An expensive investment, yet finding an appropriate mattress can help improve your quality of sleep night after night. Achieving optimal mattress conditions can reduce back pain, enhance overall health and productivity and even protect against other sleep issues.
Knowing which mattress best suits you depends on your sleeping position and body weight. Understanding these aspects will allow you to narrow down your options and find the ideal bed.
Size
Size matters when it comes to sleep quality and comfort. If you purchase a mattress that is too small for your space, it will feel cramped and uncomfortable; conversely, purchasing too large of a mattress can cause the room to look and feel cramped.
To choose the ideal mattress size, it’s important to take into account your sleeping arrangement, bedroom size and budget. In addition, it would be beneficial to know which materials and mattress types you prefer as well as any allergies or medical conditions which could impact comfort levels. Armed with all this information, you can make an informed decision regarding which mattress will meet all your needs.
When purchasing a mattress, it’s essential to consider who will use the bed. Twin and full-size mattresses are suitable for children who have outgrown cribs and toddler beds as well as adults sharing space. Furthermore, these options make an excellent option for college students living in tight spaces like apartments.
Queen and California king mattresses are perfect choices for couples sleeping together or anyone seeking extra comfort and space. When selecting a mattress size, take into account your height – too short may have difficulty climbing into bed and finding sheets that fit properly, while too tall may cause their feet to hang off the end of their mattress, leading to discomfort as well as safety risks.
Once you have selected a mattress size that works for you, the next step should be measuring your room to compare its dimensions with those of the mattress. In order to comfortably make a bed with minimal visual cramping and to prevent doors or drawers from accidentally bumping against its edges, ideally two to three feet should be left between both sides and feet of the mattress for clearance purposes. This will enable easy bedmaking as well as preventing accidental doorway bangs!
Materials
What you sleep on matters and choosing quality mattress materials can enhance your overall health. Sleeping on an ineffective mattress could cause back pain, sore joints, poor circulation and other issues to surface; further aggravating any existing allergies or asthma conditions. Conversely, investing in quality mattresses may reduce fatigue and increase energy levels.
Many different materials are used in mattress production, from traditional innerspring models to latex and hybrid options, with eco-friendly options made with nontoxic, organic and all-natural materials also being available.
Ideally, when searching for mattresses in stores it is wise to find ones with knowledgeable staff that can answer all of your queries directly. Furthermore, try different styles before making your final choice and read up on reviews from previous purchasers before making a final decision.
Shopping online for mattresses often enables you to see and test out a mattress before making your selection. In addition, there may be options to purchase directly from manufacturers at lower costs than through middlemen.
A mattress’s base layer typically comprises resilient materials such as cotton, polyester or Tencel lyocell. The core layer is then wrapped with foam such as polyurethane or latex; some mattresses also include transitional minicoils to provide more support and give their bed its characteristic bounce.
Comfort layers typically range between two and three inches thick and may include gel memory foam, natural latex or traditional memory foam. Some mattresses even offer advanced sleep technologies like cooling or targeted back support.
As an eco-conscious shopper, look for mattress materials certified by CertiPUR-US. This designation indicates that they are free from formaldehyde, PBDEs, TDCPP or TCEP flame retardants as well as other harmful chemicals that deplete ozone layers or produce other environmental issues.
Make sure that the mattress you select has adequate ventilation, to prevent heat build-up and odor. A mattress pad may help regulate temperatures while protecting your investment in quality sleep.
Firmness
Firmness has an indirect influence on comfort and support. But no single mattress works perfectly for every sleeper due to their individual sleep positions and body types. Firmness is measured by how much cushioning material the bed contains as well as how well it conforms to each sleeper. Our scale ranges from one (softest) to 10 (firmest).
When it comes to mattresses for side sleepers, medium to medium-firm models tend to offer the optimal combination of contouring and support, relieving pressure from hips and shoulders. Firm models may provide stronger back support while for back or stomach sleepers firm models may be more comfortable as they offer stronger spine alignment. It may be beneficial to seek medical advice prior to selecting a mattress.
Weight plays a key role in firmness preferences because it determines how well a mattress sinks and supports an individual. This is particularly relevant when discussing tall sleepers whose weight is distributed over more surface area compared to shorter individuals.
If your partner has different firmness preferences, a modular mattress that allows two separate beds with interchangeable firmness levels could be ideal. Naturepedic and Bedgear both produce such mattresses which have received excellent reviews in our tests.
When purchasing a mattress, it is also important to consider its materials and design to help prevent sagging and promote longevity. You should look for beds made with high quality materials that resist odor while remaining strong enough for everyday wear and tear.
Memory foam mattresses, in particular, feature highly breathable materials that keep their mattresses cool without overheating, while those featuring layers of latex provide increased breathability and sleep more comfortably by not trapping heat like traditional foam models do.
Lastly, when purchasing an innerspring mattress it’s important to pay attention to its coil gauge and count. A lower coil gauge indicates a firmer feel while more coils will create a softer experience.
Temperature
Finding the ideal mattress requires many considerations: size, material and firmness all play an integral role in how well your back, hips, shoulders and neck feel while sleeping as well as its lifespan and overall comfort. Temperature also needs to be taken into account; certain mattresses offer temperature regulation throughout the night to help people fall asleep quicker and remain asleep for longer stretches of time.
Mattresses come in all sorts of materials and some materials provide greater cooling than others. When looking for the best cooling mattress, look for cooling comfort layers with breathable constructions like coils, innersprings or hybrids – memory foam tends to trap heat quickly, leading to overheating issues.
An Eight Sleep Pod mattress features innovative technology designed to regulate body temperature, helping you sleep through the night more effectively if you tend to wake in the middle of the night. Their “preparation to sleep” feature works by manipulating internal temperature-sensitive sensors of your body – this feature has also been described in university releases as functioning like natural body warmth needed for falling asleep. Furthermore, its built-in fan provides gentle air circulation throughout the night and an integrated light provides assistance in getting up in the morning.
An effective way to stay cooler at night is to consider mattresses made with CertiPUR-US foams, which do not contain formaldehyde, PBDEs, TDCPP or TCEP (Tris) flame retardants or ozone depleters – making them safer both for your environment as well as skin and respiratory system health.
A quality mattress should promote proper spinal alignment for healthy living and sleep, including proper support for shoulders and hips as well as proper spinal alignment for relieving muscle soreness in the morning. Edge support and durability should also be key considerations to guaranteeing an enjoyable mattress that lasts for many years to come.
