BoomerGirl Diary

I may not be a professional consumer product reviewer but, believe me, I know my electric fans.

You want my credentials? Okay. I'm a 51-year-old post-menopausal woman with a personal overheating problem. I have fans everywhere. On the bathroom counter, next to the treadmill, overhead in the TV room, master bedroom and screened porch, in the kitchen and on my desk at work. I have fans in all models, sizes, colors, brands and speeds.

In fact, I am so enamored of fans, I have a collection of vintage models on my living room mantel. Everyone of them still works, by the way. (A girl's gotta have back-ups.)

At last count, I own 14 fans, yet I was sweating at night like portabella mushrooms over a hot grill. (Sorry, it's almost dinner time and I skipped lunch.)

My night sweats weren't legendary like some I've heard about. I wouldn't drench the sheets or require a change of pajamas (because I don't wear any). But I used to wake up five to eight times a night to kick off the covers then, once my sweat evaporated in the conditioned air rendering me an icicle, pull them back on again, all the while groaning or cussing aloud, thereby waking my husband. (When Momma's unhappy, EVERYBODY'S unhappy.)

Did you notice, I said "used to"?

Then, a nice man from Texas offered to send me his brilliant invention, The Bedfan. He wasn't just being kind; he was eager to get the word out to BoomerGirl readers (read: hot, menopausal women), sell some fans, and make back his investment.

I'll admit, when Kurt Tompkins first directed me to his Web site to view his creation, I was skeptical. Cynical, even. A BEDfan?!? "What kind of cockamamie gimmick is this?" I asked. But the testimonials on his site WERE convincing and it HAD been a good two years since I'd slept through the night. I was still resisting HRT because I had only one major complaint about post-menopausal life: I was hot in bed, and not in the Paris Hilton way.

I decided to give it a whirl.

I'll let you go to the Bedfan site to see how it works. It's a simple idea but pictures, especially video, will explain it better than I could. Suffice it to say, the Bedfan is so easy to set up, even a mechanically-challenged blond like myself could do it. It's so quiet my husband can't hear it. And, most importantly, it works! It provides a delicious flow of air between the top and bottom sheet that keeps this hottie comfortable and cool all night long. The most difficult thing about the Bedfan is remembering to turn it off in the morning.

Believe it or not, Tompkins invented the Bedfan having no idea about menopausal women. He did it to save money on his utility bills. A hot sleeper himself, he had to turn the thermostat in his south Texas home down to a chilly 68 degrees, just to sleep at night. His electric bills went through the roof. He now claims he can set his thermostat at 78 degrees every night and remain high and dry. And for every degree the thermostat is raised, 4 to 8 percent can be saved on cooling costs. Do the math and you'll be convinced, too.

It wasn't until Tompkins gave a Bedfan to his menopausal mother-in-law (who refused to give it back) that he realized he had a potentially huge market.

It is no exaggeration to say the Bedfan has changed my life. My husband even commented the other day, "You've been sleeping a lot better, haven't you?" Believe me, it takes my husband eight days to notice a new haircut. The fact that he noticed I was sleeping better must mean I was making him miserable, too.

I am so enamored of the Bedfan, I want to give BoomerGirl readers a chance to have one, too. Therefore, we are launching our first-ever BoomerGirl.com "You Deserve It" giveaway. Grand prize: The Bedfan. Simply click on this link, read the contest details and complete the entry form. You may enter once a day (but only once a day) until the contest ends on Aug. 15.

In the meantime, if you suffer from night sweats, go to bedfan.com and check out Mr. Tompkins' ingenious product (retail price $69.95)... and tell a sweaty friend about our contest!

Good luck!