The Ultimate Bed, Mattress & Pillow Buying Guide
TEMPUR® sleep specialist, Emma Sharp, shares her ultimate guide to choosing a bed, mattress and pillows to support a good night’s sleep.
Emma Sharp, TEMPUR® sleep expert, shares her definitive guide to buying a new bed, mattress and pillows to help you get great quality sleep, night after night.
Emma says, “The quality and quantity of our sleep is vital to maintaining good physical and mental health. Whilst the sleep environment is important – keeping your room cool, dark and quiet – choosing the right products for your specific needs is also key.
“And yet, despite this, so many people put up with unsupportive mattresses, lumpy pillows and bed bases that are no better than the floor – all likely to inhibit rather than facilitate their ability to get a great night’s sleep.
“Anyone starting the year with solid intentions, like improving fitness or securing a promotion, should be sure to invest the same time and attention to their sleep; to buy the right sleep products is to invest in yourself, your health, wellbeing and performance.
“It’s important to invest in the best quality bed, mattress and pillows you can afford, as, far from being a luxury, they really do play such a huge part in fostering wellbeing in all areas of our life.”
Read on for Emma’s ultimate guide to buying a new bed, mattress and pillow…
Laying the right foundations…
Though you may think choosing a bed is defined by aesthetics and practicality alone, beginning with a personalised base is paramount to your sleep success.
Modern innovation has given us the disc support system: technology that utilises independently moving discs instead of traditional slats to provide a highly customisable ergonomic base that can be made softer or firmer in the areas you need, providing optimum support and comfort for your individual needs. Opting for a bed designed to flex to your body is the first step to achieving a good night’s sleep.
Prioritise your needs…
When making a long-term bed investment – which with the right choice, it will be – it’s important to consider your current sleep quality, position, routines and what may need improving.
Consider internal storage to optimise your living space, adjustable design for increased comfort and accessibility, and health-focused smart tech to maintain your wellbeing.
TEMPUR®’s Ergo™ Smart Base model is one example of sleep-health innovation. This smart base uses micro-vibration sensors to detect and reduce snoring via automatic elevation. It can also help improve your day-to-day through sleep education via the sleep tracker AI technology.
Try before you buy…
When selecting a new bed, mattress or pillow, one of the most crucial things to consider is sleep ergonomics – your posture and position during sleep – and the key to finding the right product? Trying in-store before you buy.
The abundance of different mattress types and firmness levels can be overwhelming, so it’s vital to dedicate time to trying out lots of different mattresses. Everyone’s body is different, meaning different levels of comfort and support suit different people.
If an in-store visit isn’t possible, however, most stores offer telephone and in-person appointments, where trained experts can advise you on the best mattress for your needs.
Invest in quality products…
With the average person spending around eight hours a night sleeping on these products, it’s vital to invest in the best quality products you can afford.
Keeping your mattress clean will help prolong its lifespan. A mattress should be cleaned every six months – simply strip the bed, vacuum the surface of the mattress to remove dust and dead skin before spot-cleaning any spills or stains with a stain remover or a damp (not wet) cloth or sponge, in line with care label instructions. Many mattresses now come with a removable cover that can be cleaned separately, though a mattress protector should still be used to protect against spills.
Consider sleep ergonomics…
Your mattress should adapt to you, distribute your weight evenly, keep your spine straight, and absorb pressure to aid comfort and relieve pain. A mattress that is too soft will cause your back or hips to slouch and your spine to fall out of alignment, whist a mattress that is too firm will put too much pressure on your joints, potentially causing discomfort or pain.
Size matters…
When it comes to your mattress, size really does matter as there’s nothing worse than realising upon delivery that your chosen mattress doesn’t fit on your bedframe. Always make sure to double check the size of your bedframe – it’s worth taking a note of the exact measurements just in case it’s a European size.
And where possible, invest in the largest mattress and bedframe you can afford to allow plenty of space to move around and find the sleep position that’s most comfortable for you. Even more important if you often find yourself sharing your bed with kids or pets.
Consider switching up your sleep position…
To ensure adequate support it’s important that there is minimal ‘gapping’ between your body and your mattress which is why sleeping on your side is recommended. Side sleeping allows for neutral spinal alignment and ensures optimal flow of spinal fluid during the night, which helps optimise recovery and ‘brain wash’ – essentially the brain ridding itself of metabolic waste.
Back sleeping is a common preference for those with shoulder or hip issues as there’s less pressure on the body vs side sleeping. This is because you lie in a straight, anatomically correct position with weight evenly distributed, helping the muscles in your neck and shoulders relax.
Sleep position preference is often due to sleeping on the wrong mattress. So, if you’re a lifelong stomach sleeper it’s time to invest in a quality mattress that can help you enjoy side or back sleeping whilst providing adequate support and relieving pressure.
Don’t forget about your pillow…
Many people don’t realise that the pillow you sleep on is just as important as your mattress to ensure correct spinal alignment – think of the individual parts of our spines as tiles in a domino effect, the neck is just as important as the upper, middle and lower back.
Ideally, when sleeping, you want a neutral spine-neck alignment, as opposed to perfectly straight. An ergonomic pillow that actively moulds and adapts to your head, neck and shoulders, minimising gapping, is ideal.
Trial and error…
Whilst it’s important to test out any sleep products in-store, there’s never any guarantee that you’ve selected the best item for you, so make sure to purchase from a brand that offers a decent trial period.
TEMPUR® for example, offers a 100-night mattress trial which allows customers plenty of time to adapt to sleeping on their new mattress and consider whether it really is right for them, or if they need to exchange it for something softer or firmer.
Sleep products have a shelf life…
As mattresses and pillows age, everyday wear and tear can cause the material to break down, meaning that it will no longer offer you the same support. If it’s been eight to ten years since you bought your mattress or if you’ve had your pillow longer than three years, it might be time to invest in new products.
And remember that not all products are created equal…
TEMPUR® Material is the original pressure relieving mattress product and the precursor to all memory foams. Made up of viscoelastic – billions of ultra-sensitive open cells that exist between a solid and a liquid state – TEMPUR® products provide the ultimate personalised comfort and support, helping you to get a great night’s sleep night after night.
Taking the time to select the right mattress and pillows for you, will allow you to enjoy restful sleep and wake feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.
For more information on TEMPUR®, visit www.tempur.co.uk
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About TEMPUR®
TEMPUR® researches, develops, manufactures and distributes mattresses, pillows and other sleep products to improve the sleep experience worldwide.
TEMPUR® Material is the original pressure relieving mattress product made up of viscoelastic – billions of ultra-sensitive open cells that exist between a solid and a liquid state. TEMPUR® products provide the ultimate comfort and support, helping you to get a great night’s sleep night after night.
Each TEMPUR® mattress undergoes sixty-seven different quality checks, ensuring superior quality and durability.
TEMPUR® products can be purchased direct via the TEMPUR® UK website, Dreams, John Lewis, Bensons for Beds, and Furniture Village or from leading independent retailers or from any of 12 TEMPUR® brand and outlet stores.
TEMPUR® is a subsidiary of TEMPUR® Sealy International Inc. www.tempur.co.uk