Choosing the Right Mattress: Making a Wise Investment
Top 10 Tips for Choosing a New Mattress
1). If possible, evaluate your mattress before you buy. If buying online, read customer reviews to help determine the bed’s firmness, etc.
2). If your previous mattress was on the soft side, do not change to an overly hard bed. Changing firmness dramatically will make the transition more problematic for your body to adjust.
3). During the night, most people toss and turn. To help ease stress on your joints, choose a mattress that does not have too much give. A bed that is too soft will make it harder for you to turn over, putting strain on your joints.
4). However, it is essential to get a mattress that will support the curves of your body; optimally, when horizontal, your spine should still retain its natural curve. Beds with memory foam filling are very good at for this; test the suitability of the mattress by pressing your flat hand on it. A Visio-elastic mattress should shape around your fingers, providing comfort at pressure points on the body.
5). Incredibly, we sweat around 1 – 2 pints of sweat during the night. So, choose a mattress that allows for adequate evaporation, such as a divan or a model with a slatted base that will allow for air circulation. Consider that a base can alter the mattress, so bear that in mind when purchasing both separately.
6). Divan bases come in different shapes and forms; a spring-edged divan, much like the name suggests, has springs that go to the very edge of the base, increasing mattress life. A platform top base being solid will make your bed firmer.
7). If you and your partner are different weights, it is worth looking into a super king-size bed frame that can accommodate two single beds. Allowing you to each purchase a mattress that will suit your weight and form.
8). If you are constantly woken up by your partners shifting and twitching; again, two single beds will do the trick. Proprietary spring mechanisms can alleviate the problem if you cannot accommodate a super king-size bed in your bedroom. Models such as Silentnight’s Miracoil and Sealy’s Posturepedic have twice as many less interconnected springs as your typical mattress, reducing partner disturbance.
9). If you suffer from allergies or asthma, be aware that your bed could aggravate it. There are hypo-allergic styles available on the market which may alleviate symptoms and invest in a cotton mattress protector which will also minimise irritation.
10). Once you have purchased your mattress, ensure maximum longevity by flipping it over and turning it around.
