A Guide to Choosing Your Bed
When should I change my mattress?
Regular firm or soft?
Mattress sizes
What type of mattress should I choose?
Divan bases
Storage options
Mattress fillings
When should I change my mattress?
Mechanically, a good quality mattress will last for many years if it is
well-treated. However, current advice is that you should change your
mattress at least every 10 years. Cheaper mattresses will need to be
replaced more frequently than this. You should also consider changing
your mattress if: you are not sleeping as well as you used to; you feel
aches and pains in the morning when you wake up; or your mattress is
showing obvious signs of wear.
Regular, firm or soft?
Although a few years ago it was
thought that the best mattress choice for back care was a very firm
mattress, medical opinion has now changed. The important factor is the
support that a mattress can offer. The mattresses offering the best
support are usually the pocket sprung or foam mattresses; however there
are some good quality open coil (bonnel sprung) mattresses and some
good patent spring systems e.g. Miracoil ™.
A mattress offering good support
will help to keep your body in the best position for healthy sleep.
Most importantly, it will ensure that your spine is kept in the optimum
position to help to avoid back pain.
Some mattress models are available in soft or firm tensions as well as regular tension.
Some mattresses are labelled as “ortho” or “orthos”. These mattresses are much firmer than the standard mattress.
Mattress sizes
There are five regular mattress sizes: single, double, king and super king. The measurements are as follows:
Single
90cm x 190cm (3’ x 6’3”)
Small Double
120cm x 190cm (4’ x 6’3”)
Double
135cm x 190cm (4’6” x 6’3”)
King
150cm x 200cm (5’ x 6’6”)
Super King
180cm x 200cm (6’ x 6’6”)
Not every supplier makes their standard
mattresses in the small double and the super king sizes. Many suppliers
will make mattresses to custom sizes and even custom shapes.
What type of mattress should I choose?
There are four main types of mattress, although manufacturers often offer variations on the main types:
-
Bonnel sprung (open coil)
-
Pocket sprung (sometimes pocket sprung mattresses will also contain foam)
-
Foam
-
Springing unique to certain manufacturers.
Bonnel sprung mattresses
These are sometimes called “traditionally
sprung” mattresses. They contain a set of linked coiled springs (about
288 springs in a king size mattress). The main factors that affect the
quality of these mattresses are: the quality of the spring unit; the
fillings and the type of the fabric. These are usually the cheapest
mattresses to buy. The very cheapest are of poor quality, but the more
expensive models can offer acceptable levels of comfort. Nevertheless,
they will not respond to the body shape as effectively nor offer the
same support as pocket sprung or good quality foam mattresses.
Pocket sprung mattresses
Pocket sprung mattresses contain springs
that are separately sewn into individual pockets. There are typically
1,000–1,600 springs in a king size pocket sprung bed. Where there are
higher spring counts, there are usually 2 layers of pocket springs to
create extra comfort. The pocket sprung system helps to ensure that the
mattress provides support for the whole body and helps to eliminate
roll-together and roll-off.
Pocket sprung mattresses are manufactured with a variety of fillings. Please see the section on
Fillings
for details.
Foam mattresses
There are several varieties of
foam mattresses available. However, the best of these mattresses
contain visco-elastic, otherwise known as “memory foam”. “Memory foam”
mattresses are typically constructed from at least 2 types of foam: one
type forms the base of the mattress, while the “memory foam” forms the
upper part. Some people find that foam mattresses are warmer than open
coil or pocket sprung mattresses. As a result many manufacturers
produce at least one range that has cooling properties.
Springing particular to certain manufacturers (patent systems)
This type of springing is usually
a compromise. Manufacturers aim to produce some of the comfort of
pocket sprung systems but at a lower cost. Some of the patent systems
are as follows:
-
Miracoil™ (Silentnight) - twice as many springs as an open coil
mattress; springs concentrated in the centre of the bed; springs in
figure of eight shape; each row is made from one coil of wire.
Silentnight is famous for its Hippo and Duck logo indicating that the
Miracoil™ system offers no roll-together and no roll off.
-
Flexiform springs (Dorlux) – almost twice as many springs as an open coil mattress; they are smaller and closer together.
-
Flexi-coil (King Koil) – continuous coil springs.
Divan bases
If your divan base is old and worn it is a false economy simply to
replace the mattress, because it will reduce the life of your new
mattress.
Divan bases usually fall into one of four main types:
-
Platform top – a divan base with a solid top.
-
Padded top – a divan base with some padding to the top.
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Firm edge – a divan base with springs over the whole centre area but not at the edges.
-
Sprung edge (fully sprung) – The whole of the top of the divan base is
sprung; this can help to protect the mattress from wear (e.g. from
sitting on the edge of the bed) and usually gives a slightly softer
feel.
The most common bases are platform top and sprung edge.
Platform top bases offer the cheapest option, but many of the better quality divan sets come with sprung edge bases as standard.
Storage options
Drawers
Divan bases can be supplied with drawer options, although including drawers usually costs extra.
Typical drawer options are:
-
2 drawers. 2 drawers of equal size. This option is usually selected for
single beds, although larger beds can be supplied with 2 drawers. For
beds larger than a single, check whether the 2 drawers are fitted on
one side or on each side at the foot end.
-
4 drawers. 4 equally sized drawers, 2 each side.
-
4 drawers continental. The 2 drawers at the foot end are of the
standard size. The two drawers at the head end are smaller allowing
them to open, even if there are bedside cabinets at the head of the
bed.
-
End drawer. Not always offered. One large drawer at the bottom end of the bed.
Ottoman storage
Some manufacturers, such as Jay Be, Hypnos and Dorlux, offer the option
of ottoman storage. With this type of bed the whole of the top of the
base lifts to reveal the storage areas in the divan base. This provides
more storage spacer than drawers.
Mattress fillings
Mattresses are supplied with a bewildering variety of fillings. Below is a guide to the more common fillings.
Natural fillings
·
Lambswool – provides luxurious softness
·
Cotton – support and softness
·
Cashmere – excellent durability and softness, a high quality filling
·
Horse hair – for resilience and durability
·
Silk – another high quality filling that absorbs moisture very effectively providing a more healthy sleeping environment
·
Latex - a
hard wearing, hypoallergenic, antimicrobial, natural material sourced from rubber trees - provides natural ventilation
·
Mohair – a luxurious filling providing superb softness.
Man-made fillings
·
Memory foam – also called visco
elastic - was developed by NASA. This foam works especially well
in relieving pressure points when you are lying on a bed. It responds
to weight and temperature moulding itself closely to your body
shape, providing excellent support for your whole body. It
will readjust as your body readjusts during the night. This foam
is becoming one of the most popular fillings. Some people find that
memory foam makes the bed warmer than conventional fillings, although
many manufacturers (e.g. Kaymed) offer models that increase
ventilation.
·
Anti-microbial polyester – is designed to provide hypo-allergenic qualities.
·
Polyester – provides softeness and durability.
·
White fibre – for comfort and softness.
·
High density foam – provides a good base for the upper fillings.
·
Gel – provided by Silentnight in the Miragel range is designed to provide the comfort of memory foam but is cooler.
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