest with your therapist about everything (and you can truthfully say you aren’t comfortable discussing something at that time, remaining honest and expressing boundaries) but I’m not even being honest with myself. When I can get to that point and get the courage to make the choices I know deep down are right for me, then maybe I’ll try therapy again.

  • @Fades@lemmy.world
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    321 year ago

    Maybe don’t encapsulate your options to a single store or even an irl store. A good pillow is a game changer, just because Walmart or whatever had shit selection doesn’t mean a quality pillow isn’t worth it

  • I had just sold a car and was flush with cash so before going to buy my new one I bought every single pillow I could find in every home goods store near me and several from online. I then spent the next month studiously comparing pillows to find the right one for me.

    The final two came down to a $15 pillow and a $190 pillow.

    After deciding all the other pillows got returned and then went and got my new car.

    In things as subjective as a pillow high quality is rather Nebulous.

    For something like a woodworking tool high quality often matters far more.

    The worst life pro tip I’ve ever received? Listen to the experts, they have made it their job to know the best things and you can’t go wrong with what they say.

  • @didiercool@lemmy.world
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    421 year ago

    Just to respond to your need for better sleep… For me, good sleep is far more about temperature, darkness, and a nice weight. So I use a weighted blanket, eye covers, and the expensive but awesome chilipad so I don’t try to sleep in a pool of sweat.

    • Dharma Curious
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      151 year ago

      Same for me, minus the weight. I hate weight on me when I’m sleeping. Makes me feel trapped and claustrophobic. I use the thinnest blanket the temperature will allow, and I always have fans (and if possible an AC) going. Anything above 63f/17c and I sweat like a pig. :(

      Does the chillpad work? I’ve heard mixed reviews.

      • @didiercool@lemmy.world
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        31 year ago

        I’ve been using it for roughly 5 years so it’s probably an old version but it does exactly what it says it does. Ie. It’s a water regulated mattress pad with a thermostat so it stays at whatever temperature you set. I have to clean it out now and then with hydrogen peroxide and add water every month or so. The heater stopped working at some point a few years ago, but I never need heat anyway and the cooling system works fine. I also set the cooling system well above my bed and that helps the circulation. But it was like $600 or something. I usually set it somewhere in the 60s and I’m in my happy place.

  • @rekabis@lemmy.ca
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    181 year ago

    I am a larger man with broad shoulders. I have trained myself to only sleep on my side due to breathing issues arising from my oversized uvula and the tendency for my tongue to join it at the back of my throat when on my back. Even when I’m awake, breathing on my back - much less speaking - is difficult due to my uvula in particular, as I can’t consciously control how it drapes back against my throat.

    So I built my own pillow, so that my head doesn’t hang from my shoulders like an afterthought – no normal pillow is tall enough to support my head while I am on my side. It looks kinda like a particularly narrow and deep parking curb, vaguely saddle shaped, only it’s not made out of concrete. It’s literally a tiny showroom-demo mattress on top of a very stable wooden base, with an actual pillow secured on top of it and everything wrapped up in a custom pillow case.

    Looks strange AF, but it keeps my spine straight and the crinks out of my neck.

    • @pingveno@lemmy.ml
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      21 year ago

      I have sleep apnea and I have found a bumper belt works wonders. It’s a belt you attach to your back with several air bladders that keep you on your side, even if your body is included towards back sleeping. It travels very nicely. Just deflate the bladders and roll up the belt.

      • @rekabis@lemmy.ca
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        11 year ago

        Luckily I don’t need anything like a bumper belt. I have trained myself to never end up on my back; to always turn a full 180° from one side to another no matter how deeply I am sleeping.

        I’m able to do a number of nifty things like this in my sleep. Such as being able to wake up within 2-3 minutes of a set time, without an alarm or even a clock, so long as I get more than 4-5hrs of sleep. I’ve even been able to do it with less sleep, only with less than perfect reliability.

        It’s a form of mental feedback that I do before falling asleep, and across enough days it ends up being trained in such that I don’t have to reinforce it every night.

    • @OceanSoap@lemmy.ml
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      31 year ago

      Would you mind sharing pictures? I’ve been getting massages because of my back and neck issues from side sleeping

    • @PolarisFx@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      11 year ago

      Ok… I’m in the same boat, severe sleep apnea because of it. I sleep with 2 pillows, a dense down filled for the base and then a soft pillow on top for comfort. Keeps my head at the right height but also allows me to roll over.

      Never thought about building a pillow

  • @fjordbasa@lemmy.world
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    1121 year ago

    I think when people say to but high quality items, they mean to spend what they’re worth. Getting the most expensive thing doesn’t really guarantee a quality item, but cheaping out makes it much more likely that you’ll end up with something lackluster. Plus, something like sleep can be fairly complicated and is connected to your habits, what you’ve eaten, or schedule, etc., so expecting a single change (pillow) to make a huge difference may not be realistic.

    • XIIIesq
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      1 year ago

      You also get diminishing returns.

      If you spend £400 on a bike instead of £200, it might actually be nearly twice as good, but spending £2000 doesn’t mean it will be ten times as good, when you’re in to bikes that cost £10k+ you’re talking about fractions of a percent better than the one that costs many percent less.

      The top of the range items are good for enthusiasts, but almost always not worth it for casual consumers.

        • XIIIesq
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          11 year ago

          £500 - £1000 is the sweet spot for electric guitars. Anything much higher than that is the exact same guitar, just with extra bling.

          Acoustic/classical guitars are a bit different and even though they still suffer diminishing returns, a higher price can be more easily justified.

      • @HelixDab2@lemm.ee
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        61 year ago

        For a $200 bike, it’s never going to work the way it’s intended to work. ANY bike you buy at a department store–and many that you buy at general sporting goods stores–will be garbage. In 1995, the rule of thumb was to spend at least $500 on a bike to get something that you could realistically ride every single day; that’s about $1000 today.

        I’m saying this as someone that worked at bike stores as a mechanic off and one over about 15 years; the cheap dept. store bikes someply can’t be fixed and adjusted to work the way that their owners expect.

        (PS - yes, fixies are cheap and light. No, you should not under any circumstances ride them on public streets or trails. If you do, sooner or later you will have a serious accident that will involve stitches, broken bones, possibly surgery, and probably rehab.)

        • @grue@lemmy.world
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          31 year ago

          I concur with you, but I’d phrase it in a different way: if your budget is $200 for a bike, you should be shopping for a used bike-shop/reputable-brand bike on Craigslist or whatever.

          Also, agreed about fixies, except that switching the flip-flop hub to single-speed mode and adding brakes makes it fine.

          • @HelixDab2@lemm.ee
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            11 year ago

            Well, that’s why I specified fixie rather than single speed. 🙂 I’m not a fan of single speeds since they’re inefficient, but they’re not inherently unsafe, and I’m not going to tell people that they’re suicidally stupid if they ride one.

    • CaptainBasculin
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      381 year ago

      You’re usually fine using a cheap item. If you use it enough to break it, then you need a quality item.

  • @stealth_cookies@lemmy.ca
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    271 year ago

    Just buying an expensive pillow won’t necessarily improve your sleep. You need to try out various pillows and find the type that works best for your body and how you sleep.

    • @IDontHavePantsOn@lemm.ee
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      11 year ago

      Agreed. I’ve bought various expensive pillows and was never comfy or satisfied. Memory foam hybrid cooling blah blah blah… never comfy. I bought two down feather pillows for $50. Best pillows ever for me. Only reason I had to buy more was my wife kept stealing mine.

  • DrMango
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    101 year ago

    Honestly I can’t remember an LPT I got use out of. I think the format tends to draw inane platitudes rather than actually good life advice.

    Almost every “life pro tip” I’ve seen has been either ridiculously common knowledge (LPT: wipe your butt after pooping!) or weirdly specific recommendations (LPT: most frozen ravioli or tortellini can be cooked in a bowl of water in the microwave (this one is literally on the front page of the subreddit right now!)) or just straight up ads.

    • @EssentialCoffee@midwest.social
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      11 year ago

      There are two I use frequently.

      Cutting the top off the chip bag after you eat down a certain amount so that the chips are easier to access.

      Opening up the white ketchup cups to hold a greater amount of sauce.

  • @Underwaterbob@lemm.ee
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    161 year ago

    I don’t think I’ve ever seen a good recommend in those “What sub-$100 purchase changed your life?” threads. No, I don’t need a garlic smasher or a water pick.

    • @III@lemmy.world
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      41 year ago

      With the right deal a Snowcaster can go sub-100 dollars and is a life changer for sure. Granted, you need snow and only a certain amount - but when that happens this guy is fucking amazing.

    • @Cinner@lemmy.worldB
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      1 year ago

      On the opposite end of the spectrum, I listened to this advice and splurged on a $60 or $80 “customizable” (it comes with 3 different layers, you combine them how you want) pillow and holy shit, I went from a 2-3 stack pillow ‘wake up multiple times each night and re-tuck’ to a 1-pillow man that doesn’t need to touch my pillow until it’s moved for some reason.

      I won’t even name the pillow because of the nature of the thread but man. New pillow life is pretty great. Sorry that you guys got burned on your shitty pillows. For what it’s worth I also tried like 5 of the most expensive (not customizable, but all had something ‘special’ that made it better’) pillows at the mattress store and they pretty much universally sucked.

      Mines exactly how stiff I want it, stays cool in warm weather, doesn’t stink of memory foam (I think it did at first, instructions were to air it out), and never goes soft.

      If only I could buy customizable body parts 😔

        • @Cinner@lemmy.worldB
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          1 year ago

          Honestly I’ll have to look but no I don’t believe so. Just some random recommendation from a reddit comment a couple years, with multiple people praising this pillow and I’d just gotten a really nice new expensive king size bed so I said fuck it, pillow splurge time. I think I got 2 king size pillows for 160.

          Edit- 200 total for 2 king pillows and I accidently got queen pillowcases instead of king and had to return them but they sent kings free of charge. so yeah, maybe get the smallest one sans pillowcase first and see if you like it. it’s a big purchase but I certainly don’t regret it. The site says it’s $84 for the cheapest smallest single pillow. https://sleepgram.com/pages/adjustable-pillow

    • Shadow
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      121 year ago

      Pillows are pretty personal, you need to find what works for you. What really levelled up my pillow game, was a silk pillow case.

      • @Cinner@lemmy.worldB
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        11 year ago

        That’s a good point too. The cheap warm face-grabbing cotton pillowcases with a bunch of extra slack suck, but silk is too smooth for me. I also like to wash my pillowcases a lot and silk doesn’t care for that much. Pretty sure what I have now is high-count cotton, but it actually fits the pillow properly so there aren’t corners hanging off.

  • @SirSamuel@lemmy.world
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    461 year ago

    ITT: people telling OP what kind of pillow to buy lol

    I’m too old for most recent LPT to take hold, but in my youth I heard “simplify” your lifestyle. I didn’t understand the message was directed at those with more than they needed, not people like me, living near or in poverty. There’s no need for many things, provided you have what you need and it serves you well. I know this now, but then…