How do you feel the moment you wake up? Tired or rested? According to a recent survey by SleepyCat, nearly 80 per cent of the surveyors said that they feel tired or not rested. And nearly half of the survey takers woke up in the middle of night due to either work pressure, partner disturbance, mattress woes or body pain. This clearly suggests that choosing the right mattress is a very critical factor in getting deep and restorative sleep.
Still wondering what can help? The following aspects are the most important performance factors to keep in mind while choosing the right mattress for you.
Material used: According to the survey, most people don’t know what feature they need, especially when it comes to the most critical factor, the material of the mattress. While spring coils were once very popular, they have recently received a bad reputation as spring increases tension, is not as supportive and doesn’t evenly distribute body weight. Cotton mattresses were also a traditional choice and are good for people who are allergic, but can sag easily, develop lumps and are difficult to handle.
The modern mattresses are made from memory foam which provides orthopedic support by distributing your body weight evenly and relieving pressure points that cause body aches. It regulates your body temperature and also has hypo-allergenic properties.
Comfort and firmness: The level of mattress firmness that will be best suited for you depends on your sleeping position, height and weight. Side-sleepers or people who change their sleeping position often at night should choose soft or medium soft mattress, since their back is already relieved off the pressure. While people who have back pain or sleep on their back and stomach should choose medium to firm mattress to provide pressure relief while providing right support.
A general consensus is that memory foam mattresses provide the highest level of comfort with adequate contouring to the spine, support and structure.
Partner disturbance or motion isolation: Disturbance from someone getting in and out of bed or changing position is a major cause of sleep disruption. Memory foam mattresses minimise motion transfer and isolate it to smaller areas, reducing partner disturbance. Pocket spring mattresses can also help reduce motion transfer between you and your partner.
Temperature: Some people naturally sleep hot, while other sleep cold, depending on a number of factors like body temperatures, personal preference of hot or cold. However, your mattress plays a big role in influencing your sleep temperature, as some beds absorb and trap body heat. Gel memory foam and coir mattress have the best reputation for allowing most air circulation and keeping the temperature down, giving you cooler nights.
Allergy concerns: Use hypoallergenic mattress to reduce the risk of allergic reactions. Also ensure that the mattress protector, that protects the mattress against stains and makes it waterproof, is breathable and allows air flow. Zipper covers can easily be removed and washed for hygienic care and also improve the durability of the mattress.
Budget: Expensive mattress is not always synonymous with higher quality. Also, don’t buy the cheapest option available as that could mean compromising on factors like toxicity, durability and overall sleep quality, which are easy to ignore, but important to consider. Stores tend to inflate the prices by a high margin, so keep all your options open and explore wisely. Online stores cut the retail costs, markups and commission overheads by delivering to you straight from the factory without burning a hole in your pocket. Look at the mattress as a long-term investment and buy a mattress that will last longer.
Warranty: Understand the warranty, not only for the number of years it lasts but also read the fine print carefully. A high quality mattress warranty will span at least ten years and will cover manufacturing defects.
Return policy: Checking that the mattress provides the right support and comfort in your natural sleeping position is important, and the only way to check that is by trying it out. So look for mattresses that offers a reasonable trial period of 30 days.