You were probably conceived on one and you’ll probably die on one. You spend nearly 3,000 hours a year sleeping in one. It’s where you spend the most time with your partner, and where you first bond with your children. Hundreds of thousands of people are injured by them each year. In short, there aren’t many things in your home more important than your bed. Which makes it all the stranger that most of us give them so little thought. For many, a mattress comes a long way down the list of domestic priorities. But it has been estimated that a quarter of the British population suffers from sleep disruption, and often a bad mattress is at the root of this problem. The wrong sort of sleep can also cause cricked necks and bad backs – not to mention domestic tension. David Villaverde knows this better than most. As a furniture specialist at John Lewis on Oxford Street in central London, he spends his days showing people how to get a good night’s sleep. As I sprawl out over his show beds in the middle of the day, he takes me through the bed basics.
“The first thing I tell people is to slow down,” he explains. “Most want to get it over with in five minutes. It’s such an important item – you might as well take the time to get it right.” David says that you should spend around 45 minutes choosing, and lie on each mattress you’re interested in for at least 10 minutes. First I try the glossy newcomer to the market, the Tempur mattress. I say “newcomer”, but it’s a relative term for a product that has been around for 20 years. The beds world, you may not be surprised to hear, is a relatively slow-moving industry. The Tempur mattress is made from “memory foam”, derived from a material initially developed by Nasa to cushion astronauts against extreme g-forces. They have become hot property in the past few years. It’s easy to see why. As I lie on it, each bit of my body is absorbed and supported just as much as it needs to be. If you are used to a firmer mattress, you might find it a bit too squishy, but I think it’s great.
It’s like lying on an enormous marshmallow. Next up are two more traditional models. Jensen, the Norwegian company, is widely seen as the market leader in pocket-sprung mattresses. This is the classic design, in which the stuffing is held in place by togs. I test an “Ophelia” model. I ask if the name means that purchasers sleep in it alone and cry a lot. David doesn’t think so, and as I lie on this two metre-wide monster of comfort, I’m rather inclined to agree with him. In the middle of the department store, I have a sudden sensation of being in a five-star hotel. A Jensen bed comes in three parts – the base unit, the mattress and the topper. They work together to provide the right resistance. The mattresses are “zoned” so that they’re firmer in some parts than others. “Your bottom and your shoulders stick out more than other parts of your body,” says David. If your partner prefers a firmer mattress, or is much heavier than you are, you can even have different levels of tension on your respective sides of the bed.
The final bed I test is from the hand-sprung Vi-Spring range, “the Rolls-Royce of mattresses”, as David explains. This venerable British brand, founded in 1901, is the leading “hand-sprung” model. These mattresses are hand made, and filled with a mixture of lamb’s wool, silk and mohair (the Jensen uses a blend of natural and man-made fibres). This makes the mattress more breathable. “People sweat on average between half a pint and a pint while they sleep,” explains David. Like good sportswear, a mattress must be breathable, to let out all that excess body heat. Poor breathability is often the cause of heat itches, which can seriously disrupt sleep. I certainly don’t think I’d be disrupted on this particular bed. I feel as if I should be eating grapes, and ordering soldiers into battle far away. None of this technology, care and quality comes cheap. A top-of-the-range Jensen will set you back almost as much as a small car. Unless you’re a serious art collector, or have a loo seat made out of gold, your bed can easily be the most expensive thing you own.
“It’s an investment,” says David. “And though they’re all covered by warranties, I’d say 99 per cent of the people who take the time to buy one of these beds are satisfied.” Compared with the tetanus-threatening, mite-ridden, prison-style bunk I usually make do with, all of these beds seemed excellent. I understood Heidi’s joy when she goes to Frankfurt and learns that it’s possible to have more than one pillow. I could have slept the day away on any of them. But forced to choose, I’d go for a Vi-Spring. British beds for weary British heads. The Tempur original, without a frame, starts at £1,500 for a double and goes up to £2,175 for a king-size “Sensation” Prices for a Vi-Spring go from £1,000 for a mattress up to £5,000 for a set Jensen mattresses start at £1,950 and go up to £4,050 for an Ophelia bed and mattress set Five tips for choosing a new bed 1 Take your time You’re going to spend many hours sleeping on your new mattress, so make sure it feels comfortable.
2 Think about long-term value £100 spent on a mattress is just 2.7p a night spread over 10 years. Even £5,000 works out at less than £1.50 a night. 3 Check your allergies Even mild allergies to some fibres can seriously disrupt your sleep patterns. Mattresses are available to accommodate every sort of problem. 4 Hunt in pairs When testing mattresses, make sure you go with whoever you’ll be sharing it with, so that you get something suitable for both of you. 5 Pay attention to details Pillows, toppers, sheets and duvets all make a big difference too. Spend your money equally, rather than blowing it all on a mattress and scrimping on the rest. MORE: The best mattress toppers MORE: How to choose a mattressWith a total of 4000 pocket springs in the king size version, our luxury Cotton mattress incorporates market leading spring technology and superior natural fillings for a feel of comfort and softness. The benefits of cotton Layers of natural cotton help to keep your body at a comfortable sleeping temperature.
Cotton is soft, durable and highly absorbent which means it is good at wicking moisture away from the body and reducing temperature through evaporation, creating a hygienic sleeping environment. Additional fillings Wool is added to this mattress alongside the cotton to provide warmth, durability and natural springiness. Wool also helps inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi and dust mites making it a very hygienic, clean option. Naturally strong and comfortable hemp fibres are blended with wool to create an insulating under layer between the spring system and the comfort layers. All the layers are held together with two rows of hand side stitching, and hand tufted with cotton felt washers for even greater levels of durability. Revolution® pocket spring system Enjoy the enhanced comfort levels of this spring within a spring system for your most supportive night's sleep yet. Providing a medium to firm tension for all shapes and sizes of the human body, it boasts a two stage action. The larger outer spring offers a high degree of comfort as it yields to the body, while the inner spring gives a precise, highly supportive second action.
As your body sinks into the mattress the inner spring is engaged delivering extra support when and where you need it. High density springs Combined with the ultra-supportive Revolution pocket spring, Super HD springs distribute your weight correctly to reduce the build-up of pressure. Produced in a blanket sheet format, the springs are able to move up, down and side to side, as well as pivoting. This allows the surface of the spring to contour with the exact shape of your body. Environmentally sound The John Lewis Natural collection has been designed to be recyclable at the end of its life by using natural upholstery fillings. Even the steel used in the patented pocket spring system is 100% recyclable. Our manufacturers, Spink & Edgar are the only bed makers in the world with a farm where they raise sheep for wool and grow luxury fibres for use as fillings in their mattresses. Using locally grown fibres, crops and wool lessens the impact on the environment by dramatically reducing CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions.