A good night’s sleep is a major component of a healthy lifestyle, and yet it’s elusive for many people. I’ve talked at length about circadian rhythms, the importance of creating a sleep routine, and other sleep tips, but cleaning up your sleep environment can have a big impact too. Your mattress plays a big part in that. Here are the 3 most important questions to consider in choosing a mattress to support a healthy night’s sleep: You’re ideally spending 7-8 hours a night cozying up to your mattress, so make sure you choose one that is as natural as possible. Avoid PBDEs used in mattresses as flame retardants. A good natural mattress will utilize a non-toxic Kevlar flame retardant or a wool layer. Always ask questions about the flame retardant, as wool, even organic, must be bonded together with synthetic adhesive fibers, which are often toxic. Some companies can make you a mattress without the flame retardant if you have a note from your doctor. If your body can work on its own vital processes instead of combating toxins while you sleep you’ll wake more rested.
Is your mattress really comfortable? Comfort is not just about the first 10 minutes, it’s about the whole 8 hours. Optimized blood flow is a crucial element of a restful night sleep that is rarely considered. You want to find a mattress that creates unrestricted blood flow through proper support and pressure relief. Memory foam is one of the best options to ensure this. Poor circulation can cause pain that leaves you tossing and turning. Every time you’re roused to change your sleeping position, you reset your sleep cycle, which again can leave you feeling groggy and tired even after a full night’s sleep. You’ll want to avoid spring mattresses, as the components are generally the lowest quality on the market. Spring mattresses are also the biggest culprit of triggering pressure points, especially with the loss in support that occurs after just a few years of use. Natural and organic latex mattresses are durable and work well for a clean air environment, but they fall short when it comes to properly supporting your body and reducing those pressure points.
Memory foam is a material that gives you all the body support benefits but without the clean air benefits of natural latex. Quick tip: If the natural mattress you’re looking at is topped with wool, make sure the wool layer can be easily removed and washed. Wool is a nesting ground for dust mites which are a pain for most allergy sufferers. So, reducing sleep interruptions & pressure points, promoting a clean air environment, and ensuring proper skeletal support are the most important attributes of a quality mattress. While many brands offer solutions to at least one issue, finding a mattress that combines all of these attributes really narrows down the playing field. I’ve recently switched to Essentia’s natural memory foam mattress after learning their mattresses are considered the world’s healthiest according to Delos, the founder of the WELL Building Standard®, a conclusion that was reached after analyzing and testing dozens of mattresses with teams from Columbia University Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic.
I have to say, the difference is clear. I’ve been enjoying a new level of rest and recovery, plus the peace of mind of knowing that I’m getting a healthy night’s sleep.Skip to main content Buy a Better Mattress With These 6 Smart Shopping Tips You spend one-third of your life in bed, so it's important to choose your mattress wisely. Having a comfortable place to rest your head can help you look forward to your time in bed, instead of worrying about how long you're asleep. Science-Backed Tips to Pick the Perfect Mattress Sleep matters—so much so that six in 10 Americans report craving sleep over sex. The key to rest good enough to forgo sex? It just might be in the mattress.Nine in 10 respondents in a sleep survey cited their mattress as an important factor in getting that coveted good night’s rest. Americans love their beds so much, in fact, that they're willing to shell out thousands of dollars for a single mattress. But the word is still out on whether this expense is really justified, since mattresses can affect our sleep in both positive and negative ways.
Make sense of the bedding madness with this primer on choosing the right mattress for you. Mattress Matters—The Need-to-KnowThe first “mattresses” (read: piles of leaves, grass, or straw covered in animal skins) were invented by cave men and women. Thousands of years later, the Egyptian pharaohs discovered the luxury of raising the bedding off the ground (though "common folk" continued to sleep on piles of palm bows). Today, many Americans enjoy mattress-induced rest. Six in 10 Americans crave sleep over sexBut mattresses don't always help people obtain a good night's sleep. Low-quality, uncomfortable mattresses have been linked to sleep discomfort and pain, and chronic pain can prevent quality sleep . Those who struggle with sleep deprivation may suffer from a sour mood, slower metabolism, and impaired immune function .Fortunately it’s not all bad news. Better “bedding systems” (a fancy way of saying “things you sleep on”) have been linked to decreased pain and discomfort, especially in women .
Quality sleep on a good mattress may also help decrease stress .The long and short of it? A bad mattress can contribute to poor sleep quality, while a good mattress can improve it. Given that the average person spends about one third of her or his life sleeping, it's worth investing the time (and money) to find the right mattress for you.Better Bedding—Your Action PlanSome research suggests foam mattresses create backaches; Some studies advocate for regular cotton mattresses while others say coils create backaches and that airbeds are the way to go . There’s even disagreement over whether a firm mattress really is better for lower back pain .The reason for all this controversy is that sleep quality and comfort are so darn subjective . In fact, when buying a mattress, the most important consideration is probably personal comfort. (That also means that if something besides a mattress proves more comfortable to sleep on, we should go for it ).If you find yourself in the market for a new mattress, follow these guidelines for a better shot at getting that elusive good night’s sleep.
Replace a mattress approximately every eight years. Keep it longer than that and the materials may start to degrade, which might make the mattress less comfortable to sleep on. If you’re waking up in pain every day, sleeping poorly, or feeling disgruntled all the time, consider upgrading sooner . Replace the box spring along with the mattress. Over time, the compression of the springs (which results from having a mattress and human bodies on top of it) will start to change the structure of the spring box. To retain proper structure, replace it every eight years or so—or just ditch the box spring altogether. Make comfort your goal. Purchasing a mattress is all about finding the best one for you. Some people like a firm mattress; some like a soft one; others, like Goldilocks, prefer somewhere in between. If you're comfortable, you have a better chance of sleeping well. Try before you buy. Test “sleep” on a mattress for at least 20 minutes in a normal sleep position before making a decision.
Look for a mattress that fits your body. Chiropractors advocate finding a mattress that’s designed to conform to the spine’s natural curve and distribute pressure evenly across the body. This can be tricky, because the surface curve on the mattress doesn’t necessarily represent the way your spine will curve while sleeping on it . Everyone’s pressure points are different, so the best way to figure out if a mattress correctly supports the body is to bring a friend along to the store. Lie on the mattress in your normal sleeping position and ask your friend to observe whether your spine remains fairly neutral. If your spine is obviously sagging or curved exaggeratedly in any given direction, then keep searching for a mattress that helps maintain neutral spine alignment. While researchers are challenging the idea that a firm mattress is essential for anyone with back pain, most experts still agree a saggy mattress isn’t the way to go . To determine if a mattress has too much sag, perform the same spine alignment observation outlined above.
Not only is the mattress likely to have lost its proper structure, but this ruIe’s especially important if you’re worried about your bed catching on fire. Only mattresses made after July 2007 must meet regulations for fire resistance. Virtually all mattress coils are made by the same manufacturer. Likewise, don’t be duped by dollar signs: A higher price doesn’t necessarily mean better quality. Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. Thickness is often just a visual ploy designed to get people to think they’re buying a comfier mattress. Listen to your body and find the bed that feels the most comfortable (not the one that just looks that way). If you have allergies (particularly to dust mites, mold, and certain bacteria), read the mattress’ label to make sure that the materials don’t contain any sneaky allergens—or, better yet, look for a hypoallergenic mattress (natural latex and wool are both decent options) or a mattress cover. Worried about allergies but don’t want to pay for an expensive mattress cover?