A Good Night's Sleep - How to choose your next mattress
Replacing your mattress can make you tired. There are many models to choose from, but a big part of what makes a good one is very personal: One person's luxury can be another person's backache waiting to happen. Trust Mattress EXPO to provide you with the answers you need to navigate a showroom full of mattresses with confidence:
WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT DO YOU NEED?
The first decision you have to make has to do with a mattress's core, which provides the support. There are several common types: innerspring, foam, and latex.
Do you like a bed with bounce?
Innerspring mattresses have that familiar bouncy feel. Still, you can choose how springy you want it to be. The metal coils are typically gauged anywhere from 12 (the thickest and firmest) to 18 (the thinnest and most compressible). Heavier folks tend to prefer a thicker gauge's support. Coils that are interconnected are extra-durable, but individual "pocketed" coils, each covered with fabric, reduce the ripple effect that happens when someone on one side of the bed moves.
Innerspring mattresses typically have either a fiberfill or foam outer layer, covered in quilted ticking.
It's often best to choose a firmer, well-quilted mattress, and then cover it with a replaceable mattress pad or feather bed.
Do you like an extra firm base?
Memory foam mattresses (which have a polyurethane core) have much less spring. To determine their quality, ask about:
a)how thick the layer of foam is,
b) the foam's density. Thickness can vary from 2 to 6 inches, which will determine how deep you'll sink. In terms of density, 5 pounds per cubic foot is considered very high quality, while down to 3 pounds per cubic foot is less so.
Do you like buoyancy?
Latex mattresses are not sold everywhere but they offer some amazing benefits. We offer an excellent selection of Latex mattresses at Mattress EXPO. Latex mattresses have all of the pressure-point relief offered by memory foam mattresses with some significant differences.
HOW DO YOU SLEEP?
Beyond the types of mattresses, there are other factors in their construction that you'll need to think about. From sleep style to body type, to negotiating with a bedfellow, knowing how you sleep can help you make the best choice:
Sleep on your side?
You'll want a surface with a lot of pressure relief or the ability to disperse while supporting your body weight, and conforming to your shape. Cushy memory foam or a mattress with a fluffy topper will have the most pressure relief, while a very firm mattress will offer the least. Innersprings may have more pressure relief than a foam or latex mattress. Test out mattresses lying down to get a real feel.
Sleep on your stomach?
The last thing a stomach-sleeper probably wants is an enveloping memory foam — it would feel smothering! Instead, a firm top surface will provide the best support. Consider a dense innerspring, air-filled, or latex mattress.
Sleep on your back?
Here, you'll want something in the middle — a surface that supports, but has some give so your spine is kept in a healthy alignment. You'll find happiness with any of the mattress types, but you should see what feels best to you.
Do you or your partner toss and turns all night?
Consider an innerspring mattress with pocketed coils, or memory foam or latex mattress. These will all have good "motion isolation." But remember, these models could actually be less comfortable on the body of a restless sleeper, as there's little forgiveness against one's movements.
Do you tend to sleep hot?
Mattresses topped with foam or latex can hold in body heat, especially if they're very soft and a lot of your body sinks in. For this reason, you may prefer a fiberfill-topped innerspring mattress. Or use a removable fiberfill or feather mattress topper that can be removed and washed.
Do you have allergies?
Foam and latex are both inherently antimicrobial and resistant to dust mites and mold. If you opt for innerspring or air topped with fiberfill, be sure to encase it in an allergen-resistant cover to keep irritants at bay.
The Mattress EXPO is passionate about helping you find the mattress that's right for you. A good nights sleep is important to one's health in so many ways. Please call or stop by any of our locations to let us help you find the mattress that's right for you!
WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT DO YOU NEED?
The first decision you have to make has to do with a mattress's core, which provides the support. There are several common types: innerspring, foam, and latex.
Do you like a bed with bounce?
Innerspring mattresses have that familiar bouncy feel. Still, you can choose how springy you want it to be. The metal coils are typically gauged anywhere from 12 (the thickest and firmest) to 18 (the thinnest and most compressible). Heavier folks tend to prefer a thicker gauge's support. Coils that are interconnected are extra-durable, but individual "pocketed" coils, each covered with fabric, reduce the ripple effect that happens when someone on one side of the bed moves.
Innerspring mattresses typically have either a fiberfill or foam outer layer, covered in quilted ticking.
It's often best to choose a firmer, well-quilted mattress, and then cover it with a replaceable mattress pad or feather bed.
Do you like an extra firm base?
Memory foam mattresses (which have a polyurethane core) have much less spring. To determine their quality, ask about:
a)how thick the layer of foam is,
b) the foam's density. Thickness can vary from 2 to 6 inches, which will determine how deep you'll sink. In terms of density, 5 pounds per cubic foot is considered very high quality, while down to 3 pounds per cubic foot is less so.
Do you like buoyancy?
Latex mattresses are not sold everywhere but they offer some amazing benefits. We offer an excellent selection of Latex mattresses at Mattress EXPO. Latex mattresses have all of the pressure-point relief offered by memory foam mattresses with some significant differences.
- Latex mattresses offer a sort of "buoyant" support that was described by one of our customers as "almost like floating on water". This no-pressure support helps to reduce tossing and turning and promotes a much deeper, more restful sleep.
- Latex mattresses are much easier to move around in and don't give you that "stuck-in-the-mud feeling" some people associate with memory foam mattresses.
- Latex is an ALL NATURAL product that literally comes from trees! AND there is no initial chemical smell or off-gassing to overcome during your first few nights.
- Latex has unsurpassed durability. That's why our latex mattresses have 20 YEAR WARRANTIES.
- Latex isn't hospitable to dust mites and bed bugs. Because latex is a solid material there is nowhere to hide for pet dander,dust mites, dead skin and bed bugs making your latex mattress much less hospitable to allergens and pests of all kinds.
- The latex manufacturing process leaves every latex mattress ventilated in a way no memory foam mattress can match..... resulting in cooler more restful sleep
HOW DO YOU SLEEP?
Beyond the types of mattresses, there are other factors in their construction that you'll need to think about. From sleep style to body type, to negotiating with a bedfellow, knowing how you sleep can help you make the best choice:
Sleep on your side?
You'll want a surface with a lot of pressure relief or the ability to disperse while supporting your body weight, and conforming to your shape. Cushy memory foam or a mattress with a fluffy topper will have the most pressure relief, while a very firm mattress will offer the least. Innersprings may have more pressure relief than a foam or latex mattress. Test out mattresses lying down to get a real feel.
Sleep on your stomach?
The last thing a stomach-sleeper probably wants is an enveloping memory foam — it would feel smothering! Instead, a firm top surface will provide the best support. Consider a dense innerspring, air-filled, or latex mattress.
Sleep on your back?
Here, you'll want something in the middle — a surface that supports, but has some give so your spine is kept in a healthy alignment. You'll find happiness with any of the mattress types, but you should see what feels best to you.
Do you or your partner toss and turns all night?
Consider an innerspring mattress with pocketed coils, or memory foam or latex mattress. These will all have good "motion isolation." But remember, these models could actually be less comfortable on the body of a restless sleeper, as there's little forgiveness against one's movements.
Do you tend to sleep hot?
Mattresses topped with foam or latex can hold in body heat, especially if they're very soft and a lot of your body sinks in. For this reason, you may prefer a fiberfill-topped innerspring mattress. Or use a removable fiberfill or feather mattress topper that can be removed and washed.
Do you have allergies?
Foam and latex are both inherently antimicrobial and resistant to dust mites and mold. If you opt for innerspring or air topped with fiberfill, be sure to encase it in an allergen-resistant cover to keep irritants at bay.
The Mattress EXPO is passionate about helping you find the mattress that's right for you. A good nights sleep is important to one's health in so many ways. Please call or stop by any of our locations to let us help you find the mattress that's right for you!
