How To Find The Perfect Mattress

How To Find The Perfect Mattress

It’s estimated we spend around a third of our lives in bed – and that was pre-lockdown. Now we're spending more time at home, and with even higher stress levels, quality sleep has never been more important. So, it stands to reason that shelling out on a good bed and mattress is a worthwhile investment, but what if we said you could get a top mattress at a fair price? Enter Button & Sprung – its team knows a thing or two about what goes into a good mattress and, more importantly, a decent night's sleep. Here, co-founder Adam Black shares what you need to know when it comes to choosing the right one for you.

CHECK THE FILLING

Mattress fillings make a big difference to the way a mattress feels and behaves. This year we’ve been running a ’say no to foam’ campaign across our social channels, as we strongly believe that a naturally filled, chemical-free mattress will optimise your sleep. Foam is a poor mattress material as it’s not breathable and can result in over-heating at night. Our 100% natural fillings will breathe with your body, regulating your temperature and wicking away moisture while you sleep. Additionally, mattresses made from foam can omit unpleasant and potentially harmful chemical odours – this is a process known as ‘off gassing’. We only use natural fillings such as Egyptian cotton, wool and silk, and do not treat our mattresses with chemicals. The more natural fillings a mattress contains, the healthier your sleep and the more sumptuous the feel.

LOOK FOR THE RIGHT FIT

When considering a new mattress, it’s really important to ensure it’s going to give the correct support for you. A mattress is like a piece of clothing; it should fit your personal shape and weight – contouring your body in order to provide the right amount of support at the key pressure points: hips, knees and shoulders. The result being that your spine, whichever position you sleep in, is held in a neutral, horizontal position through the night. There is a common misunderstanding that firm mattresses are better for your back. If a mattress is too firm, it will work to push your spine upwards and out of line, creating pressure points at your shoulders and hips. Equally, if a mattress is too soft, your body will bow into it – putting pressure on your lower spine.

WEIGH UP THE FIRMNESS

As a rule of thumb, the heavier you are, the firmer your mattress should be – it needs to counter-act or push back against your body weight at the key pressure points. The lighter you are, the softer and more yielding a mattress should be. To get the correct support, your body weight needs to engage the springs. A light person on a firm mattress is not heavy enough to do this, whereas a heavier person on a soft mattress engages the springs too much, preventing them responding with enough force to hold your spine level. As a guide to find the correct level of support, ask someone to observe the alignment of your spine while you lie in your preferred sleeping position(s) – a horizontal line from neck to toes is what you are looking for.

GO FOR MORE SPRINGS 

It’s simple really: more springs equal more support, and more support equals more comfort. The more springs in a mattress, the more defined the support. Think of it as springs per square inch of your body. Lying on 5,000 springs is always going to be more comfortable than lying on 1,000. The comfort is also more refined to every part of your body. Traditional pocket sprung mattresses offer better support than open coil mattresses. They’re good if you’re a different weight to your partner because they offer stability from edge to edge, and they also feel more luxurious.

REMEMBER, SIZE IS IMPORTANT

The most comfortable mattress means nothing if your bed is too small. And even if you have the most loving relationship, having enough space to sleep is so important. Also, if you are starting a family, no matter how strong your resolve or firm your intentions – you often find more bodies in the bed come morning. When buying your mattress, consider getting the biggest mattress you can comfortably fit into your bedroom.

BEAR THE BUDGET IN MIND

Our advice is to buy the most comfortable mattress you can afford, and the bed frame, ottoman or divan you like. Our mattresses are designed to last longer than ten years – that’s a minimum of 3,650 nights or, if you spend £1,500 on a mattress, less than 50p per night. And frankly, a good night’s sleep is worth every penny. When you are younger (say, in your early 20s) you can probably get a decent sleep on a park bench, but as you get older (think your 30s or 40s) sleep becomes more elusive. It’s at this point you want to think about buying a better mattress with more springs and deeper fillings.

EXAMINE THE COMPLETE SERVICE

If you’re having trouble deciding between two or three equally suitable products, try thinking about what the retailer is offering you, start to finish. Ultimately, we want our customers to find the mattress that’s right for them, which is why we were the first to offer 100 nights (no-quibble) free returns. If your mattress or bed isn’t as you’d hoped, we’ll come and pick it up free of charge and change it for one that suits you better or give you a full refund. We also offer a 10-year guarantee, so that our customers can rest assured in the quality of the product.

FINDING THE PERFECT MATTRESS

Investing in a new mattress is the kind of decision you shouldn’t rush. Ideally, you should test the mattress you’re considering for at least 15 minutes and ideally up to an hour. To help make this decision making process stress-free we created the Bed Room, a private place where you can try our luxurious mattresses undisturbed. We have customers travel from all over the UK to try the mattresses in person. Our expert staff are on hand to offer advice, while you relax and find the perfect mattress in privacy. For those too far away to visit us in London, it can be really helpful to discuss your individual needs over the phone – our knowledgeable team are more than happy to help with any queries you may have.
 

Interested in learning more? Watch this… 

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