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4 Ways the Right Mattress Can Change Your Life
4 Ways the Right Mattress Can Change Your Life
We spend a third of our lives in bed; a mattress matters to your overall health and well-being. However, in many homes, mattresses aren’t given nearly the thought and attention they deserve. You will spend more time on your mattress than your sofa, and chances are you spent weeks pondering over your sofa choice and just a few minutes settling on a mattress.

The right mattress can be life changing!

  1. Allergies

    If you find that your allergies seem worse at night or first thing in the morning, keep reading. Dust mites are a huge cause of most allergies. Those little mites love an old mattress, but there are ways to combat the problem.

    Memory foam and waterbeds are good options to keep dust mites at bay. Waterbeds aren’t as popular as they used to be, but foam mattresses are becoming much more popular. Serta iComfort is perfect for allergy sufferers. The memory foam cuts down on allergens while offering a good night’s rest

  2. Back Pain

    This is one of the most common reasons for replacing an old mattress. Old mattresses will gradually lose the ability to provide proper support. As the layers lose their compression and shape your body will no longer feel supported in the mattress. This typically manifests in the form of back aches and pains

    You need to look for a high-quality innerspring mattress. The more quality mattresses have stronger springs and will be individually wrapped. If the springs are individually wrapped, they contour better to your body and have less transfer of motion.

    Many innerspring mattresses also offer the added luxury of a pillow top, which can help relieve pressure points. The Englander King Size Laurel Pillow Top offers plush quilted layers with the support of an innerspring.

  3. Supporting Your Sleep Style

    Figure out what kind of sleeper you are to find the perfect mattress. Stomach sleepers, for example, need more support than back or side sleepers so their lower back doesn’t arch, which can cause pain. An innerspring mattress would work best.

    Side sleepers should avoid extra-firm mattresses since their bodies will unconsciously start rotating into a prone position in order to get sufficient support. A side sleeper may be more comfortable with a memory foam mattress.

    Back sleepers can get away with just about any mattress as long as it is high-quality and does not cause the back to lose its natural curves.

  4. Staying Cool

    Do you notice that you are sweating a lot at night? It may be your mattress. If you are prone to being hot, the old rule of thumb was to avoid memory foam. But times have changed. Many of the top-rated mattresses offer a mix of both springs, foam, and cooling gel. This Beautyrest features an advanced pocketed coil technology combined with multiple layers of advanced memory gel foams. It offers support, cooling action, and pressure relief. It is perfect for keeping your body cool and supported.

The right mattress will help you get a good night’s rest. Sleeping well means you can face the day and tackle new challenges head-on. Listen to your body, and choose the mattress that is right for you.

What to Look for When Buying a Mattress
What to Look for When Buying a Mattress

Alright, you’ve decided your old mattress isn’t cutting it anymore. It sags, it creaks, and it makes you want to sleep on the sofa. It’s clearly time to take the plunge into a new comfy mattress! Before you head to the store, it’s important to know what you need in a new mattress.

Support

You want the mattress to hold you in proper alignment from head to toe so you don’t wake up with a backache. You need the mattress to push up on your body to counteract your body weight. Now, that does not mean getting a super hard or firm mattress. Your body isn’t a straight line; it has curves. A mattress must contour to the curves and arches of your body. The Serta is designed for gentle yet firm support and will hug the curves of your body.

A supportive mattress will dip down around your shoulders and hips, yet keep your spine in proper alignment. If a mattress is too firm, your hips and shoulders will be pushed up, and you will be stiff when you wake up. The same issues can occur if a mattress is too soft. You want a mattress to contour to the shape of your body to hold it in its natural alignment.

Comfort

You don’t want the mattress to cause pressure to your body resulting in tossing and turning. If a mattress is too hard, the pressure to your body could cut off circulation, and pinch nerves, and will cause you to change positions throughout the night. Some American Bedding mattresses feature a medium-firm feel with a quilted foam cover and 2 inches of gel-infused layering. It’s designed for comfort for those looking for a firmer feel and still offers a quilted foam layer for good circulation.

When you’re trying out the mattress, you should be able to lie in one position without moving around for at least a few minutes. If you can do that, you’ve found a good mattress.

Other Factors

Motion: If you share your bed, you want to minimize motion transfer. Try the mattress in the store with your partner, and have your partner switch positions and get up and down from the bed.

Temperature: Most good mattresses have features to help cool your body. A cheaper memory foam mattress is a bad buy if you are easily overheated. Many of our top name brands offer mattresses with multiple layers of foam that allow airflow through the mattress.

Beyond these features, it’s really just a matter of preference. Some people like the bounce and feel of an innerspring mattress, while others prefer the extra pressure relief of a foam mattress. Whichever you choose, it’s important to try the mattress out in the store before making the purchase. Don’t be afraid to stretch out and experiment. It’s a big purchase, and the right mattress can be life- changing.

7 Signs You Need a New Mattress
7 Signs You Need a New Mattress
You should be there for 8 hours every night; that’s a third of your life! A mattress matters to your overall health and well-being, so why do so many people neglect a good night’s sleep? Well, most people don’t know how to read the signs of a mattress that’s doing more harm than good. 

Here are 7 signs you may need a new mattress:
  1. It’s 8-10 years old - Consumer reports recommend a new mattress every 7 to 10 years. Shocked? Most people are. Many folks can’t remember when they bought their mattress! If you know it’s older than a decade, it’s time to start looking.
  2. You move all night - Constantly shifting position? If you can’t get comfy in bed, that’s a pretty sure sign you need a new mattress. Don’t let old springs push on sensitive pressure points. You need a quality mattress that evenly distributes weight.
  3. Squeaks and creeks - The ability of your mattress to provide support can be altered by what supports your mattress. Broken or worn out box springs can affect a mattress’s comfort, support, and shape. Squeaks and creeks can damage your mattress and make it wear out faster than normal. Without proper support, you may notice your mattress sagging in the center.
  4. The great sag - Speaking of sagging, if you notice yourself rolling towards the middle, it’s time for a new mattress. Sagging can occur as springs break down and lose resiliency. And get this: Sagging and impressions of as little as 1.5″ are linked to increased pain!
  5. Allergies - If you find that your allergies seem worse at night or first thing in the morning, it may be time for a new mattress. Dust mites are a huge cause of most allergies. Those little mites love an old mattress. Memory foam and waterbeds are a good way to keep dust mites at bay.
  6. You find yourself sleeping elsewhere - Constantly falling asleep on the sofa? Maybe it means you are more comfortable there than in bed. Notice that a hotel is more restful than your own bed? That’s a serious problem.
  7. Your back hurts - This is one of the most common reasons for replacing an old mattress. Old mattresses will gradually lose the ability to provide proper support. As the layers lose their compression and shape your body will no longer feel supported in the mattress. This typically manifests in forms of backaches and pains.

Any of this sound familiar? Then it may be time to replace that old mattress with a new more supportive one!



Mattress Buying Guide
Mattress Buying Guide

In most homes, sleep is a precious commodity. A mattress matters to your overall health and well-being. Consumer Reports recommends a new mattress every 7 to 10 years. If you are concerned about the age and quality of your mattress, it may be time to shop around. But where do you begin? Here’s a handy mattress buying guide that will help you get started.


Types of Mattresses

There are two basic categories of mattresses:


Innerspring: 
These are the traditional mattresses with springs. They can be all tied together or individually wrapped.

Specialty foam: These will usually be made of different types of foam. Two categories of specialty foam are latex and memory foam.

Beyond these two major categories, there are other types that are a bit rarer. Some manufacturers make air mattresses that use air chambers instead of springs for support. Plus, the darling of the 80’s, waterbeds, are still around. These two subgroups are a specialty market and are not nearly as common as an innerspring or specialty foam mattresses.

There are also beds with adjustable frames like the Serta Motion Plus.

Innerspring Mattresses

The most common mattress is innerspring. They have metal coils inside the mattress with foam and fiber on the top. The lower-priced mattresses tend to use the older style coil in which they’re all tied together.

The more quality mattresses have stronger springs and will be individually wrapped. If the springs are individually wrapped, they contour better to your body and have less transfer of motion. So, if one person bounces around or changes positions, the partner will not notice it as much.

Many innerspring mattresses also offer the added luxury of a pillow top. The Englander King Size Laurel Pillow Top offers plush, quilted layers with the support of an innerspring.

Specialty Foam

Foam mattresses are becoming much more popular, and they tend to get higher customer satisfaction ratings than innerspring mattresses. There are two major types of specialty foam, latex and memory foam. A foam bed will usually have at least one of them, if not both.

Memory foam is probably the most recognized type of foam in bedding. It is a slower-response foam that takes time to return to its normal position. This has the benefit less pressure to the body. Memory foam is often mixed with a type of gel to add additional support and cooling. Some foam mattresses are a bit stuffy.

Latex foam is the other type of common specialty foam. It tends to be more supportive and more durable than memory foam and feels a bit cooler to the touch. However, it is not as effective as memory foam at relieving pressure.

Most of the time, these types of foam will be put on a base of what’s called “poly foam,” which is just a high-density, resilient support foam. Many times, memory foam and latex are mixed.

Foam Plus Springs

Many of the top-rated mattresses offer a mix of both springs and foam. This Beautyrest mattress features an advanced pocketed coil technology combined with multiple layers of advanced memory gel foam. It offers support, cooling action and pressure relief.

You should expect to spend anywhere from $350-$600 on a basic king size mattress. One in the $900-$1500 range is more common for a quality night of sleep. One with all of the bells and whistles of memory foam, individually wrapped coils, and gel could run over $2000.

Bedframe vs Headboard
Bedframe vs Headboard

It’s tempting for a do-it-yourselfer to attach a headboard to the wall over a metal frame bed. However, this may not be the best or most cost-effective option for your bedroom. A bed and bedroom are an oasis in your home. For many, it’s the only room of the house they can truly call their own. Finding the right bedroom furniture to create the right place to relax is essential to love your space.

Here are a few reasons why it’s important to buy the entire bed frame and not just a headboard.

  • Price

    Headboards alone can be upwards of $300 dollars; the entire package, headboard and frame can actually be easier on your pocketbook. Look at the Marshall Queen size bed. It starts at a price that’s less than a quality queen size headboard. For one price you get a nice frame that matches your headboard and the other pieces in your room. You won’t have to spend extra time and fuss trying to hide that metal bedframe under bedding.

  • Style

    You may be tempted to buy a headboard for the unique style you think it will add to your room. But beds can add style all on their own. Many come with gorgeous headboards that attach to the bed and not to your wall. The Kaitlyn Queen bed makes a statement with its oversized headboard. This can easily be the design center of your space. You can play off of a bed like this to create an entirely unique master bedroom. Plus, you have the added style that the bed frame itself brings to your space.

  • Ease

    Besides being easier on your wallet, buying the entire bed is actually easier to live with. Most headboards are going to attach to the wall above your metal frame bed. That means unsightly screw holes and some elbow grease to put together the look you are hoping for. And once you attach it to the wall, it cannot be easily moved. With the purchase of an entire bed frame, the headboard attaches to the frame itself. It can be placed in front of a window, at an angle or in the middle of the room. It can also be easily moved at any time.

  • Statement

    It’s easier to make a statement with an entire bed. Look at the Chateau King bed. Its posts, along with the headboard, can be the centerpiece of any bedroom. It makes a clear statement on style and comfort. It allows for understated bedding and accompanying furniture. A bed like this can be an anchor of design in a plain bedroom.

Just buying the headboard limits your bedroom’s potential. It limits the placement and style of your bed. It also means extra costs for bed skirts, and more ostentatious bedding in general, to camouflage the metal frame. A bed frame with headboard and footboard is often the better option for price and flexibility.