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Furniture and Sleep

Written by Administrator Friday, 30 May 2008 09:43

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If you wake up achy, numb or stiff, the culprit could be your mattress. But don't worry: You don't have to buy a flat, hard board for the sake of your spine. In finding the proper furnishing for your sleep, comfort is key. And if you've been sleeping on yours for more than five years, you might be due for new set. Read this overview of mattress types before you start looking for a new place to rest your weary bones.


The mattress matters. If you've been sleeping on yours for more than five years, sagging could be making you sore and tired. Get informed before buy your next sleep set.

If you're waking up stiff, or less than refreshed, your aging mattress could be part of the problem. Sags and lumps don't provide your body with good support. But that doesn't mean you have to choose a hard bed for the sake of your back. When it comes to mattress selection, comfort is king- and there are different kinds of comfort for your to choose from. Click here for more info about your options.

Is your mattress turning into a taco? Does it cave in so that you and your partner roll like ground beef to the middle of the fold? Or is your mattress a mountain, rising to divide you? If you're waking up stiff, numb or achy your sagging mattress might be the culprit. Even a mattress that once felt heavenly can deteriorate after thousands of hours of normal use. Consumer Reports recommends that if you are over 40—meaning your body tolerates less pressure (like taco mattress pressure)—you should replace your mattress after five or seven years of age.

Here’s the good news: when it comes to choosing a new mattress, your own comfort is is the single most important criteria in selecting a new sleep surface. For a while, the popular theory was that firmer was always better. But now, most experts agree that you have to really like your bed, even while making sure it offers good support to your spine. No need to stick boards on top of your box spring if you don't go for that board-like feel. If you have back trouble, you should talk to a doctor about whether a firmer mattress might help. But even if it might, you can usually still opt for a firmer mattress underneath a softer top, like a pillow top, which many consider the height of luxury.

In the end, many sleep experts will advise you to always choose the firmer of two otherwise very-comfortable mattresses. But your comfort is king (or California king). Whatever your firmness preference, you should look forward to climbing into bed at night.

Good mattresses are often expensive, but price isn't everything. Some mattresses are made with longer lasting materials, or more springs, but the most important factor is to take the time to find something you really like. When shopping for a mattress, remember that you're making a decision that's going to affect your sleep for years to come. If you fall in love with something top-of-the-line, break down how much you're spending per night over the course of seven years, and it won't seem like such a huge expense. If you are seduced by a cheaper set of coils, consider yourself lucky.

In order to find a mattress that will truly enhance your sleep:

• Take your own, sweet time. Spend at least 15 minutes lying on the bed you're thinking of buying, if not longer. That's right, in the store. With your shoes off. Just politely ask the salespeople to give you some time alone with your prospective purchase. Try each of the positions you sleep in for minutes at a time. It's better to do this at the end of the day, when your body is worn out and most like the tired set of bones you will actually drag to this mattress at night.

• Try out different types of mattresses. Stretch out on all of the types listed below.

• Shop with your partner. Make sure you have enough room to turn over and spread out. Make double-sure that the mattress is a good firmness for both of you, and also that it's comfortable when both of you are on it.

A number of different types of mattresses offer comfort in different ways:

• Innerspring. More wire coils and thicker wire inside makes for a firmer mattress. Generally speaking your mattress should have somewhere between 300 and 800 coils. The number isn't as important as the feel, although generally a higher coil-count is firmer and more resilient. Innerspring coils reduce motion in the bed, so if one of the people sleeping on your mattress is a restless sleeper, coils might be the right choice for you.

• Foam. Tempurpedic is the best-known brand of foam, but there are many types of solid foam or layered foam mattress. "Visco-elastic" foam is also known as "memory foam," a polyurethane product which responds to heat. The warmth in your body creates give, and the mattress forms itself to your curves. These mattresses sleep very warm, so if you're cold at night they're a good option. If you or your partner is a sleeping furnace, you might want to try one out for a night at a friend's to make sure it's not too warm.

• Air-chambers and water beds. Yes, water beds are still around, with some improved technologies since their inception. Some people really love them, and if you don't have pets with sharp claws or wayward kids, you might try one out. Air-chamber beds are just what they sound like: they are mattresses filled with air. If you are your partner really can't agree on firmness, you might try a bed with separate air chambers. That way you can fill the chambers to differing degrees.

• Natural materials. For some allergy sufferers, organic and natural material mattresses now coming on the market might help. If these are too pricey for you, you can also look into allergy covers for your mattress and pillows.

As if all that weren't enough, don't forget about the box spring and bed frame. While these might seem like afterthoughts, it tends to be a bad idea to skimp on them. For one thing, many manufacturer and store warranties are only valid if the mattress rests on the box spring sold with it. And a good frame and a good box spring will help keep your bed in good shape over time by preventing sagging and mold.

Finally, make sure to check your store's return policy. Most stores give you 30 days to return or exchange your mattress. Since there are so many factors that affect your comfort in bed, you should be able to rest easy with the knowledge that if something isn't right after a few eight hour road tests, you can bring the set back (be sure to check the fine print). And once you have your furniture safe at home, remember to check your mattress for signs of aging and to rotate it every six months. This will help keep your mattress in good, flat shape—taco and mountain-free.

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