Your Health: A new mattress could help you catch some z's

Bed buys

Rough night? A new mattress could help you catch some z's - if you get the right brand.

A Consumer Reports survey of 17,000 online subscribers who bought a bed in the past few years found a few recurring patterns.

Tempur-Pedic, Original Mattress Factory and Select Comfort were rated highest in satisfaction - higher than Spring Air or Stearns & Foster.

But that didn't necessarily mean buying the most expensive mattress.

Though the median price for a Tempur-Pedic is about $2,400, Original Mattress Factory models run around $900.

Overall, 72 percent of readers said a new bed improved their sleep.

Consumers Union recommends trying out the mattress in the store; negotiating for discounts of 50 percent or more; and looking out for extra delivery fees and restrictive return policies.

Strict parents

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of teen deaths - but can be reduced by parental involvement.

Analysis of the 2006 National Young Driver Survey found that teens who described their parents as authoritative - having high levels of support for their kids but restrictive rules and monitoring - were 71 percent less likely to drive drunk than teens with uninvolved parents.

They were also 30 percent less likely to use a mobile phone while driving.

Teens with parents who had restrictive rules used seat belts twice as often and reported speeding half as often as teens with uninvolved parents with few rules.

The research is published in today's issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Up in smoke

Candy-, fruit- and clove-flavored cigarettes are now banned in the United States.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the ban last week in an effort to cut down on adolescent smoking.

The FDA is also looking into regulating menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products.

Consumers can report sales of the banned products at (877) 287-1373 or fda.gov/flavoredtobacco.

Women's expo

A free women's health expo in Lake County will feature area businesses exhibiting services for health, physical fitness, finances, beauty, entertainment and more.

Following the expo is a dinner with TV's "Biggest Loser" champion Alison "Ali" Vincent talking about how she shed 112 pounds.

The event is sponsored by Healthy Woman, a program of Vista Health Systems that holds regular events to encourage women's health.

The expo will run from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at Milan Banquet Hall in Fountain Square on the grounds of the former Lakehurst Mall at routes 120 and 43 in Waukegan.

Tickets to the dinner are $25 for members and $30 for nonmembers.

Call (847) 360-4042 for reservations and information.