Blog Post
The Mattress Buying Guide
- By NW Bedding
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- 31 Oct, 2016
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If you're like most consumers shopping for a mattress, chances are you haven't been in the market for 8 to 12 years. Many people have commented that they'd prefer having a root canal rather than go through the hassle and confusion of shopping for a mattress!
Amazing, isn't it? We spend up to a third of our life on a product and yet we deplore having to buy one. One thing, that will immediately catch your attention, is that the cost of a mattress product has gone up dramatically since the last time you shopped for one. Everything that goes into a mattress has escalated tremendously over the last decade. Steel, foam, rubber, plastics, fibers, etc. and the cost to transport those items to the manufacturers. Plus, mattress designs have changed during the same time period to include better, more costly components.
Once you get over the sticker shock, you still have to decide on a mattress. If you've read our Sleep Facts and Tips, you know that this decision could have a dramatic effect on your overall health and well being. When you shop at different stores, you'll be barraged with terms and jargon that you might find confusing and unhelpful when trying to compare one product against another. If you visit our Mattress Buying Guide Blog, you'll find a litany of terms and their meanings and uses that may arm you with enough knowledge to make an informed choice.
Review your finances and/or ability to obtain credit.
Come up with an idea as to what your budget for a mattress will be. Keep in mind that more expensive mattresses often times will start out being more comfortable and will remain comfortable for a longer period of time than a more modestly priced alternative. If you decide that you can afford $899 for a product, you may discover that a product costing $1,299 is way more comfortable and is expected to last years longer. The more expensive mattress could end up costing just pennies more per night, but it may be priceless in its positive effect on your health through better sleep.
Increase your comfort level by arming yourself with information.
Research mattresses on the internet and also check out our Buying Guide Blog. You wouldn't buy a car without doing some research first, i.e., safety ratings, recent recalls, test driving, EPA highway and city fuel economy ratings, etc. You'll spend way more time on your next mattress than you ever will in your next car, so it pays to educate yourself.
Steer clear of department stores unless, of course, you want to talk to a sales representative who was selling pots and pans last week.
Mattress speciality retailers have the most knowledgeable staffs about mattress products. One caveat, though, is to quickly exit a retailer whose staff "bad mouths" others' products. There are a lot of very good, well constructed products in the market that come from many reputable manufacturers. Denigrating another's product is selling out of weakness and should be taken as such.
Decide on the size of the mattress.
If two adults will be sleeping in the bed, a king size mattress is ideal if: 1) you can afford it, and; 2) it will fit comfortably in your bedroom. The size of the bedroom really determines how big of a mattress you can get. A king size mattress is approximately 76" x 80" (or 6' 4" wide by 6' 8" long). Most bedrooms will accommodate a queen sized mattress which is 60" x 80" (5' wide by 6' 8" long). To sleep on anything narrower, like a full size, is like giving a grown person the same width to sleep on as a crib mattress (27" wide).
Once you're ready to go shopping, pick out a few reputable mattress specialty retailers that you want to visit.
Some retailers are locked into certain brands but this is not necessarily a bad thing. What's more important is that on the day(s) you go shopping, you allow yourself enough time to truly test out each product. Wear loose, comfortable clothing and allow 15-20 minutes per mattress tested. This will give your body enough time to relax and assume your normal sleep positions.
Try different types of mattresses.
Lie down on a memory foam mattress, a latex mattress, a pocketed coil and/or innerspring mattress. You may find that, despite all of the hype on TV, radio and the internet, a memory foam mattress has a certain feel that, for up to 50% of the people who lie down on it, they just don't like the feel. The firmness, the sinking sensation. Even though that same hype denigrates innerspring products, the truth of the matter is that innerspring mattresses are generally more modestly priced and they have greater air circulation and sleep cooler.
When you've decided on the "type" of mattress that feels most comfortable for you, you then have to determine the firmness of the model.
Lie down on a firm, plush and posh model. You may want to choose a model that might seem a bit firmer than you're used to. But keep in mind that the mattress you've been sleeping on has probably lost a lot of its support characteristics and a new mattress is going to "soften" the more you sleep on it.
Once you decide on a mattress and get it home, you've got to give it a chance. You may feel, initially, that you've made the wrong choice. Your body may experience some twinges here and there. But your body also needs time to adjust to a sleeping surface that has a lot more support than the old, worn out one. Your spine might be working its way back into alignment, your hips and shoulders are being better supported. Some products get that immediate "Ahhhhhhh!" feeling the first night; others might take a little longer as your body adjusts to it.
Buying a mattress over the internet may not be as convenient as one thinks.
A number of years ago, the local ABC affiliate sent a crew out to our production facility to do a feature story on a business that manufactures in the Northwest. You may find this interesting. There are a number of clips of the various processes that go into producing a top-quality mattress.
Carpenter, a leading supplier of foams and fiber has invented a new cushioning foam they've dubbed Serene™. The new foam features billions of microscopic air capsules which act to enhance support properties while reducing pressure on critical areas like hips and shoulders. Serene™ is less temperature sensitive than memory foams. In fact, our plant manager took a 6 inch cube of Serene™ and put it in his freezer for 3 days. The foam compressed as if it had been kept at room temperature.
Serene™ has been demonstrated to dissipate heat faster than memory foam. Serene™ is far more durable than a comparably dense piece of memory foam and is as or more durable than a memory foam that is almost twice as dense.
Because of these characteristics and more, we have been experimenting with some prototypes featuring a hybrid design of a stratified core with a thick piece of Serene™ on top. We have also been experimenting with combinations of Serene™ and Talalay Latex. Those combinations have produced some incredible feels and will be available soon both on our retail floors and at our dealers.
- In either one or two sided models, the construction is as the name implies. Support cores, cushioning layers and quilt layers are assembled and then enclosed with two beads of binding tape.
The following descriptions of firmness are numbered 1 through 5 with 1 being the firmest and 5 being the softest. We'll try and make comparisons with objects you probably have in your house.
According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, it is more difficult to take in new information after a night of inadequate or poor sleep and, surprisingly, it is just as important to get a good night’s sleep after learning something new in order to process and retain that information. Also, undisturbed sleep is very important when learning new skills that require motor coordination and performance (athletic skills, work skills)
Talalay latex cores and comfort layers have the most incredible feel of any sleep surface available. It is resilient, luxurious, breathable and incredibly comfortable. Unlike any other sleep surface you've experienced before, Talalay latex is pliable, yet supportive. It responds to your body's curves without that feeling like you're sinking in wet sand as is true with certain memory foams. When you need to reposition yourself during sleep, you can. Latex is resilient, responsive and recovers immediately. You won't have a tendency to wake up "holding on" while the sleep surface recovers its original shape.
Like all support layers, innersprings control how deeply your body is permitted to sink into the mattress. This is one of the most affordable support cores, so there is no surprise that it is also the most popular. Innerspring mattresses vary in coil count and gauge size, but they basically fall under one of the four categories: bonnell, continuous, offset, and pocket. So, although most mattresses pretty much look the same from the outside, they are all very unique inside. With Innerspring support cores, wire coils comprise the support structure of innerspring mattresses. A heavy duty border wire provides support to the coils to help reduce sagging, so it can better retain its shape.
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